LAUGERO LAB (STRESS BIOLOGY & NUTRITION RESEARCH LAB)
Kevin Laugero, Ph.D. Research Leader Associate Adjunct Professor, UC Davis Department of Nutrition Office: (530) 752-4173 Email address: kevin.laugero@usda.gov Research Interests The Laugero lab (Stress Biology and Nutrition Research Lab) studies stress and nutrition interrelationships. Research is being conducted to understand physiological and metabolic underpinnings of inter-individual variability in stress responsiveness, and how this can be used to explain vulnerability or resilience to the negative mental and physical effects of chronic stress. A systems approach is applied to examine the interrelationships between stress, diet, and physical activity in human interventions and the community to identify mechanisms and factors that explain differential regulation of the stress response and its link to health. Laugero Lab (Stress Biology and Nutrition Research Lab) Themes Our research studies focus on nutritional and metabolic regulation of stress system responsiveness and impact on prevention and management of chronic disease. The overarching objective of our research is to understand the nutritional and metabolic underpinnings of stress responsiveness, emotional dysregulation, and mental health. A central aim of the research program is to identify nutritional and metabolic interactions or signatures that help explain individual variation in resilience or vulnerability to stress and, therefore, stress-related diseases. Our underlying hypothesis is that differences in nutrition and metabolism explain, at least in part, variability in stress responsiveness and the link between stress vulnerability and disease risk. Part of our work aims to expose mechanisms that explain coexistence of metabolic (e.g., diabetes) and psychiatric conditions such as depression. Our lab applies functional brain imaging, metabolomics, neuroendocrine and autonomic nervous system evaluation, cognitive function assessment, and qualitative methods to clinical research studies and interventions. Our previous work exposed a novel metabolic-brain model, around which much of our research and view of behavioral health is centered. Our vision is to expose and test through hypothesis-driven research and clinical trials novel access points for guiding personalized and conventional practitioners on nutrition-based options as part of a plan to reduce chronic stress and its detrimental effects on mental and physical health.
ARS Employees Rashel Decant, Biological Science Lab Technician, Study Coordinator Sarah Dimitratos, RD, Nutritional Biology Doctoral Candidate & USDA National Needs Fellow Research Interests: intergenerational transmission of stress-motivated eating behavior in parent/adolescent dyads. Melanie Hercules, Lab Assistant and Data Manager Hoda Soltani, MPH, RD, Nutritional Biology Doctoral Candidate, Project Manager Healthy UC Davis Research Interests: Human stress and nutrition interrelationships.
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Adkins, Y.C., Laugero, K.D., Mackey, B.E., Kelley, D.S. 2019. Accretion of dietary docosahexaenoic acid in mouse tissues did not differ between its purified phospholipid and triacylglycerol forms. Lipids. 54(1):25-37. https://doi.org/10.1002/lipd.12115.
Soltani, H., Keim, N.L., Laugero, K.D. 2018. Diet quality for sodium and vegetables mediate effects of whole food diets on 8-week changes in stress load. Nutrients. 10(11):1606. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10111606.
Huda, M., Ahmad, S.D., Alam, J., Khanam, A., Alam, N., Raqib, R., Laugero, K.D., Stephensen, C.B. 2018. Infant cortisol stress-response is associated with thymic function and vaccine response. Stress: The International Journal on Biology of Stress. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2018.1484445.
Krishnan, S., Adams, S.H., Allen, L.H., Laugero, K.D., Newman, J.W., Stephensen, C.B., Burnett, D.J., Witbracht, M.G., Welch, L.C., Que, E.S., Keim, N.L. 2018. Impact of an 8-week controlled feeding trial based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans on cardiometabolic health indices. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 108(2):266-278. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy113.
Kelley, D.S., Adkins, Y.C., Laugero, K.D. 2018. A review of the health benefits of cherries. Nutrients. 10(3):368. https://doi:10.3390/nu10030368.
Forester, S.M., Widaman, A.M., Krishnan, S., Witbracht, M.G., Horn, W.F., Laugero, K.D., Keim, N.L. 2018. A clear difference emerges in hormone patterns following a standard mid-day meal in regular breakfast eating or breakfast skipping young women. Journal of Nutrition. 148(5):658-692. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxy020.
Baldiviez, L.M., Keim, N.L., Laugero, K.D., Hwang, D.H., Huang, L., Woodhouse, L.R., Burnett, D.J., Zerofsky, M., Bonnel, E., Allen, L.H., Newman, J.W., Stephensen, C.B. 2017. Design and implementation of a cross-sectional nutritional phenotyping study in healthy US adults. Biomed Central (BMC) Nutrition. 3(79):1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-017-0197-4.
Laugero, K.D., Adkins, Y.C., Kelley, D.S., Mackey, B.E. 2017. Emotion-Based cognition in mice is differentially influenced by dose and chemical form of dietary docosahexaenoic acid. Nutrients. 9(9):993. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9090993.
