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A new trial led by the University of Reading will bring a step change in nutrition research using new technology. The aim is to track what people eat and drink in their daily lives, with accuracy and reliability that surpasses current approaches. The SODIAT-2 study is a partnership between University of Reading, Aberystwyth University, University of Cambridge, and Imperial College London. Funding is from the UK’s Medical Research Council and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Dr Manfred Beckmann, lead Principal Investigator from the Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University said: “One of the problems facing nutrition researchers is getting a true picture of people’s eating habits. By developing a new methodology, we aim to get a much more accurate record of people’s diets.” Participants in the study will wear camera glasses, as well as giving blood and urine samples, and filling out online questionnaires. These tools make it easier to gather accurate information. Professor Julie Lovegrove, University of Reading, is leading the trial and said: “This trial is a game-changer for public health and nutrition research. Currently we use tools to assess what people eat including food diaries, 24-hour dietary recalls that rely on someone remembering what they consumed the previous day, or food frequency questionnaires that record what people ate over a longer timeframe, such as in the past month. However, humans are not very reliable, especially when asked to remember snacking or portion sizes.” Dr Michelle Weech, Research Fellow at the University of Reading and trial manager said: “By automatically photographing everything they eat and drink and measuring substances the body makes from food in their blood and urine, we will have dietary data we can really rely on. The participants will be making a valuable contribution to pioneering nutrition research.” These tools have the potential to revolutionise nutrition research by providing greater accuracy in dietary assessment, allowing researchers to explore relationships between diet, health and diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers, with greater confidence. How the study works The SODIAT-2 Study will recruit 133 adults across the UK to take part in a five-week program—all from the comfort of their own homes. For up to 12 days, participants will: - Wear camera glasses that automatically take photos capturing what they eat and drink.
- Collect small blood and urine samples with easy-to-use kits, returned by post, for the analysis of substances reflecting the foods and drinks they’ve eaten.
- Report what they’ve eaten in the last few days using short online food and drink questionnaires.
- Eat a study test diet, where all participants will consume identical foods and drinks for 3 days.
By combining these methods, the team will find out the best way to study diets in real life. A team effort
This project brings together experts from across the UK:
- The University of Reading are leading this trial and developed the online food and drink questionnaire technology.
- Aberystwyth University are leading the overall project and developed the urinary biomarker panel.
- The University of Cambridge are leading the blood sample analysis.
- Imperial College London developed the camera glasses and are using AI to analyse images from the wearable cameras.
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