| Volunteer Studies at the Human Nutrition Unit
The Rowett offers unrivalled facilities for controlled dietary and metabolic studies on human subjects. The Human Nutrition Unit provides a unique centre for developing and testing nutraceutical, functional food and diet related health care products. Studies can be undertaken where volunteers are either resident or free-living with dietary needs catered for in both instances. In addition, Phase II and III clinical trials associated with drugs that regulate food intake or metabolism can be managed.
Facilities include:
• Two whole-body indirect calorimeters, Deltatrac metabolic monitors and double-labelled water techniques are available to estimate energy expenditure and therefore assess energy requirements.
• Methods used to examine the 4 compartment model (bone, fat, fat-free mass and water) include dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Deuterium, and the BodPod which measures fat and fat-free mass.
• The unit provides for both residential and free-living volunteer studies and has kitchens for the preparation of specialised diets.
• Analysis of blood, plasma, urine and faecal samples can also be undertaken for various parameters.
• Dietary analysis of weighed food intake records can be carried out.
Combined with access to world class expertise in understanding the physical and biochemical effects of new agents the Rowett can individualise studies to suit client’s needs ranging from experimental design to statistical analysis.
A dedicated team consisting of medical staff, dieticians, nutritionists and administrative staff has conducted human volunteer studies to:
• Evaluate novel dietary products including nutraceuticals.
• Assess new pharmacological treatments for dietary related conditions.
• Measure efficacy of a new diagnostic device.
And recent studies have included:
• Design of specialist diets to evaluate weight loss potential of pharmaceutical products.
• Evaluation of the weight control effects of a range of prepared foods.
For more information on the Human Nutrition Unit, click here. | |
