High Value Nutrition challenge set to grow healthy generations, healthy economy

17 April 2014

The first of the Government-funded National Science Challenges “High Value Nutrition” was launched this month at the University of Auckland by the Minister of Science and Innovation the Hon. Steven Joyce.

The Challenge will be a multi-disciplinary research effort combining expertise from the University of Auckland, Massey University and University of Otago with CRIs AgResearch and Plant and Food Research.

The research programme will be based at the Liggins Institute with the Science Leadership Team headed by the Institute’s Research and Deputy Director, and Professor of Nutrition, David Cameron-Smith.

Pictured (from left): Hon. Steven Joyce, Prof. Cameron-Smith, Board Chair Bob Major, Dr Prue Williams, General Manager Science Investments Ministry Business, Innovation and Employment, and Prof. Stuart McCutcheon.

At the Launch, Professor Cameron-Smith captured the sense of excitement as he expanded on comments by University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon and Minister Joyce, that the Challenge presented unique opportunities for multidisciplinary and cross-institutional cooperation to develop functional foods with the validated ability to improve health at all stages of the life-course.

Following a period of public consultation, under the banner of The Great New Zealand Science Project, the Government last year announced funding for ten National Science Challenges to address issues that had resonated strongly with the community. High on the community’s list were issues related to food, health and nutrition.

Professor Cameron-Smith says the NZ economy relies heavily on the agricultural sector but much of the sector’s production is of pure ingredients – sold internationally for others to use in sophisticated, branded products. “There is huge opportunity for us to capture this market by developing our own functional foods with proven health benefits,” he says.

“A Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) health standard now allows producers and manufacturers to claim health benefits for products where these have been validated. At present, however, there are few local resources which allow them to obtain that supporting evidence.

He says this presents opportunities for scientists and industry to work together in a multi-disciplinary environment.

Biomedical science will be applied to understanding the causes and mechanisms of diseases. This will help identify appropriate biomarkers which are associated with a particular disease or condition, for example the concentration of cholesterol in blood may be considered as a biomarker which indicates the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The biomarkers can then be measured in robust clinical trials to determine whether they, and hence the disease risk, can be modified by particular foods.

There are opportunities to develop foods with proven health benefits for consumers at all stages of the life-course from pregnancy and infancy through to addressing and alleviating challenges of old-age such as frailty.

Business is strongly driven by the consumer-voice. The availability of scientific evidence to support health claims will assist consumer decision-making which, in turn, will drive business opportunities

“This is a big series of challenges,” said Cameron-Smith, “but it starts with understanding the health changes (or the perception of health changes) that drive the consumer to seek functional foods. This will be the research engine: what are these changes, what is predictive and measurable (the biomarker) and is this modified by food or diet?”

The programme will start in earnest next year following development of a detailed science and business plan. Professor Cameron-Smith predicts that issues such as obesity, diabetes and ageing (including mobility, cognition, gut function and immunity) will dominate the science landscape ahead.

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