Stewart, C.P., Oaks, B.M., Ashorn, P., Dewey, K.G., Laugero, K.D. 2017. Infant cortisol concentrations do not differ by group in a randomized controlled trial of lipid based nutrient supplements among mothers and infants in Malawi . Journal of Nutrition. doi: 10.1186:s12884.015.0793.8.
Widaman, A., Keim, N.L., Burnett, D.D., Miller, B., Witbract, M.G., Widaman, K.F., Laugero, K.D. 2017. A potential tool for clinicians; evaluating a computer-led dietary assessment method in overweight and obese women during weight loss. Nutrients. doi: 10.3390:nu9030218.
Oakes, B.M., Laugero, K.D., Stewart, C.P., Adu-Afarwuah, S., Lartey, A., Ashorn, P., Vosti, S., Dewey, K.G. 2016. Late-pregnancy salivary cortisol concentrations of Ghanaian women participating in a randomized controlled trial of prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplements. Journal of Nutrition. 146(2):343-352. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.115.219576.
Oaks, B., Stewart, C., Laugero, K.D., Adu-Afarwuah, S., Lartey, A., Vosti, S., Ashorn, P., Dewey, K. 2016. Maternal plasma cholesterol and duration of pregnancy: a prospective cohort study in Ghana. Maternal and Child Nutrition. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12418.
Scherr, R.E., Laugero, K.D., Graham, D.J., Cunningham, B.T., Jahns, L.A., Lora, K.R., Reicks, M., Mobley, A.R. 2017. Innovative techniques for evaluating behavioral nutrition interventions. Advances in Nutrition. 8:113-25.
Nicklas, T.A., Liu, Y., Giovanni, M., Jahns, L.A., Tucker, K., Laugero, K.D., Bogle, M.L., Chester, D.N. 2016. Association between barriers and facilitators to meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and body weight status of caregiver-child dyads: The HEALTH study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.123372.
Stewart, C.P., Oakes, B.M., Laugero, K.D., Ashorn, U., Harjunmaa, U., Kumwenda, C., Chaima, D., Maleta, K., Ashorn, P., Dewey, K.G. 2015. Maternal cortisol and stress are associated with birth outcomes, but are not affected by lipid-based micronutrient supplements during pregnancy: an analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial in rural Malawi. BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. 15:346. doi: 10.1186/s12884-015-0793-8.
Tryon, M.S., Stanhope, K.L., Epel, E.S., Mason, A.E., Brown, R., Medici, V., Havel, P.J., Laugero, K.D. 2015. Excessive sugar consumption may be a difficult habit to break: a view from the brain and body. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 100(6):2239-2247. https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2014-4353.
Widaman, A.M., Burnett, D.J., Miller, B., Witbract, M., Keim, N.L., Laugero, K.D. 2015. Identifying nutrients that are under-reported by an automated 24-hour dietary recall method in overweight and obese women after weight loss. Meeting Abstract. 2015 Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics Annual Meeting , Nashville TN, October 3-6, 2015.
Widaman, A.M., Witbracht, M.G., Forester, S.M., Laugero, K.D., Keim, N.L. 2016. Chronic stress is associated with indicators of diet quality in habitual breakfast skippers. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 116(11):1776-1784. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2016.03.016.
Whitbracht, M.G., Keim, N.L., Forester, S., Widaman, A., Laugero, K.D. 2015. Breakfast skippers display a disrupted cortisol rhythm and elevated blood pressure. Physiology and Behavior. 140:215-221. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.12.044.
Tryon, M.S., Carter, C.S., Decant, R.L., Laugero, K.D. 2013. Chronic stress exposure may affect the brain's response to high calorie food cues and predispose to obesogenic eating habits. Physiology and Behavior. 120:233-242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.08.010.
Nicklas, T.A., Jahns, L., Bogle, M.L., Chester, D.N., Giovanni, M., Klurfeld, D., Laugero, K.D., Liu, Y., Peterson, S.J., Tucker, K.L. 2013. Barriers and facilitators for consumer adherence to the dietary guidelines for Americans: The health study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. pii: S2212-2672(13)00527-3.
Tryon, M.S., Decant, R.L., Laugero, K.D. 2013. Having your cake and eating it too: A habit of comfort food may link chronic social stress exposure and acute stress-induced cortisol hyporesponsiveness.. Physiology and Behavior. 114-115:32-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.02.018.
Pieper, J.R., Laugero, K.D. 2012. Preschool children with lower executive function may be more vulnerable to emotional-based eating in the absence of hunger. Appetite. 62:103-l09. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.020.
Witbracht, M., Van Loan, M.D., Adams, S.H., Keim, N.L., Laugero, K.D. 2012. Dairy food consumption and meal-induced cortisol response interact to influence weight loss in overweight women undergoing a 12-week meal-controlled weight loss intervention. Journal of Nutrition. 143(1):45-52.
Jahns, L.A., Bogle, M., Chester, D.N., Laugero, K.D., Tucker, K.L., Nicklas, T. 2012. Understanding barriers to dietary guideline adherence: The HEALTH Study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 112(3):A11.
