Research Focus
The research direction of the Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness is determined through a coordinated effort by our team of medical, nutrition and technical scientists and our external Advisory Council of recognized thought-leaders from across the globe. Our research focuses on how beverages and beverage ingredients can improve health and help address significant health and nutrition problems around the world.
Areas of research include:- The effect of hydration on health and human performance.
- The role of beverages in weight management, bone health and heart health, as well as other wellness areas.
- The potential for delivering the natural goodness of fruits and vegetables through beverages.
- The use of fortified beverages and functional ingredients to provide specific health benefits.
Since its inception in 2004, The Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness has:
- Initiated clinical studies in the areas of hydration, sports drinks, weight management and functional ingredients. Some of these studies are still in progress and some initial findings are either proprietary or awaiting publication in the near future in peer reviewed journals.
- Presented original research findings at scientific meetings on dietary intakes of vitamin D in the U.S. population. The research was also published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association and the Journal of Nutrition. 1, 2
- Sponsored "Vitamin D and Bone Health: An update from Earth and Outer Space," a conference organized by Baylor College of Medicine, NASA and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute in Houston, Texas, in 2004 and in Washington, D.C., in 2005. The conference was designed to increase awareness of vitamin D and bone health among health professionals.
- Sponsored two Harvard Medical School Postgraduate Nutrition symposiums on obesity: "Science-Based Solutions to Obesity: What is the Role of Academia, Government, and Industry?" in 2004 and "The Childhood Obesity Epidemic: Predictors and Strategies for Prevention" in 2005.
- Sponsored "Managing Sweetness" a conference presented by Oldways Preservation Trust in Mexico City in 2005 to increase understanding of the role of sweetness in the human diet. Oldways Preservation Trust is a nonprofit food-issues think tank and developer of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid.
Preservation Trust is a nonprofit food-issues think tank and developer of the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid.
Sources- Moore CA, Murphy MM, Keast DR, and Holick MF. Vitamin D intake in the United States. JADA 2004; 104(6):980-983.
- Moore CA, Murphy MM, and Holick MF. Vitamin D intake in the Children and Adults in the United States Differ among Ethnic Groups. J. Nutr. 2005; 135(10):2478-2485.
