Metabolomics to characterize diet (The MAIN Study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Identification of metabolomic biomarkers to assess dietary exposure in free-living adults
IRAS ID
139440
Contact name
John C Mathers
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Current strategies for reducing chronic disease burden in the UK emphasize the importance of changing dietary habits. Determining the effectiveness of healthy eating initiatives requires robust tools to assess dietary intake at the population level. The aim of this study is to identify novel chemicals (biomarkers) in blood and urine which are associated with healthy and unhealthy diets. Volunteers will be given short-term diets containing specific test foods deemed to have high public health importance (oily fish, wholegrain foods, fruits and vegetables), as well as high fat and sugary foods which are associated with obesity. Whilst provided with these diets, urine and blood samples will be collected to a) identify new biomarkers for these different foods / food groups and b) to establish the optimum urine sampling procedure which has minimal intrusion on normal daily life but is suitable for assessment of dietary exposure in large scale epidemiological studies.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/0040
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jan 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion