Faculty

Kristina Petersen

Associate Professor

320 Chandlee
University Park, PA

Email kup63@psu.edu
Phone 814-863-8056

Areas of Expertise

Randomized Controlled Trial Keyphrases
Cardiovascular Risk Factors Keyphrases
Cardiovascular Disease Medicine and Dentistry
Randomized Controlled Trial Medicine and Dentistry
Saturated Fat Keyphrases
Systematic Review Medicine and Dentistry
Avocado Keyphrases
Diet Quality Keyphrases

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, Jun 2026, In: Nutrition reviews
Date: Jun 2026

Effects of one avocado a day for six months on cognitive performance in overweight adults
Grace J. Lee, Holly E.R. Morrell, Michelle Adams, Joan Sabaté, David M. Reboussin, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Kristina S. Petersen, Alice H. Lichtenstein, Nirupa R. Matthan, Zhaoping Li, Sujatha Rajaram, Jun 2026, In: Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging
Date: Jun 2026

A Clinician's Guide for Trending Cardiovascular Nutritional Controversies in 2026
Michael Miller, Monica Aggarwal, Kathleen Allen, Romit Bhattacharya, Lily N. Dastmalchi, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Elizabeth Klodas, Dariush Mozaffarian, Robert J. Ostfeld, Kristina S. Petersen, Koushik R. Reddy, Emilio Ros, Vall Vinaithirthan, Andrew M. Freeman, Mar 2026, In: JACC: Advances
Date: Mar 2026

Cooperative extension and academic departments partnership
Olivia Lawler, Gail D’Souza, Travis Masterson, Mary Alice Gettings, Kristina Petersen, Amy Moore, Penny Kris-Etherton, Feb 18 2026, In: Journal of Clinical and Translational Science
Date: Feb 18 2026

Serum Metabolite Profiles in Adults With Abdominal Obesity in Response to Consuming 1 Avocado Daily for 6 Months
Nirupa R. Matthan, Ecaterina Duscova, Gregory Matuszek, Wen Zhang, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Kristina S. Petersen, Sujatha Rajaram, Zhaoping Li, David M. Reboussin, Joan Sabate, Alice H. Lichtenstein, 2026, In: Journal of the American Heart Association
Date: 2026

2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health
Alice H. Lichtenstein, Amit Khera, Cheryl A.M. Anderson, Lawrence J. Appel, Dana M. DeSilva, Christopher Gardner, Frank B. Hu, Daniel W. Jones, Kristina S. Petersen, 2026, In: Circulation
Date: 2026

The contribution of beef consumed as part of the National School Lunch Program to nutrient intake and adequacy
Kristina S. Petersen, Kristin Fulgoni, Victor L. Fulgoni, Dec 2025, In: Current Developments in Nutrition
Date: Dec 2025

Dietary Polyunsaturated to Saturated Fatty Acid Ratio as an Indicator for LDL Cholesterol Response
Tricia L. Hart, Janhavi J. Damani, Zachary S. DiMattia, Kayla E. Tate, Fatemeh Jafari, Kristina S. Petersen, Oct 2025, In: Advances in Nutrition
Date: Oct 2025

Lipoprotein(a) Lipidome
Munkhtuya Myagmarsuren, Hayley G. Law, Wei Zhang, Tselmen Anuurad, Heejung Bang, Lauren M. Bishop, Tong Shen, Oliver Fiehn, Kristina S. Petersen, Lars Berglund, Byambaa Enkhmaa, Oct 2025, In: Nutrients
Date: Oct 2025

Effect of Varying Quantities of Lean Beef as Part of a Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern on Gut Microbiota and Plasma, Fecal, and Urinary Metabolites
Zachary S. DiMattia, Jingcheng Zhao, Fuhua Hao, Sergei Koshkin, Jordan E. Bisanz, Andrew D. Patterson, Jennifer A. Fleming, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Kristina S. Petersen, Sep 19 2025, In: Journal of the American Heart Association
Date: Sep 19 2025

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Saturated fatty acids and cardiovascular disease
Michelle A. Briggs, Kristina S. Petersen, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Jun 2017, In: Healthcare (Switzerland)
Citations: 360

Dietary Cholesterol and Cardiovascular Risk
Jo Ann S. Carson, Alice H. Lichtenstein, Cheryl A.M. Anderson, Lawrence J. Appel, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Katie A. Meyer, Kristina Petersen, Tamar Polonsky, Linda Van Horn, Jan 21 2020, In: Circulation
Citations: 308

