FP6 - 505944 LIPGEN - Diet, genomics and the metabolic syndrome: an integrated nutrition, agro-food, social and economic analysis

Contacts
Website: www.lipgene.tcd.ie/




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Biotechnology : Fine Chemicals : Life Science and Food Quality : Plant Genetics

Type of Project	Integrated Project
Contract No	FP6 - 505944
Total Cost	16,440 KEuro
EC Contribution	2,330 KEuro
Start Date	1-2-2004
Duration	60 Months

Abstract

The primary focus of LIPGEN is the interaction of nutrients and genotype in the metabolic syndrome. With access to a large prospective cohort followed biannually for 7 years and with hard clinical and nutritional data, a unique opportunity exists to determine diet-gene interaction in the development of the metabolic syndrome. To ascertain the responsiveness to dietary fat modification, large multi-centre dietary intervention study will examine how diets varying in both fat content and composition influence insulin sensitivity and other aspects of the metabolic syndrome including gene interventions. Parallel studies at molecular, cell and whole body level will investigate mechanisms linking dietary fat and the metabolic syndrome. A key aim of the animal nutrition component is to reduce saturated fat and increasing monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 LC-PUFA), whilst avoiding an increase in trans fatty acid intake.

The objective of the plant biotechnology section is in the area of metabolic engineering of linseed; using marine algal genes to transgenically reconstitute the LC-PUFA biosynthetic pathway. These studies will be accompanied by a detailed economic analysis of the health costs of the metabolic syndrome across the EU and the implications of individual drug versus population nutrition intervention. It will also look at the cost implications of implementing the new animal nutrition and plant biotechnologies in primary food production.

Consumer attitudes to new agro-food technologies and the use of genomic in personalized nutrition will also be examined. Finally, a demonstrations project will show how in practice these fat-modified foods can be created and be used to reduce the risk factors of the metabolic syndrome. A major dissemination programme will target consumers, industry, opinion formers and SMEs.

Coordinator

Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Partners

• Rowett Research Institute, United Kingdom
• Institute for Nutrition Research, University Of Oslo, Norway
• Hospital Universitario Reina Sofia-University Of Cordoba, Spain
• The Jagiellonian University Medical College, Poland
• LMC Internationa Limited
• BASF Plant Science Gmbh, Germany
• British Nutrition Foudation
• Facultade de Ciencias da Nutricao e Alimentacao da Universidade de Porto, Portugal MTT Agrifood Research Finland, Finland
• Rothamsted Research Limited
• Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, France
• University of Bergen, Norway
• Unilever Nederland Bv, Netherlands
• University of Reading
• University of Ulster
• Uppsala Universitet, Sweden
• University of York
• Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France
• Hitachi Europe Limited
• Universiteit Maastricht, Netherlands

Contacts

Contact

• Michael GIBNEY / Trinity College Biotechnology Institute / IRELAND