Theme: Nutrition and Metabolism in Health and Disease

Theme Lead - W: Professor Isobel Davidson – E: idavidson@qmu.ac.uk

QMU has repositories of its research outputs, including publications, theses, and archived data.

It is well established that the quality of the diet impacts on both the development and progression of disease. For example, an unhealthy diet can make people more susceptible to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Key functional components of the diet, such as antioxidants and fish oils, can provide some degree of protection against mechanisms promoting oxidative stress and which contribute to disease processes. The use of ‘functional foods’ to modify the risk of diet-related disorders and physiological impairment is the cornerstone of research activity in QMU theme of Nutrition and Metabolism in Health and Disease’.

The research team also recognise the importance of nutritional surveillance. This observation and monitoring helps to provide the evidence to formulate appropriate nutritional advice across the life cycle, including different groups of the population such as nursery children and the elderly. With this direction in mind, researchers within this theme are in the process of developing and trialling mobile phone technology which provides a robust and convenient measurement of dietary intake and quality across large groups of the population. The technology offers a cost effective and reliable method to monitor dietary intake and has the potential to allow a much larger percentage of the population to have their diets monitored. The technology can gather information which will help extend the database which current national dietary surveys provide and has the potential to assist in improving the health of the nation.

QMU researchers use disc diffusion to check antibacterial properties of various food components.

Research Examples: Healthy eating work in the local community and Diet phone could slash NHS costs and improve health of the nation, please click on the following link: examples .

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