Allison Sylvetsky Meni

Tabs

Bio

Dr. Sylvetsky Meni is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences and is Director of the Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Science undergraduate degree program. She is also affiliated faculty at the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness and a Special Volunteer at the National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) in the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Dr. Sylvetsky Meni joined the Milken Institute School of Public Health as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Spring 2014 and transitioned to a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in February 2016. Prior to joining the GW faculty, Dr. Sylvetsky Meni was a post-doctoral fellow in the Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch of NIDDK in the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), before which she completed her doctorate in Nutrition and Health Science from Emory University.

Dr. Sylvetsky Meni's research focuses broadly on obesity and diabetes in youth. Her primary research interests are in studying the consumption and health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages and low-calorie (artificial) sweeteners. She also studies the role of early life dietary exposures on future weight and health, as well as the role of the diet in the prevention and management of diabetes in youth.

Expertise

Expertise:

Obesity

Nutrition

Prevention

Education:

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology - The George Washington University (2009)
Doctor of Philosophy in Nutrition and Health Science – Emory University (2013)

Teaching:

EXNS 1109 - Professional Foundations in Nutrition Science

EXNS 2114 - Nutrition Science 1

EXNS 2115 - Nutrition Science 2

EXNS 2119 - Introduction to Nutrition Science

PUBH 6619 - Fundamentals of Nutrition Science (MPH)

Research

Research:

Dr. Sylvetsky Meni's main research focus is on the metabolic and health effects of low-calorie (artificial) sweeteners. This has included investigating alterations in glucose, insulin, and satiety hormones after ingestion of low-calorie sweeteners, assessing the time course of low-calorie sweetener entry into human breast milk, evaluating effects of low-calorie sweeteners on the human gut microbiome, and studying whether prolonged ingestion of diet soda containing sucralose and acesulfame-potassium impairs metabolic signaling pathways among individuals with overweight and obesity. She also is well-versed in studying use of low-calorie sweeteners, as well as dietary and metabolic correlates of their cosumption, primarily using national level data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Beyond consumption trends and metabolic effects of low-calorie sweeteners, Dr. Sylvetsky Meni's research interests also include the effects of early life exposures on diet, weight, and health; the relationship between diet and gut microbiota, behavioral, environmental, and policy approaches for reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption; and the role of dietary patterns in prevention and management of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Publications

Publications:

Sylvetsky AC & Rother KI. Non-nutritive Sweeteners in Weight Management and Chronic Disease: a review. Obesity. 2018 {in press}.

Sylvetsky AC, Jin Y, Mathieu K, DiPietro L, Rother KI, Talegawkar SA. Low-calorie Sweeteners: Disturbing the Energy Balance Equation in Adolescents? Obesity. October 31 2017.

Rother KI, Sylvetsky AC, Walter PJ, Garraffo HM, Demarath EW, Fields DA. Pharmacokinetics of Sucralose and Acesulfame-potassium in Breast Milk Following Ingestion of Diet Soda. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2017 Oct 27.

Sylvetsky AC, Edelstein SL, Delahanty LM, Walford GM, Boyko EJ, Horton ES, Ibeuogu UN, Knowler WC, Montez MS, Temprosa M, Rother KI. A high-carbohydrate, high-fiber, low-fat diet results in weight loss among adults at high-risk for type 2 diabetes. J Nutr. 27 Sep 2017.

Bright OM, Wang DD, White MS, Bleich SN, Foreyt J, Franz M, Johnson G, Manning BT, Mattes R, Pi-Sunyer X, Schneeman B, Parrot JS, Steffen D, Sylvetsky AC, Ziegler P, Chung M. Research Priorities for Studies Linking Intake of Low Calorie Sweeteners and Potentially Related Health Outcomes. Current Developments in Nutrition.

Sylvetsky AC, Conway EM, Malhotra S & Rother KI. Development of sweet taste perception: implications for artificial sweetener use. Endocr Dev. 2017; 32:87-99. Epub 2017 August 15. PMID: 28873386.

Sylvetsky AC, Issa NT, Chandran A, Brown RJ, Alamari HJ, Aitchenson G, Walter M, Rother KI. PEDF declines in response to an oral glucose load and is correlated with vitamin D and BMI, not diabetes status in children and young adults. Hormone Research in Pediatrics. 2017 Apr 11. PMID: 28399539

Sylvetsky AC, Walter PJ, Garraffo HM, Robien K, Rother KI. Widespread sucralose exposure in a randomized clinical trial of healthy adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Apr;105(4):820-823. PMID: 28228424

Sylvetsky AC, Jin Y, Clark EJ, Welsh JA, Rother KI, Talegawkar SA. Consumption of low-calorie sweeteners among children and adults in the United States. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Mar;117(3):441-448. PMID: 28087414

Sylvetsky AC, Brown RJ, Blau JE, Walter M, Rother KI. Hormonal responses to non-nutritive sweeteners in water and diet soda. Nutrition and Metabolism. 2016 October 21; 13:71. PubMed PMID: 2777606.

