About

Brenda M. Davy, PhD, RDN, is a professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on investigating the role of diet and physical activity behaviors in the prevention and treatment of obesity and related comorbidities, including diet and cardiovascular diseases. She conducts dietary intake assessments and studies the influence of beverage consumption, water intake, and ultra-processed food consumption on health outcomes such as type 2 diabetes risk and weight management. Dr. Davy's work also explores eating behaviors and dietary methodologies, contributing to understanding how dietary patterns impact health. Her academic background includes a PhD in Human Nutrition from Colorado State University, an MS in Exercise Physiology from Virginia Tech, and a B.S. in Human Nutrition from Virginia Tech. She has held various academic positions at Virginia Tech since 2003, progressing from assistant to professor. Her professional experience includes roles at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Davy has received numerous awards for her research and practice, including the Excellence in Outcomes Research Award and the Outstanding Reviewer Award from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Her contributions are recognized through her focus on obesity, dietary assessment, and beverage intake, with ongoing research trials examining the impact of ultra-processed foods and water consumption on health.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Environmental health
• Internal medicine
• Food science
• Mathematics
• Statistics
• Chemistry
• Physical therapy
• Endocrinology
• Biology

Selected publications

• Effects of Controlled Diets High in and Free of Ultraprocessed Food on the Brain of Emerging Adults

  medRxiv · 2026-05-01

  articleOpen access

  Objective: The average American consumes 55% of their daily energy from ultraprocessed foods (UPF) created through industrial processes and additives not used at home. We investigated if a high-UPF diet alters brain response to milkshake compared with a diet free-from UPF (NonUPF) in emerging adults, who are in a critical period for brain development and typically consume high amounts of UPF. Methods: In a randomized controlled crossover trial participants aged 18-25 completed two, 2-week controlled feeding periods including a UPF (81% UPF) and nonUPF (0% UPF) diet. Before and after each diet intervention participants consumed milkshake concomitant with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results: In the entire cohort, there were no differences between diet conditions in brain response. An exploratory analysis revealed orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) response to milkshake decreased after the UPF diet and increased following the NonUPF diet in adolescents (18-21 years) but not young adults (22-25 years). Habitual UPF intake (gs) was positively associated with OFC response to milkshake independent of diet intervention in all participants. Conclusions: An acute UPF dietary intervention may only alter brain response in adolescents. Further work is needed to determine potential vulnerability of adolescents to changes in dietary UPF on brain response to rewards.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Changes to Weight Bias Internalization and Eating Behaviors in Adults Aged 50+ With Overweight or Obesity During a Structured 12‐Week Behavioral Weight Management Intervention

  Obesity Science & Practice · 2026-01-04

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  ABSTRACT Background Weight stigma is a prevalent issue among individuals with overweight and obesity pursuing weight loss; however, few studies have examined this issue in middle‐aged and older adults. Treatment‐seeking populations may also be at risk of disordered eating or excess concern about weight and shape; thus, it is important to evaluate how these parameters may change over the course of a weight loss intervention. Methods Adults aged 50+ ( n = 83; 60 F, 23 M) completed measures of experiences of weight stigma, weight bias internalization (WBIS‐M), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE‐Q), and binge eating (BES) at baseline and after completion of a structured 12‐week behavioral weight loss intervention. Results Forty‐five percent of participants reported previous experiences of weight stigma at baseline through either teasing, unfair treatment, or discrimination. At baseline, the mean WBIS‐M score was 3.37 (SD 1.03). From baseline to post‐intervention, there were decreases (all p < 0.05) in WBIS‐M scores (adjusted mean difference −0.46), scores on the shape concern subscale of the EDE‐Q (adjusted mean difference −0.75), and BES scores (adjusted mean difference −3.75). Scores on the restraint subscale of the EDE‐Q increased by an adjusted mean of 1.77 units. Conclusions These findings suggest that participating in a structured behavioral weight loss program may have beneficial effects on weight bias, body shape concern, and binge eating, consistent with previous findings in weight management interventions in younger populations. Future work is needed to determine if changes to weight bias internalization and eating behaviors persist during weight loss maintenance.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Differential association of ultraprocessed food categories with risk of developing cognitive impairment in middle-aged and older adults in a longitudinal panel study

