#95 Weight Series (Part 2 of 2). The Sugar Episode with Professor Michael Goran & Dr Emily Ventura

REFERENCES

As I mentioned above - this is a subject that Ive been asked to cover time and time again on the podcast - so I was delighted to be joined by Prof Michael and Dr Emily today to talk all things sugar with me.  What a great conversation we had.  Without fail I always learn something new from our amazing guests and this was no exception.
I hope you enjoyed the episode as much as I did and I would definitely recommend you to check out the Sugarproof book, website and social media pages.

GUEST: Professor Michael Goran and Dr Emily Ventura PhD, MPH

Professor Michael Goran Dr. Goran is Professor of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. He is Program Director for Diabetes and Obesity at The Saban Research Institute and he holds the Dr Robert C and Veronica Atkins Endowed Chair in Childhood Obesity and Diabetes. Dr Goran also serves as Co-Director of the USC Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute. Dr Goran is a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and received his Ph.D. from the University of Manchester, UK (1986) prior to postdoctoral training in the US (1987 to 1991). He previously served on the faculty of Medicine at the University of Vermont (1991 to 1994), and the Department of Nutrition Sciences at UAB (1994 to 1999) prior to joining USC in 1999. Dr Goran’s research has focused on the causes and consequences of childhood obesity for 30 years. His work is focused on understanding the metabolic factors linking obesity to increased disease risk during growth and development and using this information as a basis for developing new clinical, behavioral and community approaches for prevention, treatment and risk reduction. He is also especially interested in ethnic disparities in obesity and obesity related diseases including type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, with a special interest on the effects of dietary sugar on obesity and metabolic diseases among Hispanic populations. His work also covers maternal-infant nutrition and identifying modifiable factors that can be targeted for interrupting the developmental programming of obesity, including bioactive elements of breastmilk and infant microbiome development. His research has been continuously funded by NIH and other Foundations for the past 25 years during which he has raised almost $50m in funding to support this work.   Dr. Goran has published over 350 professional peer-reviewed articles and reviews. He is the Editor of the “Childhood Obesity: Causes, Consequences and Intervention Approaches” published in 2017, co-editor of “Dietary Sugars and Health” published in late 2014, and currently serves as Editor-in-Chief for Pediatric Obesity. He is the author of “Sugarproof”, a forthcoming title to be published by Avery/Penguin in the fall of 2020. He has been the recipient of a number of scientific awards for his research and teaching, including: The Nutrition Society Medal for Research (1996), The Lilly Award for Scientific Achievement from The Obesity Society (2006), The Bar-Or Award for Excellence in Pediatric Obesity Research, from The Obesity Society (2009), the TOPS award for contributions to obesity research from The Obesity Society (2014), and the Rank Prize Lecture in Nutrition (2018). Full details on Dr Goran’s research can be found on his web-site at: www.GoranLab.com   Dr Emily Ventura PhD, MPH Dr. Emily Ventura is a nutrition educator, public health advocate, writer, and cook. A California Bay Area native, Emily completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University where she received a BA in Biology in Society with an additional concentration in Latin American Studies. She worked in public relations in the arenas of environmental protection and food and also as a cook before starting graduate school. She went on to complete her Masters in Public Health and Doctorate of Philosophy in Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California. Emily has 10 years of research experience in public health with a focus on dietary strategies for the prevention of obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Her research has been published in scientific journals such as Obesity, the Journal of Pediatrics, and the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. She has also co-written Op-Eds with Dr. Michael Goran about diet and children’s health which have been published in the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, and the Washington Post  An advocate for community health, Emily has worked as a nutrition educator for children and families, including interning at the Edible Schoolyard in Berkeley, California and teaching and managing programs in the greater Los Angeles area for the California Nutrition Network. An enthusiastic and experienced cook, Emily loves to get kids and their families excited about eating well by encouraging them to source fresh, seasonal ingredients and prepare them simply. She was invited by the Los Angeles Times to conduct Pantry Makeovers for LA residents, in which she helped them restock their pantries and refrigerators and refresh their recipes to make them healthier. Advocating for access to healthy food for all children, Emily has led public health campaigns for Slow Food International as well as the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation. Recognition for her work has included receiving the National Cancer Institute’s Trainee of Excellence Award and being selected for the “eHow 100” list of women who are have made innovative shifts in their careers and have had a positive impact in their communities. Emily has spent extensive time abroad, including studying food and culture in Ecuador and serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Italy, where she taught Public Health Nutrition at the University of Gastronomic Sciences and conducted research at the University of Verona. Emily now lives in the UK with her two young sons and works as a writer and recipe-developer.