Project Launched By VTT Develops Computer Models For Predicting Dietary Effects On Health

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 14 Mar 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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The ETHERPATHS project focuses on the balance of lipid metabolism in the body, the effects of foods in tissues and the role of gut microbiota in these processes. Lipid metabolism disorders are associated with several common health care problems, such as ageing, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The balance can be influenced by dietary means. The risk of chronic diseases decreases with a diet containing particularly omega-3 fatty acids and foods that contain fibres and phenol. Therefore, fatty fish, berries, fruits and vegetables may be favourable foods in terms of lipid metabolism balance. The body's own phospholipids are assumed to mediate the health-promoting effects, but their mechanisms of action are still unknown.

The project develops computer-assisted models that emulate the changes in lipid metabolism brought about by eating fish and vegetable oil, berries, fruits and vegetables. The use of models makes it easier to combine data from animal studies and cell-level data in the interpretation of research data from clinical trials, thus promoting research in the health effects of foods and development of foodstuffs. The results of the project and the tools developed in it will in time also be available to in addition to food companies to companies and research institutions that develop diagnostics of health and disease.

Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT)
http://www.vtt.fi