Huichuan J. Lai

Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences, Pediatrics, and Biostatistics and Medical Informatics
Director, Dietetics Program
B.S. 1987, Taipei Medical College (Taiwan)
Ph.D. 1994, University of Wisconsin - Madison
R.D. 1995
M.S. 2002, University of Wisconsin - Madison (Biostatistics)

Emphasis Group:
Human Nutrition

Research Interests:
Understanding how nutrition affects the onset and progression of pediatric chronic diseases. This research began in cystic fibrosis, and recently expanded to asthma and obesity.

Research Summary:
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-threatening genetic disorder caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) gene. There are over 35,000 Americans living with CF in 2005, and approximately 1000 infants are born with CF every year in the US. CF cannot be cured; the median age of survival is 36 years in 2006, but one-third die before reaching adulthood.

My CF research emphasizes the development of risk models predictive of malnutrition and lung disease, and their relationships to quality of life and survival. The ultimate goal is to improve the diagnosis, treatment and health outcomes for individuals with CF. Current studies include: 1) validation of malnutrition indicators, 2) development of risk models predictive of CF genotype, phenotype and clinical outcomes, and 3) evaluation of the effectiveness of the Wisconsin Statewide CF Newborn Screening Program.

Diet as a risk factor for asthma was first hypothesized in1980s based on two observations: 1) the rising prevalence of asthma coincided with a change in typical American diets characteristic of decreased consumption of fruits/vegetables and increased intake of high-calorie, high-fat foods, and 2) asthma is more common in obese individuals, and vice versa.

Our Diet-Asthma-Obesity Study was initiated in 2004 to examine the temporal relationships among diet, asthma and obesity during the first decade of life. This study utilizes the COAST cohort, a prospective birth cohort established in Wisconsin in 1998 to identify the origins of childhood. Current studies include: 1) validation of dietary assessment instruments for children age 5-7 years, 2) identification of early life predictors of obesity and asthma.

Representative Publications

Lai HC, Kosorok MR, Sondel SA, Chen ST, FitzSimmons SC, Green C, Shen G, Walker S and Farrell PM. Growth status in children with cystic fibrosis based on National Cystic Fibrosis Patient Registry data: evaluation of various criteria to identify malnutrition. J. Pediatr. 1998;132:478-85.

Lai HC, FitzSimmons SC, Allen DB, Kosorok MR, Rosenstein BJ, Campbell P and Farrell PM. Persistent growth impairment in children with cystic fibrosis following treatment of alternate-day prednisone. New Engl J Med. 2000;342: 851-859.

Lai HC, Kosorok MR, Laxova A, Farrell PM. Delayed diagnosis in females with cystic fibrosis in the United States. Am J Epiemiol 2002;156:165-173.

Zhang Z, Lai HC. Comparison of body mass index percentile and percentage of body weight for screening malnutrition in children with cystic fibrosis. Am J Clin Nutr 2004; 80:982-991.

Shoff SM, Ahn H, Davis LA, Lai HJ. Temporal associations between energy intake, plasma linoleic acid and growth improvement in response to treatment initiation after diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Pediatrics 2006;117:391-400.

Lai HJ. Classification of nutritional status in patients with cystic fibrosis. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2006;12:422-427.

Lai, HJ, Shoff, SM. Classification of malnutrition in cystic fibrosis: implications for evaluating and benchmarking clinical practice performance. Am J Clin Nutr 2008; 88:161-6.