A new laboratory dedicated to exploring the relationship between nutrition and behaviour has opened at Aston University in Birmingham.
Dr Julia Brown, business development manager at the university’s school of life and health sciences, said there had been “considerable interest” in the facility from ingredients suppliers, food manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies looking to develop products that impacted brain function.
While ‘functional’ ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids were best known for their beneficial effects on cardiovascular health, there was a growing body of evidence suggesting they may have even greater potential in mental health, said Brown, and many large companies including Nestlé and Unilever were pumping a lot of money into research in this area.
Headed up by Dr Michael Green, an expert in the psychology of eating behaviour, the lab will provide a resource for investigating the impact that different foods and supplements have on behaviour, as well as enabling researchers to explore the efficacy of weight loss regimes, said Brown. “We will also explore how likes or dislikes for certain foods are acquired and how they can be changed along with the impact this has on food choice and health.”
Researchers will also have access to scanning facilities including EEG (electroencephalogram), MEG (magnetoencephalogram) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain imaging systems, she added.
“We will offer a range of services to the public and business as well as students starting a new MSc in Nutrition and Behaviour in October.”
Some of the services on offer include claim support (such as psychological health claims regarding food, food components and nutritional supplements), glycaemic index (GI) testing, and a dietary analysis service. The laboratory will also offer body composition analysis and investigations into how variables such as eating rate and energy intake are affected by nutrition and other environmental factors, she said.
“We are equipped with facilities for collecting and processing blood, urine and saliva samples. Our facilities allow for the analysis of glucose, iron, cortisol, cholesterol, haemoglobin, zinc protoporphyrin, 5-HIAA [serotonin function] and potassium.”
Six individual testing areas in the lab contain a range of equipment for assessing psychological status and feeding behaviour, including: MEL and E-Prime systems for the assessment of neuropsychological function; and a Sussex Ingestion Pattern Monitor, which allows for the covert continuous measurement of food intake over extended periods of time and the assessment of mood state and somatic sensations.