New Zealand
August 10, 2009
In a collaboration of unparalleled
scientific expertise in New Zealand,
AgResearch and the
University of
Auckland’s Liggins Institute are seeking to discover how
nutrients in food affect animals and humans to improve body
composition.
“We aim to investigate how nutrients in foods are released
during digestion and how those nutrients then affect our
metabolism. The interaction between the digestion and absorption
of nutrients i.e. the energy absorbed by the body from our diet,
and how nutrients affect our metabolism is a key focus of the
research. This could have direct benefits for people as two
factors important in checking obesity are the absorption of
energy from the diet, and how we metabolise that energy,” said
AgResearch Chief Executive Dr Andrew West.
“This research could also be used to achieve beneficial outcomes
in productive animals - changing nutrient absorption and
metabolism so that the animal's body composition, like the meat
they produce for example, is more appealing and healthy for
consumers. This would produce significant new market
opportunities for New Zealand farmers.”
The Liggins Institute collaboration with AgResearch has resulted
in the formation of the Pastoral Foods For Human Health Research
Centre. The Liggins Institute was the first large-scale research
Institute established by The University of Auckland. It is
committed to world-class biomedical and clinical research in
areas of major health importance. Professor Sir Peter Gluckman
heads the Centre’s research effort.
“The Centre aims to optimise the nutritional and health-giving
qualities of foods from pastoral-based sources for human
consumption,” said The University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor
Professor Stuart McCutcheon.
“A major research target is novel agri-food ingredients with
human health benefits. This focus includes animal feeds, animal
welfare products, ethical animal manipulation methods, and
enhanced handling and processing of food products.”
“AgResearch and the Liggins Institute are jointly developing two
key Foundation for Research Science and Technology programmes on
nutritional epigenetics and agri-foods – one centred on animal
productivity and the other on food for human health, but both
sharing core methodology and key research staff from both
organisations.”
“This endeavour is an excellent example of the fields of
research we created the Liggins Institute to investigate. Better
understanding of the interrelationship between genetics and
nutrition is vitally important and any insights we uncover will
be significant in dealing with a range of health and mortality
issues which currently concern governments and medical
professionals,” said Professor Wayne Cutfield, the newly
appointed Director of the Liggins Institute.
AgResearch’s General Manager of Applied Biotechnologies, Dr
Jimmy Suttie, said the collaborative nutritional epigenetics
research is a ground breaking partnership in agri-food research
for human health and animal productivity.
“AgResearch is the most integrated pastoral research
organisation in the world. Our scientific expertise, together
with that of the Liggins Institute, provides an unparalleled
combination of capability in pastoral agriculture, agri-foods,
human nutrition, growth and health. Our work together is part of
the exciting new era in agri-food research for New Zealanders
and the agricultural sector.” |
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