Diet, Inflammation, and Health

James R. Hébert, MSPH, ScD, Health Sciences Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and Founding Director of the South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the University of South Carolina, also is Founder, President and Scientific Director of Connecting Health Innovations LLC (CHI). Dr. Hébert received his master’s degree in Environmental Health from the University of Washington and his doctorate in Nutritional Epidemiology from Harvard University. Among his many honors and awards, in 2017 he was named to the NIH Nutrition Research Task Force Thought Leaders Panel. One of the most well published and highly cited research scientists in the world, Dr. Hébert is well known for his research into the role of diet in health and for developing the Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®), which is revolutionizing research into chronic systemic inflammation as a cause of numerous chronic diseases ranging from diabetes to depression, cardiovascular disease, and many cancers. Lorne J. Hofseth, is a professor, interim associate dean for research at the Drug Discovery & Biomedical Sciences (DDBS) College of Pharmacy, and director at the Center for Colon Cancer Research, at the University of South Carolina. He completed his BS and PhD degrees from Simon Fraser University, and postdoctoral fellowship in Michigan State University and the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Hofseth has published over 100 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, with research interests revolving around chronic inflammation and cancer. He has dedicated his career to identifying novel targets and therapeutic approaches to suppressing inflammation with minimal toxicity, carrying out clinical trials to examine the role of antioxidants in suppressing systemic inflammation, and improve overall health.

1. What is Inflammation? Why is it Important? 2. History of Nutrition and Inflammation 3. Nutrition, Inflammation and Immune Response 4. Resolving Acute Inflammation; How acute inflammation resolves and What Happens when Inflammation Goes Haywire 5. Diet and Chronic, Systemic, Low-Grade Inflammation 6. What constitutes an anti-inflammatory diet? How does this contrast with a pro-inflammatory diet? 7. The Role of Nutritional Epidemiology and Other Methods in Describing The Diet-Inflammation Link 8. Diet, Inflammation and the “itises” (including musculoskeletal and gastrointestinal issues) 9. Diet, Inflammation and Cancer 10. Diet, Inflammation and Cardiovascular Disease 11. Diet, Inflammation and Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome 12. Inflammatory Potential of Diet on Mental Disorders and Psychosocial Stress 13. Inflammatory Potential of Diet and Aging - Including Frailty, Bone Health (density/fractures), Cataract, Frailty, and Cognitive Decline 14. Inflammatory Potential of Diet and Health Disorders Among Children 15. Inflammatory Potential of Diet and Other Aspects of Lifestyle including Physical Activity 16. Inflammatory Potential of Diet and Circadian Rhythms 17. Inflammatory potential of diet in relation to other health outcomes (e.g., sleep apnea/quality, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, NAFLD, CKD) 18. Summary of Where We Are and Implications for Future Research