Kordas Laboratory - Nutrition, Metals, and Development
We are interested in studying the independent and combined effects of micronutrient deficiencies and environmental metal exposures on children's cognitive and behavioral development.
Our specific focus is on iron deficiency and lead exposure as examples of the nutrient-metal interactions, but we are also interested in other nutrient-metal pairs, like manganese and iron or cadmium and iron.
Our research has the goal of answering the following questions:
- How are micronutrient deficiencies related to cognitive development of children?
- How are metal exposures associated with cognitive development?
- Are micronutrient deficient children more susceptible to the effects of environmental metals?
- Can the effects of metal exposures be prevented or alleviated with nutritional interventions?
