Katherine Mills, associate professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said in U.S. News and World Report, “If we meet people where they are, we may be able to have an impact on cardiovascular health in this population.” Mills co-authored a preliminary study that indicates religious beliefs of Black churchgoers in New Orleans may influence health behaviors.

Research by Kirsten Dorans, assistant professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, suggests that a low-carb diet can help lower blood sugar levels in individuals with unmedicated diabetes and those who are at risk for prediabetes. The low-carb diet study group saw greater drops in blood sugar than the group who ate their usual diet.

Dr. Lu Qi of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine found that people who always add extra salt to their meals have a 28% higher risk of dying prematurely compared to those who never or rarely add salt. By age 50, always adding salt could shave off 2.28 years for men and 1.5 years for women.

School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine assistant professors Brigham Walker and Janna Wisniewski and professors from Portland State University presented research on the barriers patients from marginalized communities face when seeking primary care appointments and how healthcare providers can address these inequities. The research is part of Count the Costs: Racial Inequity, launched by The Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the A. B.