  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2025-02-12 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Responsiveness of the Serum Carbon Isotope Ratio to Dietary Added Sugar Reduction in a Randomized Controlled Trial among Youth with Steatotic Liver Disease

  Journal of Nutrition · 2025-08-12

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Physical activity is directly associated with total energy expenditure without evidence of constraint or compensation

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2025-10-21 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  The prevailing linear model of physical activity (PA) and total energy expenditure (TEE) has been challenged by models that predict an upper limit of TEE linked to a compensatory reduction elsewhere in the energy budget in response to increased PA. We determined the equation of best fit between PA and TEE and explored relationships between PA and behavioral and physiological compensation. Using linear and nonlinear modeling, we observed a positive linear relationship between PA and TEE either without or after adjustment for fat-free mass (R 2 = 0.3492, TEE = 0.00685*PA + 7.124: R 2 =0.3667, TEE_ADJ(FFM) = 0.00511*PA + 8.598). Higher PA was associated with lower sedentary time (R 2 = 0.7207, %SPA= −0.0211*X + 91.261). There was no association between PA, TEE, or resting metabolic rate and adjusted biomarkers of immune, reproductive, or thyroid function after Bonferroni correction. The findings of this observational study do not support the constrained/compensated model but affirm the conventional additive relationship between PA and TEE across a broad range of PA levels.

  PublisherDOI

• The Influence of Ultraprocessed Food Consumption on Energy Intake in Emerging Adulthood: A Controlled Feeding Trial

  Obesity · 2025-11-19 · 4 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impact of a 2-week eucaloric diet high in ultraprocessed foods (UPF) compared to a diet without UPF (non-UPF) on ad libitum energy intake (EI) and food selection in individuals aged 18-25. METHODS: In a randomized, crossover, proof-of-concept trial, participants completed two 14-day controlled feeding periods (81% UPF vs. 0% UPF), with a 4-week washout. Diets were matched for macronutrients, fiber, added sugar, diet quality, and energy density. Following each condition, participants consumed an ad libitum buffet meal including UPF and non-UPF. Energy and food grams consumed were quantified. Statistical analyses were conducted for the full sample, late adolescents (aged 18-21), and young adults (aged 22-25). RESULTS: ) were included. Diet compliance was ~99% overall. There was no effect of diet condition on meal total kcal or grams consumed or UPF or non-UPF consumption in the full sample (all p > 0.05). In the exploratory age subgroup analysis, an interaction between diet and age was observed for total EI (p < 0.001), where total EI increased among adolescents following the UPF diet (p = 0.03, d = 0.79), but not in young adults. CONCLUSIONS: Late adolescents may be susceptible to increased EI following a UPF diet. Future trials are warranted to evaluate this possibility. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05550818.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Water intake, hydration, and weight management: the glass is half-full!

  Physiology & Behavior · 2025-05-13 · 1 citations

  review1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Timing of resistance exercise and cardiometabolic outcomes in adults with prediabetes: a secondary analysis

  Journal of Applied Physiology · 2025-01-07

  articleOpen access

  In this secondary analysis, there was no difference between AM and PM exercisers in blood glucose, insulin, body composition, or muscular strength following 12 wk of supervised exercise. However, examining within-group changes, glucose area under the curve (AUC) was significantly reduced in PM exercisers, but not in AM exercisers.

