Major chronic diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, and cancer, can be preventable by promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle changes. The Nutrition and Food research area at NMS aims to reduce non-communicable diseases by elucidating the interplay between diet, lifestyle, and metabolism towards personalized nutrition. This goal is being achieved through research designed to advance knowledge on how diet impacts health, spanning from physiological to behavioral level. This research area aggregates biomedical and clinical researchers that also aim to accomplish translation of evidence from bench to bedside, through the development of nutritional strategies, and its dissemination to health professionals and the general public.
The main goals of this research area are:
- Studying cellular and molecular mechanisms in lifestyle-related chronic illnesses at the molecular level, our research explores novel foods and ingredients while also considering endocrine disruptors.
- Unravelling the interaction between diet and gut-microbiota-brain axis for the development of novel gut microbiota-targeted approaches, including dietary-related and intestinal microbiota transplantation.
- Exploring genes - nutrients interactions to identify genetic variations that might influence individual's response to specific nutrients and thus contributing for the development of personalized nutrition.
- Using pre-clinical (microphysiological and animal models) and clinical (RCTs, observational and cohort studies) research models, and analytical techniques (statistics, metabolomics, sequencing and cell and molecular biology), to evaluate the efficacy and safety of interventions, such as distinct dietary interventions, in treating or preventing various health conditions across lifecycle.
- Providing robust scientific evidence on adequate nutrition, promoting empowering actions for healthy lifestyles including in high-risk groups and individuals with inborn errors of metabolism.
- Advancing scientific knowledge and disseminating top-tier synthesized evidence through systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
NMS researchers and clinical-scientists in this area share a common mission of challenging the status quo of nutrition and dietetics and ultimately for a better patient care. The NMS research efforts in this research area aim to advance knowledge to improve nutritional assessment, dietary interventions, clinical trial design, nutrigenomics, and public health nutrition. NMS research in Nutrition and Food Science is expected to contribute for evidence-based practices and interventions that can effectively address nutritional deficiencies, prevent diseases, and promote healthy lifestyles.
