Food, Nutrition and Health

Research in IGFS is exploring diet across the life-cycle, from childhood and adolescence, through pregnancy, to at-risk, diseased and older populations, linking diet with a range of human health issues (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease).

Researchers are using biomarkers to better measure diet, then examining determinants of eating behaviour, how to promote behaviour change and developing interventions to achieve this change. 

This is successful, both in terms of quality research outputs and income but also in terms of impact, with demonstrated effects of dietary interventions on eating behaviours and health-relevant outcomes. The IGFS combination of exploration of mechanisms by which nutrients may impact on disease, alongside epidemiological analysis, dietary interventions, consideration of consumer attitudes, and development of interventions to change behaviour, is an overarching approach designed to maximise impact in the short term on population health.

• The work involves multi-disciplinary collaborations across the University, investigating key research areas such as biomarker discovery and changing lifestyle behaviours