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Nutritional research centre wins $2.5 million

Friday, 3 August 2012

The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide has been awarded $2.5 million by the to establish a new research centre aimed at preventing diseases by improving people's nutrition.

The ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ will be home to the new Centre of Research Excellence (CRE) in Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health.

The funding for the centre was announced yesterday by the Federal Health Minister, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP.

"A focus on nutrition is fundamental to effective prevention and management of many of the major health issues affecting our society," says the Director of the new Centre, .

Professor Horowitz, who is also Director of the Endocrine and Metabolic Unit at the , says the CRE will capitalise on the clinical and scientific expertise of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ of Adelaide and RAH researchers.

"We will focus on our primary areas of research - diabetes, obesity, nutrition in the elderly and those with critical illness," he says.

"If current rates of weight gain are maintained in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥, more than two thirds of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ns will be overweight by 2025, and a third will develop type 2 diabetes during their lifetime. The direct cost of obesity in this country is already over $8 billion per year.

"Meanwhile, many older ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ns and those requiring intensive care hospital admission are at high risk of under-nutrition, also leading to adverse outcomes.

"With the escalating healthcare demands on our society, we must identify nutritional solutions to manage these health problems effectively and at an affordable cost. The Centre's research findings will be applied into the community, helping to make a substantial impact on people's health," Professor Horowitz says.

Professor Horowitz says the new Centre will bring together a range of researchers - clinical investigators, basic scientists, nutritionists, leaders in primary health care, nurses, and health psychologists.

"The new centre will link into the growing network of collaborators at the forefront of nutrition research, both in ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥ and internationally, and will serve as a statewide hub for nutrition expertise and research," he says.

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