Jahns, L.A., Bogle, M., Chester, D.N., Laugero, K.D., Tucker, K., Nicklas, T. 2012. Nominal group technique-elicited barriers and facilitators to following the Dietary Guidelines for solid fats and added sugars in children: The HEALTH Study. Meeting Abstract. 112(3):A11.
Forester, S.M., Witbracht, M., Horn, W.F., Keim, N.L., Laugero, K.D. 2012. Within subject variation of satiety hormone responses to a standard lunch. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 639.5.
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Laugero, K.D., Tryon, M.S. 2011. Stress and food intake: What's the deal with your meal?. CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources. doi: 10.1079/PAVSNNR20116034.
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Witbracht, M.G., Laugero, K.D., Van Loan, M.D., Adams, S.H., Keim, N.L. 2011. Performance on the Iowa gambling task is related to magnitude of weight loss and salivary cortisol in a diet-induced weight loss intervention in overweight women. Physiology and Behavior. 106(2):291-297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.04.035.
Laugero, K.D., Smilowitz, J.T., German, J.B., Jarcho, M.R., Mendoza, S.P., Bales, K.L. 2011. Plasma omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acid status and monounsaturated fatty acids are altered by chronic social stress and predict endocrine responses to acute stress in titi monkeys. Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids. 84(3-4):71-8.
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Laugero, K.D., Falcon, L.M., Tucker, K.L. 2011. Relationship between perceived stress and dietary and activity patterns in older adults participating in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. Appetite. 56:194-204.
Laugero, K.D., Falcon, L.M., Tucker, K.L. 2010. Associations Between Life Stress and Patterns of Food Intake and Physical Activity in the Boston Puerto Rican Health Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 56(1):194-204.
Laugero, K.D. 2010. Obesity, the Economic Meltdown, and the Gut Feeling for the Foods We Choose to Eat. Clinical Nutrition Insight.
Mack, C.M., Soares, C.J., Wilson, J.K., Athanacio, B.A., Turek, V., Trevaskis, J., Roth, J., Smith, P.A., Gedulin, B., Jodka, C.M., Roland, B.L., Adams, S.H., Lwin, A., Herich, J., Laugero, K.D., Vu, C., Pittner, R., Paterniti, J.R., Hanley, M., Ghosh, S., Parkes, D.G. 2009. Davalintide (AC2307), a Novel Amylin Mimetic Peptide: Enhanced Pharmacological Properties over Native Amylin to Reduce Food Intake and Body Weight. International Journal of Obesity. 34, 385-395, 2010.
Campbell, J.C., Laugero, K.D., Van Westerhuyzen, J.A., Hostetler, C.M., Cohen, J.D., Bales, K.L. 2009. Energetic costs of pair bonding and parental care in male prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Physiology and Behavior. 98:367-373.
Laugero, K.D., Stonehouse, A.H., Guss, S., Landry, C.V., Parkes, D.G. 2009. EXENATIDE IMPROVES HYPERTENSION IN A RAT MODEL OF THE METABOLIC SYNDROME. Metabolic Syndrome and Disorders. 7(4):327-34, 2009.
Laugero, K.D. 2008. Filling in the gaps of chronic psychological stress disease models: what's metabolic profiling have to do with it?. Endocrinology. 149(6):2712-2713, 2008.
Laugero, K.D., Hanley, M.R., Parkes, D.G., Mcgonicle, P. 2010. Neuromedin and FN-38 Peptides for Treating Psychiatric Diseases. Patent Application.
Mack, C., Wilson, J., Athanacio, J., Reynolds, J., Laugero, K.D., Guss, S., Vu, C., Roth, J., Parkes, D. 2007. Pharmacological actions of the peptide hormone amylin in the long-term regulation of food intake, food preference, and body weight. American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory Integrative & Comparative Physiology. 293:R1855-R1863, 2007.
Mack, C., Laugero, K.D., Liu, Q., Jodka, C., Young, A., Parkes, D. 2006. Therapeutic Applications of Incretin Mimetics for Metabolic Diseases: Preclinical Studies. Drug Development Research. 67(7):553-558, 2006.
Laugero, K.D., Hanley, M., Mack, C.M., Parkes, D.G., Young, A.A. 2006. Amylin and Amylin Agonists for Treating Psychiatric Diseases and Disorders. Invention Report. 2006. Patent PCT Publication No.WO 2006/105527.
Weyer, C., Laugero, K.D., Mack, C.M., Parkes, D.G. Compositions and Methods for the Control, Prevention, and Treatment of Obesity and Eating Disorders. Invention Report.
Improving Public Health by Understanding Metabolic and Bio-Behavioral Effects of Following Recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans In-House Appropriated (D) Accession Number:436165 Improvement of Cardiovascular Health, Insulin Resistance, and Lipid Status by Bing Sweet Cherry Powder Consumption in Overweight Human Subjects Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement (R) Accession Number:434177
Methods and Technique • Neuroendocrine Evaluation • Functional Brain Imaging • Cognitive Function EIA and RIA • Body Composition • Food Preference and Intake Sensory Evaluation • Physical Activity • Emotional activity