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Kevin D. Hall, Ph.D.

Kevin Hall.
Section Chief: Integrative Physiology Section, Laboratory of Biological Modeling
Scientific Focus Areas: Clinical Research, Computational Biology, Neuroscience

Professional Experience

  • Ph.D., McGill University, 1999

Current Research

My laboratory investigates the integrative physiology of macronutrient metabolism, body composition, energy expenditure, and control of food intake. Our main goal is to better understand how the food environment affects what we eat and how what we eat affects our physiology. We do this by performing clinical research studies as well as developing mathematical models and computer simulations to better understand physiology, integrate data, and make predictions. In recent years, we have conducted randomized clinical trials to study how diets high in ultra-processed food may cause obesity and other chronic diseases.

Select Publications

Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake.
Hall KD, Ayuketah A, Brychta R, Cai H, Cassimatis T, Chen KY, Chung ST, Costa E, Courville A, Darcey V, Fletcher LA, Forde CG, Gharib AM, Guo J, Howard R, Joseph PV, McGehee S, Ouwerkerk R, Raisinger K, Rozga I, Stagliano M, Walter M, Walter PJ, Yang S, Zhou M.
Cell Metab (2019 Jul 2) 30:67-77.e3. Abstract/Full Text
Effect of a plant-based, low-fat diet versus an animal-based, ketogenic diet on ad libitum energy intake.
Hall KD, Guo J, Courville AB, Boring J, Brychta R, Chen KY, Darcey V, Forde CG, Gharib AM, Gallagher I, Howard R, Joseph PV, Milley L, Ouwerkerk R, Raisinger K, Rozga I, Schick A, Stagliano M, Torres S, Walter M, Walter P, Yang S, Chung ST.
Nat Med (2021 Feb) 27:344-353. Abstract/Full Text
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Research in Plain Language

We want to understand how our food environment affects what we eat and how what we eat affects our bodies and our brains. We study volunteers who participate in highly controlled clinical trials, often lasting many weeks during which they continuously reside in our research facilities. We precisely measure their food intake as well as perform detailed assessments to quantify how their bodies use food as fuel as well as to build the body itself. We also measure how food and diet affects the brain.

Last Reviewed February 2025