NutriFrail - Diet and diet-modulated biological pathways as predictors for frailty among older adults
Overall objective: To examine the impact of diet on the progress from healthy to growing frail (from fit to frail) with advancing years, in order to develop new strategies for dietary prevention or delay of frailty progress.
Frailty is a geriatric related syndrome characterized by reduced physical function and increased risk of adverse health outcomes when exposed to a stressor. In NutriFrail, we study the impact of diet on risk of frailty by using data identifying dietary patterns related to frailty and examining the underlying diet-modulated biological pathways for increased risk of frailty associated with growing age.
We use data from two established cohorts (the Tromsø study and the Amarone study), and integrate traditional dietary intake data and recognized biomarkers of dietary intake with repeated longitudinal measurements of the transcriptome, applying novel methodologies. Further, we conduct complementary mice models to increase our understanding of the molecular pathways further.
In order to enhance the knowledge of the frailty syndrome NutriFrail integrates epidemiological, clinical and basic nutritional research throughout the Department of Nutrition.
Diet and cancer - prevention and prognosis
Overall objective: To improve the insight on how various dietary components influence the risk and prognosis of cancer.
- We study dietary components that are potential risk factors for cancer, particularly breast and colon cancer, in several large cohort studies, such as the Norwegian Women and Cancer study (NOWAC) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway, and the European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).
- In KoloPrev we examine the feasibility to promote lifestyle changes at colorectal cancer screening.
- We participate in clinical studies such as the EBBAII-study (Energy Balance and Breast Cancer Aspects) at Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål. This is a randomized controlled trial among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with physical activity intervention for one year.
KBS (Kostberegningssystem) and its food composition database
Overall objective: To maintain and further develop the food and nutrition database and software.
Due to rapid changes in the food market the food composition database used by KBS needs to be continuously updated, and we invest considerable resources in this work.
We currently develop a new nutrient and food calculation infrastructure, NFC, in close cooperation with USIT. NFC will replace KBS when finalized.