{"id":527,"date":"2019-03-12T14:59:34","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T14:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/?p=527"},"modified":"2019-03-12T19:26:58","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T19:26:58","slug":"dil-thavarajah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/dil-thavarajah\/","title":{"rendered":"Dil Thavarajah: Fighting &#8216;Hidden Hunger&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='fullscreen_slider_1'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link av-control-default' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='no scaling'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='532'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_1'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout='av-control-default'  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment='scroll'  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-control-default av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-no scaling av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:top center;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Dil-Thavarajah.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class='av-section-color-overlay' style='opacity: 0.1; background-color: #000000; '><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-527'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'>\n<div  style='height:50px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-first '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:25px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"color: #f66733; font-size: 19px; font-weight: bolder; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase; margin-bottom: -50px;\">Dil Thavarajah<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-size: 64px; font-weight: bolder; text-align: center; line-height: 1.1em;\">Fighting &#8216;Hidden Hunger&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div  style='height:1px; margin-top:-50px'  class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  style=' margin-top:30px; margin-bottom:30px;'  class='hr hr-custom hr-center hr-icon-no   avia-builder-el-6  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner   inner-border-av-border-thin' style=' width:1100px;' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<div  style='height:1px; margin-top:-50px'  class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_hr  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:25px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"font-weight: lighter; text-align: center;\">Dil Thavarajah is working to develop more nutritious lentils<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n<div  style='height:1px; margin-top:-50px'  class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_one_full  el_before_av_one_full '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_hr  el_before_av_one_full  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  style=' margin-top:30px; margin-bottom:30px;'  class='hr hr-custom hr-center hr-icon-no   avia-builder-el-12  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><span class='hr-inner   inner-border-av-border-thin' style=' width:1100px;' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_full  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-13  el_after_av_one_full  avia-builder-el-last  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='font-size:19px; color:#000000; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">G<\/span><span class=\"s2\">rowing up on the island<\/span><span class=\"s1\"> of <\/span>Sri Lanka, Dil Thavarajah ate lentils three times a day. It was her family\u2019s main source of protein. Now, the familiar ingredient is one of her primary research focus areas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">An associate professor at Clemson and a trained pulse crop physiologist, Thavarajah studies the lentil plant as a whole system, linking it to human health and exploring how to make it a more viable crop for all farmers regardless of geographic location \u2014 and she hopes the results will help combat malnutrition worldwide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">While the word malnutrition might conjure up a visual of starvation, it actually doesn\u2019t just mean someone is underfed. A person can be obese and still be considered malnourished. But how?<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Calorie-rich diets have played a critical role in creating this global phenomenon. Although individuals appear to be getting the food they need calorically, they are still suffering from micronutrient malnutrition or \u201chidden hunger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s1\">Malnutrition is a crisis that can affect anyone and can cause deficiencies that impact physical growth, organ function and immune system development, resulting in an economic burden for health care systems worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Thavarajah is responding to this crisis directly through scientific research and educational programs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed looking at how lentils can impact obesity \u2014 and not only can they combat obesity, they can also combat hunger,\u201d Thavarajah says. \u201cThey are full of micronutrients, protein and prebiotic carbohydrates, elements our bodies need. Some of our preliminary studies indicate that regular lentil consumption positively changes the gut\u2019s microbiome, increasing digestive heath and propelling the body\u2019s functionality.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">In addition to exploring the health effects of lentils, Thavarajah is looking at the crop through a new lens. Her expansive knowledge of pulse crop phenotyping \u2014 the process of predicting an organism&#8217;s characteristics using genetic information \u2014 has made her an internationally renowned leader in the field of biofortification. Each year, the strains of lentils being grown change due to yield and how the plants respond to diseases. Breeders look to Thavarajah to identify the best collections and to ensure they are using the best strain possible for their climate and location.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">\u201cIf you can have a better variety released in the next five years with a high prebiotic carbohydrate that will further help combat these issues, and if I can work to educate the U.S. population to eat more lentils instead of soda and chips, well, that\u2019s my job, and that\u2019s success,\u201d Thavarajah says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\">Thavarajah is now taking her expertise a step further with a new study. She\u2019s looking at the role climate plays and how to breed the most nutritious varieties possible in different environments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s3\">Lentils are not typically grown in the Carolinas because the weather lends itself to fungal disease that can kill the crop. Predominately found in Mediterranean climates, lentils also flourish in states like Washington and the Dakotas, but that doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t one day be grown in South Carolina.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s3\">While Thavarajah explores how to make these plants more nutritious through phenotyping, she\u2019s turning to conventional breeding to find ways to make lentils a viable crop for South Carolina farmers. Working with Stephen Kresovich, Clemson University\u2019s Robert and Lois Coker Trustees Endowed Chair of Genetics, and doctoral student Nathan Johnson, on a study funded by the USDA, they are addressing plant breeding for agricultural production.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s3\">\u201cThe development and selection of nutritionally superior lentils will bring significant nutritional, economical and agricultural sustainability benefits to America,\u201d Thavarajah says. \u201cIt might seem like lentils are a long shot for South Carolina farmers, but I believe that it will be done during my tenure at Clemson.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":532,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[178,142,93,91,94,92],"coauthors":[16],"class_list":["post-527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-profiles","tag-2019-faculty-profiles","tag-dil-thavarajah","tag-hidden-hunger","tag-lentils","tag-malnutrition","tag-thavarajah"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2019\/03\/Dil-Thavarajah.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9IEky-8v","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=527"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}