An ISU faculty member is the first woman ever to win the American Association for Cancer Research DeWitt S. Goodman Lecture award.

Diane Birt, professor and chairwoman of food science and human nutrition, presented her lecture on “Molecular and Hormonal Mechanisms for Dietary Energy Restriction Prevention of Skin Cancer” at the AACR’s 92nd annual meeting March 24-28 in New Orleans.

Birt received the award for her significant contributions in the field of cancer prevention, according to the AACR Web site, www.aacr.org.

Through her research, Birt has investigated ways diet can influence cancer development, she said.

She said animals with a high-fat diet have a greater chance of cancer growth due to the higher number of calories in their bodies.

Using small animal models, Birt planned to maintain their weight by underfeeding the animals at sexual maturity.

“Eating less changes the hormones and tissues in the body,” she said. “Energy is restricted through this process, resulting in no weight gain, which protects against cancer.”

Birt studied the effects of dietary energy restriction on animals by removing the adrenal gland and analyzing the results.

“The adrenal gland is a major producer of glucocorticoid, a hormone important in the regulation and use of fats and carbohydrates,” she said.

By taking out the adrenal gland, Birt said, animals will survive, and they don’t have an elevation in glucocorticoid.

Restricting this hormonal energy reduces carcinogenesis, or cancer-producing substances, and the risk of cancer, she said.

Ultimately, this research could be on the forefront for designing chemopreventive measures for many human cancers, Birt said.

She said she has been doing cancer research for more than 20 years.

Karen Bolluyt, director of Agriculture Information Services, said Birt is working to raise Iowa State’s educational level of nutrition and medical research. “Diane is a real leader, a model of a productive researcher,” she said.

Carol Meeks, dean of family and consumer sciences, said Birt is a good advocate for the department. “She is very behind the effort to improve learning environments for students,” she said.