RRD 29: Programme N05 - Nutritional status and function research
Wednesday 8 October 2008
Deadline for receipt of applications: 19 December 2008 (2 requirements)
The Agency aims to provide the best possible advice to consumers on a healthy, balanced diet. This research programme aims to provide evidence to develop dietary recommendations and help reduce diet-related disease. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition informs the Agency by evaluating the evidence to provide up-to-date and targeted advice for consumers. The Agency gathers evidence, by commissioning research, to support this e.g. for the determination of dietary reference values. The programme has three broad research objectives, which reflect the processes linking ingestion of dietary constituents of nutritional significance to changes in body function:
- To develop robust, sensitive biological indicators of dietary exposure and nutritional status for dietary constituents and foods
- To determine the absorption, bioavailability and metabolism of dietary constituents in foods
- To determine the effect of dietary constituents and foods on validated, sensitive indicators of target function – these are established psychological, physiological or biochemical measures that relate to biological responses
The following functional outcomes and processes have been highlighted: immune function; brain function; bone health; and metabolic function. Other areas may also be considered as the evidence base develops.
It should be noted that two other nutrition research programmes focus specifically on cardiovascular health and cancer – N02 & N12 – so applications focusing primarily on these end-points are not relevant to this programme. Also note that applications are not invited for food additives or food intolerance work under this programme.
General concepts that are relevant to the research programme:
- Interactions between dietary components
- The consequences of nutritional status at different stages of life on later health
- Individual variation/vulnerability, e.g. as defined by gender, age, social, geographic, ethnicity, environmental, and genotype
Research / Survey Requirements guidance
Proposals should have public health relevance. Proposals will be judged using the following criteria: relevance to the research requirements; scientific quality; and value for money. The full list of selection criteria can be found on page 4 of the Research Requirements background and instructions document.
The Nutritional Status and Function research programme generally funds randomized, controlled human dietary intervention trials. Purely method development, mechanistic, in vitro and animal studies are not funded. Single meal studies and short-term dietary interventions are, generally, not funded.
Proposals should have the following characteristics:
- Intakes of nutrients studied should be those achievable through the diet and, where appropriate, incorporate a food-based approach
- Effective recruitment strategies and measures of compliance should be in place
- Demonstrate a track record of successfully carrying out proposed human dietary intervention trials
- Determine sample size using suitable power calculations at the 90% level
- Subjects should be representative of the general population; ‘at risk’ subjects are suitable, but those with clinical diseases are not
- Studies incorporating a dose response element of the effects of foods and/or nutrients will be viewed favourably
The reporting of nutrition intervention trials will be expected to conform to the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement (http://www.consort-statement.org). Successful applicants will be expected to register trials, e.g. with Current Controlled Trials (www.controlled-trials.com) or the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.
One page summaries should be submitted to the Programme Advisor in the first instance. Full proposals can only be accepted if a one page summary has been first approved by the Programme Advisor.
Research Requirements (2 requirements)
The role of diet in the development of chronic low-grade systemic inflammation
Chronic low-grade systemic inflammation is associated with obesity and is thought to play a role in the development of several chronic diseases, e.g. type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and possibly certain cancers.
Emerging evidence suggests that several dietary factors may affect the development of chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, but the evidence base is limited.
High quality trials are required to determine the role of diet on chronic low-grade systemic inflammation. The trials must be in settings of relevance to the UK, of sufficient power (at least 90%) and duration and using validated objective measures. Other factors affecting low-grade systemic inflammation, such as physical activity and adiposity, will need to be addressed in the study design.
Analyses of suitably stored samples collected from high quality trials or cohort studies are also invited.
This work will improve the evidence base informing the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and, thus, the Agency; inform behavioural change strategies and decisions on reducing diet-related diseases.
Proposals are therefore invited to:
| Requirement reference: N05R0020- Conduct a randomised, controlled trial, or use suitably stored samples from high quality trials or cohort studies, to investigate the effect of dietary constituents or foods on chronic low-grade systemic inflammation |
The development of nutritional status measures for fruit and vegetable consumption - to obtain additional and novel information from completed and ongoing dietary intervention trials
Diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease; however, methodologies to determine dietary intakes in epidemiological studies are imprecise, e.g. food frequency questionnaires, diet diaries, and the development of more robust measures would enable a clearer elucidation of the diet-disease relationship and a more accurate assessment of population intakes in dietary surveys.
Further analysis of stored samples from ongoing and completed fruit and vegetable intervention trials would provide value for money and enable the development of sensitive measures of fruit and vegetable consumption.
Additional and novel analyses of stored samples, e.g. body fluids, from ongoing and completed fruit and vegetable intervention trials are required to enable the development of sensitive measures of fruit and vegetable consumption. The trials must be/have been in settings of relevance to the UK, representative of all populations and of sufficient power and duration.
Proposals are therefore invited to:
| Requirement reference: N05R0021 - Conduct further analysis of suitably stored samples from ongoing and completed fruit and vegetable intervention trials to develop sensitive measures of fruit and vegetable consumption |
Further Information
Applicants must discuss their proposals with the programme advisor and submit an outline application (one side of A4) to the programme advisor prior to submitting a full proposal.
FULL PROPOSALS WILL BE REJECTED, WHERE THE PROGRAMME ADVISOR HAS NOT APPROVED A ONE PAGE OUTLINE.
Programme advisor: Dr Peter Sanderson
Tel: 01728 746 488
E mail: psander@tiscali.co.uk
Full proposals should be sent, to be received by 17:00 hrs on Friday 19 December 2008 to:
E-mail: FSA_Remind@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Post:
Joanne Tongue
Nutrition Division
Food Standards Agency
Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London WC2B 6NH
See also
(pdf 63KB)