Britt Burton-Freeman

Education

Ph.D., University of California-Davis
M.S., University of California-Davis
B.S., California State University-Chico

Research Interests

Cardio-metabolic risk and obesity promoted by modern day eating patterns and protected by plant foods delivering select bioactive phytochemical components, such as flavonoids, fibers, and fats is a main focus of my lab. Recently, my lab’s work has focused on the reciprocal interactions of the gut metagenome with host genome in response to dietary input, including dose/time response effects of foods/bioactive components, the metabolites generated and their kinetic behavior relevant to mechanisms of action and associated health status. Work in energy intake regulation emphasizes understanding properties of fibers, and their interaction with other macronutrients, in varied food matrices to alter neuro-endocrine pathways that impact appetite and food intake behavior.

My research approach exemplifies the multi-disciplinary nature of nutritional science integrating aspects of nutrition, food science, food chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology/-kinetics, and behavioral sciences to characterize and understand physiological responses to diet and dietary components in humans during normal, stressed, and pathophysiological states.

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

American Society for Nutrition (ASN)—active

Institute of Food Technologist

Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB)—intermittent

The Obesity Society (TOS)—intermittent 

American Chemical Society, Agriculture and Food Research Division

Dannon Leadership Institute, Alumni Association member

Berry Health Benefits Symposium—annual meeting committee and program co-chair

Phi Tau Sigma

Awards

Excellence in Teaching Award—School of Applied Technology/Food Science and Nutrition

Excellence in Research and High Performance award—Directors award, National Center for Food Safety and Technology

Distinctions

Editor-in-Chief, Nutrition and Healthy Aging, IOS Press

Board member, Journal of Berry Research

Publications

Selected publications. For more complete listing see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/16ivgkxDs5aAT/bibliography/public/

1. Burton-Freeman B, Brzeziński M, Park E, Sandhu A, Xiao D, Edirisinghe I. A Selective Role of Dietary Anthocyanins and Flavan-3-ols in Reducing the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Review of Recent Evidence. Nutrients. 2019 Apr 13;11(4). pii: E841. doi: 10.3390/nu11040841. Review.
2. Xiao D, Zhu L, Edirisinghe I, Fareed J, Brailovsky Y, Burton-Freeman B. Attenuation of Postmeal Metabolic Indices with Red Raspberries in Individuals at Risk for Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2019 Apr;27(4):542-550. doi: 10.1002/oby.22406. Epub 2019 Feb 14. PubMed PMID: 30767409.
3. Zhang X, Sandhu A, Edirisinghe I, Burton-Freeman B. An exploratory study of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) (poly)phenols/metabolites in human biological samples.Food Funct. 2018 Feb 21;9(2):806-818. doi: 10.1039/c7fo00893g. PubMed PMID: 29344587.
4. Wallace TC, Bailey RL, Blumberg JB, Burton-Freeman B, Chen CO, Crowe-White KM, Drewnowski A, Hooshmand S, Johnson E, Lewis R, Murray R, Shapses SA, Wang DD. Fruits, vegetables, and health: A comprehensive narrative, umbrella review of the science and recommendations for enhanced public policy to improve intake. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019 Jul 3;:1-38. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2019.1632258. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31267783
5. Park E, Edirisinghe I, Wei H, Vijayakumar LP, Banaszewski K, Cappozzo JC, Burton-Freeman B. A dose-response evaluation of freeze-dried strawberries independent of fiber content on metabolic indices in abdominally obese individuals with insulin resistance in a randomized, single-blinded, diet-controlled crossover trial. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2016 May;60(5):1099-109. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201500845. Epub 2016 Mar 29. PMID: 26842771.
6. Burton-Freeman B. Postprandial metabolic events and fruit-derived phenolics: a review of the science. Br J Nutr. 2010 Oct;104 Suppl 3:S1-14. doi: 10.1017/S0007114510003909. Review. PMID:20955646.
7. Lewis KD, Burton-Freeman BM. The role of innovation and technology in meeting individual nutritional needs. J Nutr. 2010 Feb;140(2):426S-36S. doi: 10.3945/jn.109.114710. Epub 2009 Dec 23.PMID: 20032490.
8. Joseph SV, Edirisinghe I, Burton-Freeman BM. Fruit Polyphenols: A Review of Anti-inflammatory Effects in Humans. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2016;56(3):419-44. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2013.767221. Review. PubMed PMID: 25616409.

Projects

Available in ClinicalTrials.gov

Additional Info

Experience 

Cardio-Metabolic Disease, Food Intake Regulation, Obesity, Physiological Chemistry, Polyphenols, Fiber, Carbohydrates, Fats