Nutrition

This research group includes:

• Nutritionists;
• Pediatricians;
• Epidemiologists;
• Public health specialists.
   

The main interest is to develop, implement and test the efficacy of strategies to change and promote healthy lifestyle behaviours. 

This group’s researchers regularly collaborate with the Portuguese Government (Directorate of Health and Health Ministry) towards the development and implementation of national food and nutrition policies.

This research group has been studying the long-term effects of neonatal and pediatric nutrition and the potential for adverse effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on metabolic health. The work is based on data from nationally representative cohort of the portuguese population (established in 2011 – EpiDoc), better understanding dietary patterns in the portuguese population, as well as their determinants and outcomes. 

The researchers are also focused on the identification of the determinants and outcomes of poor nutrition and the analysis of the economic burden of food insecurity.

In terms of methodology, the Nutrition research group at CHRC conducts experimental and observational studies in humans, animals, and cell lines to determine the short and long-term impact of early nutrition on health, the effectiveness of lifestyle behaviour changes, and the effects of diet, namely macro and micronutrients, phytochemicals and endocrine disruptor chemicals on diverse health outcomes such as in microbiota composition, obesity and physical function across all stages of life. Secondary data analysis of established cohort studies such as the EpiDoC, Newcastle 85+ and NuAge as well as conducting systematic reviews are also frequently used by the Nutrition research group. Data analyses vary greatly according to needs and may be descriptive or inferential (e.g., survival analysis, different types of regression and linear growth models) using statistical software such as STATA, SPSS and R.