Four-pronged attack on key health issues

Health

Millions of Australians stand to benefit from a new powerhouse research centre at the University of Adelaide, which aims to tackle some of the biggest health problems facing the nation.

South Australia's top researchers in the field of nutrition have been brought together in the new Centre of Clinical Research Excellence (CCRE) in Nutritional Physiology, Interventions and Outcomes.

The centre, supported by a $2 million grant from the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC), has been formed by experts from the University of Adelaide, Royal Adelaide Hospital, CSIRO Human Nutrition, Hanson Institute and IMVS, and is based in the University's School of Medicine.

The CCRE has four main focus areas:

• Diabetes (including the role of the gut in blood glucose control);
  
• Obesity (including fast food consumption; tools for obesity management in primary care; long-term effects of low-carbohydrate diets and other nutritional strategies);
  
• Nutrition in the elderly (nutritional, behavioural, and pharmacological interventions to reduce deaths and avoid hospital admissions);
  
• Nutrition in critical illness (optimising gut function and nutrition in the intensive care unit).

"The CCRE in Nutritional Physiology is taking a 'bench to bedside' approach," said Associate Professor Chris Rayner, of the School of Medicine.

"Research conducted by the centre will provide an evidence base for dietary and clinical interventions that will ultimately translate into improved health and quality of life for a wide cross-section of Australian society.

"One of the important features of this research centre is that it spans several disciplines and institutions. The centre brings together internationally regarded researchers in the field, whose collective work will make an enormous contribution to understanding a wide range of health issues associated with nutrition."

The CCRE consists of eight Chief Investigators and several Associate Investigators, and is led by Professor Michael Horowitz of the University's School of Medicine.

For more information about the centre, visit: www.adelaide.edu.au/ccre-nutrition/

Story by David Ellis