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Singapore Government’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) has announced a $20 million joint-venture with National University Health Systems (NUHS) to conduct nutritional studies and research in areas such as nutrition in women, children and the elderly, and body weight control.
The Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), the result of the partnership will conduct nutritional studies to understand the causes of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity, and develop products and formulate diets that can reduce the risks of these diseases. CNRC is the first centre in Asia to have under-one-roof capabilities to perform research across the food chain and at all levels from the cellular level to whole-body nutrition, the CNRC will play an integral role in developing Singapore as a major hub for food and nutrition research, said A*STAR.
CNRC aims to fill the gaps in research on the nutritional needs and preferences of Asians. Due to prevalence of obesity and Type II diabetes in Singapore and the region, one of major areas CNRC will concentrate its research efforts on these themes, focusing on how appetite is controlled, and how diets can be optimized to maximize weight loss and weight maintenance. Some products currently in development include foods that will enable diabetics to lower their blood glucose, and specialised foods for the elderly to enhance cognition and palatability.
Professor Jeyakumar Henry, Director of CNRC, said, “The CNRC is a one-stop research centre that applies state-of-the-art technology to address contemporary nutritional issues. I am confident that the research and technological expertise that we have here will provide deep and clear dietary solutions to nutritional problems amongst Asians.”