Phyllis B. Acosta

Phyllis B. Acosta (December 27, 1933 – September 30, 2018) was an American public health researcher best known for her research on inherited metabolic disorders and vegetarian diets. She was a pioneer in developing nutritional therapy for the management of phenylketonuria.

Biography

Acosta was born in Shoal Creek Township, Cherokee County, North Carolina. She obtained a B.A. in 1955 from Andrews University and a Doctor of Public Health in 1969 from the University of Southern California. She worked with Richard Koch at the University of California, Los Angeles during 1966–1970 to establish the first guidelines for nutrition management of phenylketonuria.

She started the first nutrition clinic to treat patients with inherited metabolic disorders at Emory University.

In 1967, Acosta received the first Lydia J. Roberts Fellowship in Public Health Nutrition. She was a member of the American Dietetic Association and was named an Outstanding Dietitian by the Association in 1991. She died in Cleveland, Tennessee, aged 84.

She studied vegan and vegetarian diets with Alice Garrett Marsh of Andrews University and at Loma Linda University.

Selected publications

Diet Manual: Utilizing a Vegetarian Diet Plan (with Ardis Beckner, 1965) The Phenylalanine-Restricted Diet Recipe Book (with Ardis Beckner, 1966) Diet Management of PKU for Infants and Preschool Children (with Elizabeth Wenz, 1978) Nutrients in Vegetarian Foods (1984) Feeding the Vegan Infant and Child (1985) Availability of Essential Amino Acids and Nitrogen in Vegan Diets (1988) Nutrition Support Protocols: The Ross Metabolic Formula System (1997) Nutrient Management of Patients with Inherited Metabolic Disorders (2010)