The 2020 edition of Explore, Boise State’s annual research magazine, features Dr. Curl’s Organic Diet Intervention as the cover story! Explore is published by the Division of Research and Economic Development, and highlights recent innovations and important research being conducted across campus.
The cover story, entitled An Apple A Day?, describes our group’s work to understand the effect of a long-term organic diet intervention on pesticide exposure in pregnant women. Can we change our pesticide exposure levels even if we don’t eat a fully organic diet? Can a dietary change lead to a long-term difference in exposure? Our pilot study is an important step toward filling those knowledge gaps and better understanding how our diets can impact our exposure to pesticides.
“This research is novel because it’s also the first study done in pregnant women, and there’s a lot of research showing that time in-utero is a sensitive time for development,” said Curl. “So if we were to look for a health effect from decreasing pesticide exposure, one of the places we might see it – if it exists – is in this population.” This study is one of many impactful research studies conducted at Boise State. Access the full Explore issue.