led by Professor Julian Hamilton Shield
Our aim is to identify practical nutrition and physical activity related interventions that improve long-term health for people with chronic disorders of childhood.
Some specific studies include:
- Developing a group of participants (cohort) to study the impact of early infections and feeding patterns on immune responses of children with Down’s syndrome (FADES study).
- The dietary management of Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes in adolescence and early adult life.
- Diet and exercise intervention to improve blood lipid and lipid fractions (fatty substances in the blood) in young people with familial hypercholesterolaemia.
- Improving the care of children with urea cycle defects through breath testing to measure their ammonia levels.
- Investigating the accuracy and tolerability of near-patient devices to improve the care of children with diabetes.
- Altering eating behaviours and choices to improve weight loss in young people with obesity.
- Other areas of interest and research include type 1 and 2 diabetes in young people, the food environment in hospitals and studying the role of genetic factors in determining childhood obesity across families and in populations.