Performance Nutrition Series: Going Nuts on Sports Nutrition: Benefits and Limitations of Some Edible Kernels

Mark Kern is a professor in the School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences at San Diego State University where he has been since 1995. He earned his BS and MS degrees in nutrition science at Indiana University and an interdepartmental PhD in foods and nutrition along with health, kinesiology and leisure studies at Purdue University.

His research involves two primary areas: 1) how diet and exercise independently and interactively influence lipid, energy, bone and calcium metabolism as well as appetite and adiposity and 2) sports dietetics. One of his key focuses is on the effects of minimally processed foods such as fruits, dried fruits, nuts, honey, agave nectar, and sports foods on metabolism, risk factors for chronic diseases, and exercise performance. His research related to this focus has been funded by organizations such as the USDA, California Almond Board, American Pistachio Growers, California Prune Board, Wild Blueberry Association of North America, American Heart Association, National Honey Board, California Raisin Marketing Board and others.

He regularly presents his research at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition and American College of Sports Medicine and publishes his findings in well-regarded peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Kern teaches nutrition for athletes, nutrition and energy, and fundamentals of nutrition. He served as the editor-in-chief of SCAN’s PULSE, a publication of the Sport, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group for 18 years and received the 2021 SCAN Achievement Award.