McCormick Science Institute

Leveraging Translational Science to Disseminate Evidence on Using Herbs and Spices to Improve Diet Quality

Gail C. D’Souza-Rushton, Olivia Lawler, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Kristina S. Petersen, Travis D. Masterson

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MSI Team
June 2026 - The interdisciplinary team of educators, researchers, and clinicians at Pennsylvania State University has applied translational science approaches to address poor diet quality. Recent activities have focused on translating previous research on herbs and spices alongside recommendations from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) to educate the general public about the benefits of herbs and spices to improve diet quality.
This research aligns with recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to use herbs and spices to flavor foods lower in added sugars, sodium, and saturated fatty acids. Our research focused on developing evidence-based educational materials that address the use of herbs and spices in home cooking for the American public. These educational materials were tested on a broad, nationally representative sample, as well as in participants at medical clinics, to assess the impact and acceptance of these materials. In addition, we sought to understand whether these materials could be of use to clinicians in medical practice. In the following sections we expand on how these materials were developed by our cross-disciplinary team and how we considered translational principles throughout the development and research process. Additionally, we have highlighted potential future directions to be pursued in the advancement of improved diet, eating behaviors, and health. View Full Text

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