Nutritional and Health-Related Environmental Studies
Operational Co-ordinated Research Projects
CRP Number: E4.30.21.
CRP Title: Food fortification and biofortification to improve micronutrient status during early life
Objective: The high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, in particular deficiencies of iron, zinc and vitamin A, is contributing significantly to the unacceptably high childhood morbidity and mortality observed in developing countries. Food fortification and biofortification are potentially useful strategies to prevent and control these deficiencies, however, limited data are available on the efficacy of these public health interventions in infants and children. Stable isotope techniques can be used in the development and evaluation of nutritional strategies by the assessment of bioavailability of iron, zinc and pro-vitamin A carotenoids as well as by monitoring changes in body pools of vitamin A to evaluate efficacy. This CRP will generate new information on the usefulness of food fortification and biofortification to improve micronutrient status in infants and children.
Number of RCMs: 0
Next RCM: 2008
Year of Commencement: 2008
Number of Contract Holders: 7
Number of Agreement Holders: 3
Details
CRP Number: E4.30.20.
CRP Title: Nutrition and HIV/AIDS: The efficacy of food based nutrition interventions evaluated by stable isotope techniques
Objective: The overall aim of this CRP is to evaluate the efficacy of nutrition interventions in people living with HIV/AIDS based on changes in body composition (muscle mass), measured by stable isotope techniques. In particular, the associations between nutrition - HIV/AIDS - antiretroviral treatment will be given special emphasis. The outcome of the project will contribute to a better understanding of the importance of nutrition in the management of HIV/AIDS. The results will be of particular relevance to countries where the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is high and where there is an urgent need to develop effective nutrition interventions based on locally appropriate, sustainable food based strategies to integrate nutrition into a comprehensive response to HIV/AIDS.
Number of RCMs: 1
Next RCM: 2007
Year of Commencement: 2005
Number of Contract Holders: 6
Number of Agreement Holders: 2
Details
CRP Number: E4.30.19.
CRP Title: Body fat and its relationship with metabolic syndrome indicators in overweight pre-adolescents and adolescents
Objective: Overweight and obesity are defined as an excess of body fat. Children and adolescents can be defined as overweight or obese based on reference percentiles of BMI (body weight/hight2) for age. However, although BMI for age standards is a widely accepted approach for classifying overweight and obesity, careful interpretation of weight-height relationships is required in children and adolescents with low stature resulting from chronic undernutrition. Moreover, the assumption that BMI can classify overweight and obesity in all ethnic groups of children and adolescents has not been demonstrated. The overall objectives of this CRP are to establish the relationship between body mass index (body weight/stature2) and body fat and explore the association with indicators of the metabolic syndrome in pre-adolescents of 9 years at first Tanner stage of puberty (T-1) and adolescents of 16 years at 4th and 5th Tanner stages of puberty (T4-5) who are at risk of overweight (above the 85th percentile of BMI for age according to the CDC charts) in different ethnic groups.
Number of RCMs: 1
Next RCM: 2008
Year of Commencement: 2005
Number of Contract Holders: 8
Number of Agreement Holders: 2
Details
CRP Number: E4.30.18.
CRP Title: Zinc nutrition during early life
Objective: The overall objective of this CRP is to contribute to a better understanding of zinc nutrition during the first year of life. More specifically, the aim is to evaluate human milk intake and the introduction of other fluids during the first year of life in different countries. In countries with high prevalence of small for gestational age (SGA) infants, SGA infants and infants appropriate for gestational age (AGA) will be studied in parallel. In addition, changes in human milk zinc concentration (and zinc intake from human milk) will be evaluated during the first year of life. In some settings, zinc status will be measured by stable isotope techniques in sub-groups of SGA and AGA infants.
Number of RCMs: 1
Next RCM: 2007
Year of Commencement: 2005
Number of Contract Holders: 6
Number of Agreement Holders: 3
Details
CRP Number: E4.30.17
CRP Title: Assessment of nutrient uptake from biofortified crops in populations from developing countries
Objective: To evaluate nutrition impact of consumption of biofortified crops using stable isotope technique, to determine the bioavailability of iron and zinc from improved crop varieties and to determine the bioefficacy of provitamin A carotenoids from improved crop varieties
Number of RCMs: 1
Next RCM: 2008
Year of Commencement: 2003
Number of Contract Holders: 6
Details
CRP Number: E4.30.16
CRP Title: Assessment of total energy expenditure and body composition for older adult subjects with different lifestyles
Objective: The CRP will concentrate on the assessment of total energy expenditure and body composition for older adults in a variety of societies with different lifestyles. Results of this study will contribute to the WHO Global strategy on diet, physical activity and health in order to help prevent death and disability from major nutrition-related chronic diseases.
Number of RCMs: 2
Next RCM: 2007
Year of Commencement: 2003
Number of Contract Holders: 9
Number of Agreement Holders: 2
Details
CRP Number: E4.30.15
CRP Title: The application of isotopic and nuclear techniques in studies related to intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) issues in populations from developing countries
Objective: The overall objective of the CRP is to understand the basic causes of IUGR in developing countries. The results of the project will contribute to the new WHO strategy to reduce IUGR and low birth weight in developing countries. Research will be based on the application of isotopic and nuclear techniques, particularly isotopic dilution and double labeled water methods, to determine the association between maternal energy accumulation as fat tissue, and foetal growth during pregnancy. The techniques will also be used to understand how maternal energy expenditure affects energy needs and energy transfer to the foetus. Additional research objectives are to achieve the standardisation of methodology and measurements for body composition during pregnancy in participating countries, and to determine the association between maternal energy accumulation as fat tissue and foetal growth.
Number of RCMs: 2
Next RCM: 2007
Year of Commencement: 2003
Number of Contract Holders: 9
Number of Agreement Holders: 2
Details
CRP Number: E4.10.14
CRP Title: Exposure to toxic and potentially toxic elements in women of childbearing age in developing countries
Objective: Rapid urbanization and industrialisation increase the risk of exposure to toxic/potentially toxic elements such as lead, mercury and manganese in developing countries. In addition, drinking water and foods contain high levels of arsenic and mercury in many resource poor settings where undernutrition is common. For example, drinking water with high arsenic content is consumed widely in Bangladesh and India. Undernutrition and exposure to toxic/potentially toxic elements have often been treated as separate issues. However, there is now increased concern about whether undernourished people are potentially more vulnerable to exposure to toxic/potentially toxic elements. The overall aim of new CRP “Exposure to toxic and potentially toxic elements in women of childbearing age in developing countries” is to contribute to a better understanding of these issues by evaluating exposure in adult women with different nutritional status.
Number of RCMs: 1
Next RCM: 2007
Year of Commencement: 2005
Number of Contract Holders: 7
Number of Agreement Holders: 2