- Professor, Department Chair
- Department of Nutrition
- Phone: 401.874.9324
- Email: allison.sylvetsky@uri.edu
Biography
Allison Sylvetsky Ph.D. is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition at the University of Rhode Island. She is a nutrition scientist with nearly 15 years of experience leading high-impact, cross-disciplinary, human nutrition research, broadly focused on obesity and diabetes prevention in youth as well as maternal and child health. Dr. Sylvetsky received a BA in psychology from George Washington University, a PhD in Nutrition and Health Sciences from Emory University and completed post-doctoral training in diabetes and metabolism at the National Institutes of Health. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Rhode Island, she was faculty at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health for nearly 12 years.
Research
Dr. Sylvetsky’s research focuses primarily on consumption, perceptions, and health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages, low-calorie (artificial) sweeteners, and ultra-processed foods throughout the life course, with an emphasis on their consumption during childhood. Dr. Sylvetsky’s research interests also include the effects of early life exposures on diet, weight, and health; the relationship between diet and gut microbiota; behavioral, environmental, and policy approaches for improving the overall diet; the role of dietary patterns in prevention and management of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Dr. Sylvetsky’s research program is highly cross-disciplinary and encompasses clinical, translational, epidemiological, behavioral, and community-based studies focused at the intersection of human physiology and health behavior.
Education
- Post-doctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Doctor of Philosophy in Nutrition and Health Science – Emory University
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – The George Washington University
Selected Publications
(selected from 80 publications)
Grilo MF, Nunes B, Eberle MF, Vallone NJ, Nieto C, Colon-Ramos U, Taillie LS, Duran AC, Sylvetsky AC. Perceptions of non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) and front-of-package NSS labels among parents of school-aged children in Brazil. Public Health Nutr. 2025 Sep 19;28(1):e170. PMID: 40968695
Kaidbey JH, Colon-Ramos U, Robbins H, Sylvetsky AC. Associations between Water Beliefs and Preference for Drinking Tap Water: A Cross-sectional Study in Virginia, USA. Public Health Nutr. 2025 Oct 20;28(1):e187. PMID: 41111318
Vallone NJ, Taillie LS, Krieger J, Grilo MF, Patel P, Diaz-Guzman G, Sylvetsky AC. Perceptions of non-sugar sweeteners and non-sugar sweetener front-of-package labels among parents in the United States: a qualitative study. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2026 Jan;126(1):156204. PMID: 40939746
Vallone N, Bodrick NI, Kaidbey JH, Grilo MF, Arora S, Dawer A, Kumar N, Bluth J, Lueders N, Sacheck JM, Dietz WH, McDonnell KA, Evans WD, Sylvetsky AC. Formative research to develop “DC-SIPS”: a multi-level intervention to reduce sugary drink intake and promote water intake among Black youth in Washington, D.C. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. July 2025. PMID: 40736434.
Sylvetsky AC, Wang Y, Reddy AG, Um CY, Hodge RA, Mitchell D, Pollak M, Wang Y, Patel AV, McCullough ML. Associations between consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners, metabolic risk factors, and inflammatory biomarkers among adults in the Cancer Prevention Study-3 Diet Assessment Sub-Study. Journal of Nutrition. June 2025. PMID: 40127735
Sylvetsky AC, Mitchell EL, Grilo MF, Um CY, Wang Y, Hodge RA, Patel AV, McCullough ML. Associations between consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners and diet quality among U.S. adults in the Cancer Prevention Study-3. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 26 Nov 2024. PMID: 39603533.
Sylvetsky AC, Kuttamperoor J, Langevin B, Murphy J, Arcaro KF, Smolyak S, Walter PJ, Cai H, Daines DH, van den Anker JN, Gopalakrishnan M. Intergenerational transmission of sucralose and acesulfame-potassium from mothers to their infants via breast milk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 5 August 2024. PMID: 39111550.
Vallone N, Drake M, Dawer A, Brill R, Sylvetsky AC. Understanding factors that influence parents’ provision of beverages to their children: a qualitative evidence synthesis. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2024 July 21. PMID: 39034300.
Sylvetsky AC, Rebolledo N, Krieger JW. Nonsugar Sweeteners – Time for Transparency and Caution. JAMA Pediatrics. 2024 Mar 1; 178(3):217-218. PMID: 38252446.
Sylvetsky AC, Hughes SA, Kuttamperoor JT, Moore HR, Murphy J, Sacheck J & Smith ER. Mothers’ experiences during the 2022 Infant Formula Shortage in Washington D.C. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 26 December 2023 [epub]. PMID: 38147276.
Sylvetsky AC, Moore HR, Zhu X, Kaidbey JH, Kang L, Saeed A, Khattak S, Grilo MF, Vallone N, Kuttamperoor J, Cogen FR, Elmi A, Walter PJ, Cai H, DiPietro L, Goran MI, Streisand R. Effects of Low-calorie Sweetener Restriction on Glycemic Variability and Cardiometabolic Health in Children with Type 1 Diabetes: Findings of a Pilot and Feasibility Study. Nutrients. 2023 September 5. 15 (18), 3867.
Hedrick V, Nieto C, Grilo MF, Sylvetsky AC. Non-nutritive sweeteners: helpful or harmful? The challenge of developing intake recommendations with the available research. BMJ. 2023 Oct 9. 383;e075293. PMID: 37813435.
Ferguson K, Gunthert K, Kaidbey JH, Parr M, Visek AJ, Sacheck JM, Sylvetsky AC. Behavioral Patterns of Sugary Drink Consumption among African American Adolescents: A Pilot and Feasibility Study Using Ecological Momentary Assessment. Nutrients. 2023, 15(9), 2171. PMID: 37432343
Kaidbey J, Ferguson K, Halberg SE, Racke C, Visek AJ, Gearhardt AN, Juliano LM, Dietz WH, Sacheck J, Sylvetsky AC. Stop the Pop: A Mixed Methods Study Examining Children’s Physical and Emotional Responses during Three Days of Sugary Drink Cessation. Nutrients. 22 March 2022. PMID: 35405940.
Sylvetsky AC, Kaidbey J, Ferguson K, Visek AJ, Sacheck J. Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s sugary drink consumption: A qualitative study. Frontiers in Nutrition. 16 March 2022. PMID: 35369093.
Sylvetsky AC, Hoang ST, Visek AJ, Halberg SE, Smith M, Salahmand Y, Blake EF, Jin Y, Colon-Ramos UY, Lora KR. Beverage characteristics perceived as “healthy” among Hispanic and African American parents of young children. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 10 January 2022. PMID: 35026465.
Swithers SE, Bonnano GR, Figueroa J, Welsh JA, Sylvetsky AC. Dietary and Health Correlates of Sweetened Beverage Intake: Sources of Variability in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Nutrients. 2021. Aug 5;13(8):2703. PMID: 34444862.
Sylvetsky AC, Blake EF, Visek AJ, Halberg SE, Comstock K, Essel KD, Dietz WH, Sacheck J. Feasibility and Acceptability of a Randomized Controlled Trial to Investigate Withdrawal Symptoms in Response to Caffeinated Sugary Drink Cessation among Children. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2021 May 23;22;100791. PMID: 34189336.
Halberg SE, Visek AJ, Blake EF, Essel KD, Sacheck J, Sylvetsky AC. SODA MAPS: A Framework for Understanding Caffeinated Sugary Drink Consumption Among Children. Front Nutr. 2021 Mar 10;8:640531. DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2021.640531. PMID: 33777993.