UAMS Gets $2M to Study How Best to Feed Soldiers in Combat

A University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences researcher received a five-year, $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to determine the best possible nutrition for military personnel in combat and combat training.

Arny Ferrando, Ph.D., works at the UAMS Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging and is a professor in the College of Medicine’s Department of Geriatrics. While Ferrando’s work focuses on the military, UAMS said the results of the study could also be applied to athletes and patients in intensive care, institutional care and other settings.

“UAMS and its scientists like Arny Ferrando continue to demonstrate how the university is leading in research that promises not just to benefit Arkansas but the nation,” UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson said in a news release. “We are grateful to the Defense Department for this grant funding and the recognition that it conveys.”

The study aims to determine the required essential amino acid intake under combat or combat training conditions. Researchers will also look at the best delivery format, like food and supplements. UAMS said the results will be tested during a simulated training scenario and, eventually, during real-time military combat training exercises.

“There is a critical need for effective and feasible interventions that sustain and maximize warfighter health and performance during real-world operations,” Ferrando said. “The use of a combat ration items designed from this research will be used to promote recovery and increase combat effectiveness by offsetting losses of body and muscle protein.”

UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with 2,834 students, 822 medical residents and six dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees.