Nutrition and Health

Delivering meaningful research

Examining the relationships between food, nutrition and health

The Nutrition and Health Research Group is a multidisciplinary team delivering research with impact (within the communities and for the organisations with which we work and collaborate) at both a national and international level. Our researchers collaborate with other groups within the Faculty of Education, Health and Community; the wider University (for example, the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, the Public Health Institute); other academic institutions (both within the UK and internationally); as well as public sector organisations and commercial enterprises.

Our expertise

We have a range of interests and expertise when it comes to relationships between food, nutrition and health; undertaking research to help better understand the complexities underpinning healthier dietary choices.

Nutritional science and clinical nutrition:

Ongoing research investigates the fundamental science of how nutrients influence health and disease, including:

• Obesity in pregnancy
• Nutrition, diet, and  genotype-phenotype interactions  (obesity)
• Omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular health
• Nutrition and health in type 1 diabetes

Nutrition and public health:

We have various ongoing projects looking at the complex relationships between the food environment, food choices, nutrient intakes and health. Project work includes understanding the relationships between socio-demographics and health, as well as evaluating public health policies and strategies designed to improve food choices:

• Improving the quality of takeaway foods
• Mapping and classification of food environments
• Dietary assessment methodologies
• Lived experiences of obesity
• Social exclusion, poverty and poverty measurement
• Food-related health literacy

Physical activity, nutrition and health:

Our research also includes interests in the links between nutrition, physical activity, sport and health; with expertise in assessing the interactions between physical activity and diets in children and young people, as well as specialised research with endurance athletes:

• Youth football: nutrition, performance and health
• Children’s nutrition and physical activity in relation to body weight and cardiovascular health
• Endurance athletes’ nutritional demands

Food quality and health:

We also look at how the production, preparation and processing of foods influences food quality and consumer health including the development and evaluation of both healthier and functional food ingredients and products, as well as the substantiation and regulation of food-related health claims:

• Food safety management
• Food product development and evaluation
• Food-related consumer behaviours
• Omega-3 nano-emulsions
• Food sustainability and novel sources of food ingredients
• Food legislation and regulation, including regulation of health claims and nutrient function claims

People