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Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture

Advancing Health through Agriculture

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Agriculture is the Solution

Now more than ever,

Americans are facing a multitude of health issues such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and food insecurity. Additionally, the past three years have underscored major challenges for our food systems that have been bubbling beneath the surface for some time.

At the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA, we believe agriculture is the solution – the solution to human health, economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. The IHA is the world’s first academic institute to bring together precision nutrition, responsive agriculture, and social and behavioral healthy living research to reduce diet-related chronic disease and lower health care costs in a way that supports producers and the environment.


Three Focus Areas

Composed of three focus areas, the IHA will bring together experts across many disciplines,
including agriculture; nutrition; behavioral, social and life sciences; engineering; data and computation science; and economics.

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Precision Nutrition
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Responsive Agriculture
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Healthy Living

The Challenge

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that six in 10 Americans have a chronic health condition and four in 10 Americans have two or more chronic health conditions. Today, half of all American adults suffer from diabetes or pre-diabetes, and 122 million Americans have cardiovascular disease, which alone results in around 840,000 deaths each year.

At the same time, food insecurity is a major issue that has worsened as a result of the pandemic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in eight Americans faced food insecurity, and now, high rates of unemployment driven by the coronavirus are expected to leave another 18 million U.S. children food insecure. These numbers add up to 40% of U.S. youth being or soon becoming food-insecure. Learn more about how Texas A&M AgriLife is taking this challenge head-on.

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News


IHA leads national conference on agriculture for health

The IHA partnered with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs to host a “Conference on Agriculture for Health: Priority Setting to Solve the Ultimate Grand Challenge.” ­The event drew experts from higher education, agriculture, government, and the private and nonprofit sectors.

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Watch the event here

Texas A&M names leading nutrition scientist to Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture

Ross joined the IHA as the scientific director of a maternal/child cohort study and professor in the Department of Nutrition. Her addition is part of the Governor’s University Research Initiative, enacted in 2015 to help higher…
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Older people doing yoga

Encouraging physical activity to upgrade quality of life

Texas A&M study finds intervention program increases exercise and health outcomes in older adults As we age, strength training and aerobic exercise become increasingly important. Studies have shown strength training may enhance quality of life and…

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Improvements and Maintenance of Clinical and Functional Measures Among Rural Women: Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities-2.0 Cluster Randomized Trial

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; however, women and rural residents face notable health disparities compared with male and urban counterparts…
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Seguin-Fowler article

The Science-Backed Strategies that will Actually Help You Eat Better

Researchers are racing to understand what pushes people to make healthier food choices. Dr. Seguin-Fowler is quoted in this article
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Aggies tout agricultural research in combating diet-related chronic disease

The event, “Ag Solves When Aggies Solve,” highlighted how Texas A&M AgriLife researchers rapidly are advancing this idea and featured keynote addresses by Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Agriculture chief scientist and undersecretary for research,…
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Texas A&M AgriLife institute awards $1.5 million for diet-related research

An award of $1.5 million to 15 new associate members of the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA, will support the new members’ research on responsive agriculture, precision nutrition, and social and…
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Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture | 1500 Research Parkway Centeq Building B, Suite 270 College Station, TX 77845 | phone 979.314.3280 | email iha@ag.tamu.edu

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