Sylvetsky AC, Bauman V, Blau JE, Garraffo HM, Walter PJ, Rother KI. Plasma concentrations of sucralose in children and adults. Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry. 2016 17 Oct; 98: 1-8.

Understanding the metabolic and health effects of low-calorie sweeteners: methodological considerations and implications for future research. Sylvetsky AC, Blau JE, Rother KI. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2016 Mar 3. [Epub ahead of print]

Trends in the consumption of low-calorie sweeteners. Sylvetsky AC, Rother KI. Physiol Behav. 2016. Mar 31.

The Buddy Study: Partners for Better Health in Adolescents with Type 2 Diabetes. Sylvetsky AC, Nandagopal R, Nguyen T, Abegg M, Nagarur M, Kaplowitz P, Rother KI. World Journal of Diabetes. 2015 Dec 25;6(18):1355-62. PubMed PMID: 26722619.

Non-nutritive Sweeteners in Breast Milk. Sylvetsky AC, Gardner AL, Bauman V, Blau JE, Garraffo H, Walter PJ, Rother KI. 1. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental health. 2015 Aug 12: 1-4. PubMed PMID: 26267522

Non-nutritive sweeteners in breast milk: Perspective on potential implications of recent findings. Rother KI, Sylvetsky AC & Schiffman SS. Archives of Toxicology. 2015 Oct 14. PubMed PMID: 26462668.

Positive association between artificially sweetened beverage consumption and incidence of diabetes. Sylvetsky Meni AC, Swithers SE, Rother KI. Diabetologia. 2015 Oct;58(10):2455-6. doi: 10.1007/s00125-015-3694-5. Epub 2015 Jul 18.

The impact of parents' categorization of their own weight and their child's weight on healthy lifestyle promoting beliefs and practices. Sylvetsky-Meni AC, Gillepsie SE, Hardy T, Welsh JA. J Obes. 2015;2015:307381. PubMed PMID: 25861468; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4378330.

What Parents Think about Giving Nonnutritive Sweeteners to Their Children: A Pilot Study. Sylvetsky AC, Greenberg M, Zhao X, Rother KI. Int J Pediatr. 2014; 2014:819872

Nutrient-content claims--guidance or cause for confusion? Sylvetsky AC, Dietz WH. N Engl J Med. 2014 Jul 17;371(3):195-8. PubMed PMID: 25014684.

Biological and health effects of non-nutritive sweeteners. Sylvetsky AC, Brown RJ & Rother KI. Biological and health effects of non-nutritive sweeteners. “Dietary Sugars and Health.” Francis & Taylor Publishing. November 2013.

Youth demonstrate limited understanding of the causes of consequences of obesity. Sylvetsky AC, Hennink M, Comeau D, Welsh JA, Hardy T, Matzigkeit L, Swan DW, Walsh SM & Vos MB. Youth demonstrate limited understanding of the causes of consequences of obesity. Journal of Obesity. 2013. DOI: 10.1155/2013/670295. Epub 2013 Jul 17.

Action-oriented obesity counseling attains weight stabilization and improves liver enzymes among overweight and obese children and adolescents. Sylvetsky AC, Welsh JA, Walsh SM, & Vos MB. Action-oriented obesity counseling attains weight stabilization and improves liver enzymes among overweight and obese children and adolescents. Open Journal of Pediatrics. 2012 Sept; 2 (3); 236-243. DOI: 10.4236/ojped.2012.23037

Low-calorie sweetener consumption is increasing in the United States. Sylvetsky AC, Welsh JA, Brown RJ & Vos MB. Low-calorie sweetener consumption is increasing in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Sep;96(3):640-6.Epub 2012 Aug 1.

Intermittent iron supplementation for improving nutrition and developmental outcomes in children. De-Regil LM, Jefferds MEJ, Sylvetsky AC, Dowswell T. Intermittent iron supplementation for improving nutrition and developmental outcomes in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Dec 7; (12):CD009085.

Artificial Sweetener use Among Children: Epidemiology, Current Recommendations, Metabolic Outcomes, and Future Directions. Sylvetsky AC, Rother KI, Brown RJ. Artificial Sweetener use Among Children: Epidemiology, Current Recommendations, Metabolic Outcomes, and Future Directions. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2011 Dec;58(6):1467-80, xi. Epub 2011 Oct 14.

Allison Sylvetsky

Meni, PhD

Assistant Professor

Allison Sylvetsky Meni

Tabs