The Goran Laboratory has been studying the causes and consequences of childhood obesity for over 30 years.
We strive to understand the link between obesity and risk of diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease. Our team investigates how these relationships begin early in life from a developmental perspective and we conduct longitudinal cohort studies as well as randomized prevention and treatment trials.
In our lab, we focus on the impact of several factors on obesity and related health outcomes, such as:
- Nutrition, including maternal-infant nutrition
- Environment, with a focus on air pollution and chemical obesogens
- Social determinants of health
- Disparities in these outcomes and contributing factors among Latinos
Our research findings will help us design interventions that disrupt the development of obesity and reduce risks for chronic disease starting early in life.
Research Areas of Interest
Our research topics include:
- Dietary strategies for prevention and treatment of childhood obesity and related chronic diseases
- Protective effects of breastfeeding and breastmilk composition, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), on infant growth and development
- Effects of dietary sugars and low-calorie sweeteners on infant and child development, including growth, gut microbiome and brain development
- Effects of early life infant gut microbiome development on body fat and brain and cognitive development
- Interventions that reduce the risk for obesity and related chronic diseases
Read more about our research.
