The Nutrition, Obesity, Metabolism and Endocrinology research theme of the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is co-hosted by the MRC Epidemiology Unit and co-led by Prof Sadaf Farooqi and Prof Nita Forouhi.

The overall goal of this theme is to improve the lives and health of people with obesity, diabetes and related metabolic and endocrine diseases. We use a number of approaches including genetics and imaging to determine why these conditions occur and to improve prevention, early diagnosis and develop safe and effective treatments.

Our objectives are:

• To establish a co-ordinated programme for the assessment of diet, physical activity and nutrition, translating advances in methods and facilitating their application in observational studies, clinical trials, surveys and natural experimental studies
• To describe the interplay between dietary and nutritional factors and physical activity with genetic susceptibility and early life development in the aetiology of type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders, coronary heart disease and stroke
• To establish a sustainable translational programme in diet, nutrition and lifestyle, linking basic science and fundamental methodological work with the development of interventions to change behaviour in patient and population groups to enhance health outcomes.

Nutrition Measurement platform

The MRC Epidemiology Unit Nutrition Measurement Platform supports local, UK international research groups and studies through collaborations and service-based delivery of measurements. We provide a coordinated platform bringing expertise in physical activity, anthropometry, dietary assessment and nutritional biomarkers.

If you are interested in our expertise and services, or wish to collaborate with us for your research, please get in touch through details on the Nutrition Measurement Platform pages.

Developing and evaluating interventions in patient groups

The new research programme on Diet and Physical Activity Interventions in Patient Populations has now been established. Current work for this programme includes dietary intervention in pre-hypertensive population group and the use of diet and physical activity measurements to improve clinical care in severely obese, transplant  and cancer patients.