Nutrition and behavioral health disorders
Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Kristina S. Petersen, Joseph R. Hibbeln, Daniel Hurley, Valerie Kolick, Sevetra Peoples, Nancy Rodriguez, Gail Woodward-Lopez, Mar 1 2021, In: Nutrition reviews
Citations: 244

The underappreciated diversity of bile acid modifications
Ipsita Mohanty, Helena Mannochio-Russo, Joshua V. Schweer, Yasin El Abiead, Wout Bittremieux, Shipei Xing, Robin Schmid, Simone Zuffa, Felipe Vasquez, Valentina B. Muti, Jasmine Zemlin, Omar E. Tovar-Herrera, Sarah Moraïs, Dhimant Desai, Shantu Amin, Imhoi Koo, Christoph W. Turck, Itzhak Mizrahi, P..., Mar 28 2024, In: Cell
Citations: 162

Popular Dietary Patterns
Christopher D. Gardner, Maya K. Vadiveloo, Kristina S. Petersen, Cheryl A.M. Anderson, Sparkle Springfield, Linda Van Horn, Amit Khera, Cindy Lamendola, Shawyntee M. Mayo, Joshua J. Joseph, May 30 2023, In: Circulation
Citations: 142

Diet quality assessment and the relationship between diet quality and cardiovascular disease risk
Kristina S. Petersen, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Dec 2021, In: Nutrients
Citations: 142

High sodium intake increases blood pressure and risk of kidney disease. From the Science of Salt
Daniela Malta, Kristina S. Petersen, Claire Johnson, Kathy Trieu, Sarah Rae, Katherine Jefferson, Joseph Alvin Santos, Michelle M.Y. Wong, Thout Sudhir Raj, Jacqui Webster, Norm R.C. Campbell, Jo Anne Arcand, Dec 2018, In: Journal of Clinical Hypertension
Citations: 127

Barriers, Opportunities, and Challenges in Addressing Disparities in Diet-Related Cardiovascular Disease in the United States
Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Kristina S. Petersen, Gladys Velarde, Neal D. Barnard, Michael Miller, Emilio Ros, James H. O'Keefe, Kim Williams, Linda Van Horn, Muzi Na, Christina Shay, Paul Douglass, David L. Katz, Andrew M. Freeman, Apr 7 2020, In: Journal of the American Heart Association
Citations: 118

Nutrition and Cardiovascular Disease—an Update
Kate J. Bowen, Valerie K. Sullivan, Penny M. Kris-Etherton, Kristina S. Petersen, Feb 1 2018, In: Current atherosclerosis reports
Citations: 113

Perspective
Alice H. Lichtenstein, Kristina Petersen, Kathryn Barger, Karen E. Hansen, Cheryl A.M. Anderson, David J. Baer, Johanna W. Lampe, Helen Rasmussen, Nirupa R. Matthan, Jan 1 2021, In: Advances in Nutrition
Citations: 108

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Centers & Institutes

One Health Microbiome Center

December 05, 2025

How much protein do pecans have?

A reasonable portion of lean beef can be part of a healthy diet when consumed with ample servings of vegetables, fruits and/or whole grains, according to a new study by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State. Credit: OksanaKiian/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

November 18, 2025

Eating lean beef as part of a healthy diet may not increase heart disease risk

July 14, 2025

Evening Pistachios Shift Gut Bacteria in People with Prediabetes

Eating pistachios as a nightly snack for 12 weeks altered which bacteria lived in the digestive system of people with prediabetes, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State. Credit: Jose Calatrava Cano/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

July 07, 2025

Nighttime pistachio snacking may reshape gut microbiome in prediabetic adults

July 02, 2025

An avocado a day, keeps insomnia away: Here’s what study says

June 11, 2025

New study from landmark trial suggests avocados may play a role in sleep, a key factor in cardiovascular health

March 23, 2025

Just 2 ounces of this buttery snack could help lower cholesterol, reduce heart disease risk

People who ate pecans in lieu of their usual snacks demonstrated reductions in cholesterol linked to poorer heart health, according to a new study from researchers in the Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences. Credit: SherShor/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

March 17, 2025

Replacing other snacks with pecans may improve cholesterol, diet quality

February 21, 2025

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. How bad are they?

January 31, 2025

Daily serving of common breakfast item can help you live longer

Credit: Getty Images - fcafotodigital. All Rights Reserved.

November 04, 2024

Nutritional sciences researchers receive funds from McCormick Science Institute

June 02, 2024