  PublisherDOI

• Baseline Cognitive Control Predicts Weight Loss after Intervention in Middle and Older Adults

  Innovation in Aging · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Cognitive processes, including attention and executive function (EF), are linked to multiple health behaviors including weight maintenance. In a 12-week clinical weight loss trial, 109 middle aged and older adults (50-70 years old) who had a BMI above 25 were randomized to control or lifestyle intervention (diet and physical activity) groups. Participants (76.4% female, 80% White) completed a set of cognitive tasks including the Attention Network Task (ANT) as well as physiological measurements at baseline and week 12. A mean weight change of -4.5 kgs (SD = 3.3) was observed across 12 weeks. A linear regression model was created with BMI change as the outcome with age, sex, race, education, intervention group, baseline BMI, and ANT performance as covariates. While experimental group was not associated with differences in BMI, reaction time (RT) on correct incongruent trials of the ANT significantly predicted BMI change (B= -.23, p=.033) suggesting that faster RTs on incongruent trials was linked to a larger decrease in BMI. Incongruent trials of the ANT are thought to reflect executive attention, the cognitive process that confers the ability to ignore irrelevant stimuli while focusing on the target stimulus or goal. This finding is consistent with other studies on EFs and weight loss and add to the literature by suggesting that executive attention may be an important cognitive process to consider in interventions aimed at helping individuals make lifestyle changes for weight loss health more generally. However, further research is needed to fully explore these links between EFs and weight maintenance.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Randomized Trial of Healthy Weight Gain in Athletic Individuals

  Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · 2024-03-23 · 2 citations

  article

  ABSTRACT Many athletes desire weight gain, ideally as lean body mass (LBM), to improve athletic performance. These athletes are commonly encouraged to increase energy intake by ~500 kcal·d −1 with emphasis on adequate protein, carbohydrate, and judicious inclusion of healthy fat-containing energy-dense foods, such as peanuts/peanut butter, along with rigorous resistance training (RT). These guidelines target gains of ~0.23 kg·wk −1 . However, little is known about the efficacy of such regimens. Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of a 10-wk diet and exercise regimen designed to promote healthy weight gain with excess energy from peanut-containing or high-carbohydrate foods. Methods Nineteen male and 13 female athletes were randomly assigned to receive an additional 500 kcal·d −1 above typical intake through provision of either peanut-based whole foods/snacks (PNT group) or a similar, high-carbohydrate, peanut-free snack (CHO group) along with supervised, whole-body RT (3 d·wk −1 for 60–120 min). Body composition was assessed by dual-energyx-ray absorptiometry at baseline and postintervention. Results Total body mass (TBM) increased 2.2 ± 1.3 kg with 1.5 ± 1.1 kg as LBM after week 10. The PNT group ( n = 16; 27 ± 7 yr; 10 men, 6 women) gained less TBM than the CHO group ( n = 16; 23 ± 3 yr; 9 men, 7 women) (1.6 ± 1.1 kg vs 2.7 ± 1.2 kg, respectively, P = 0.007) with no differences in LBM (1.2 ± 1.1 kg vs 1.9 ± 1.0 kg, P = 0.136). Conclusions These results suggest that the addition of 500 kcal·d −1 from whole foods/snacks in combination with a rigorous RT program promotes a similar weight gain of ~0.22 kg·wk −1 , primarily as LBM, over 10 wk in both male and female athletes. However, snack macronutrient content may impact the effectiveness of this regimen.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant K01DK075424

  NIH · $638k · 2012

• NIH Grant R01DK082383

  NIH · $3.1M · 2015

• NIH Grant R21HD078636

  NIH · $443k · 2017

Frequent coauthors

• Kevin P. Davy

  Virginia Tech

  64 shared

• Paul A. Estabrooks

  University of Utah

  56 shared

• Valisa E. Hedrick

  Virginia Tech

  46 shared

• Elaina L. Marinik

  Virginia Tech

  35 shared

• Jyoti Savla

  Virginia Tech

  34 shared

• Matthew W. Hulver

  Virginia Tech

  24 shared

• Jamie Zoellner

  University of Virginia

  24 shared

• Tanya M. Halliday

  Fresenius Medical Care (United States)

  24 shared

Awards & honors

• Excellence in Outcomes Research Award, Weight Management Die…
• Outstanding Reviewer Award, Journal of the Academy of Nutrit…
• Achievement Award, SCAN Dietetic Practice Group (March 2017)
• Outstanding Alumna for the Department of Human Nutrition, Fo…
• Fellow, The Obesity Society (FTOS) (2013)