EU funds pour into obesity issue

Research for the 'Lipgene' project will specifically aim to design tools to combat the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome - a cluster of metabolic symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors, including type 2 diabetes, abnormal lipid patterns - for example, raised blood triglycerides - and high blood cholesterol, which have emerged in parallel to the increasing incidence of obesity.

"Using a truly integrated approach, the project will involve researchers in human and animal nutrition, plant biotechnology, and economic and social / consumer sciences,"​ according to the project organisers, led by Professor Michael Gibney at St James's hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight - at least 300 million of them clinically obese - and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability.

Increased consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity, has led to obesity rates that have risen three-fold or more since 1980 in some areas of North America, the UK, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and China, claims the UN-backed World Health Organisation (WHO).

Under the 'Lipgene' project, researchers in human and animal nutrition, plant biotechnology, and economic and social / consumer sciences will look into a range of different areas, to include: dietary, biochemical and genetic data, for a cohort of 8000 subjects will be used to understand how dietary and genetic data interact in the development of the metabolic syndrome, and a human dietary intervention study in eight cities across Europe will examine how variation in the composition of dietary fat influences the metabolic syndrome.

In addition, a sustainable source of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (the specific fatty acids from fish oil), that are known to play a role in reducing the risk of the metabolic syndrome, will be reconstituted in linseed oil, and a protocol for feeding dairy cows, which changes the composition of milk fat to one with less saturates, less trans-fats and more monounsaturates, will be set up.

Consumers will be asked about their views about the potential health risks arising from the metabolic syndrome. This will include an evaluation of consumers' attitudes, in relation to combating metabolic syndrome, and to the risks and benefits of new agro-food technologies and derived food products.

Under the programme researchers will also investigate economic barriers to introducing new agro-food technologies and the cost of dietary versus pharmaceutical approaches to managing diseases associated with obesity.

The project will also incorporate a dissemination programme, including conferences and workshops, the first of which is planned for policy makers, research funders, EU officials and journalists, in London, in December 2004.

Further details about the EU-funded research under the 6th framework programme are available on the project website​.

In June this year the European Commission said it had earmarked €192 million for food quality and safety research in the second year of the EU's sixth framework programme for research 2002-2006.

The funds are tipped to go to 31 research projects and "networks of excellence" and 13 smaller support actions to tackle issues such as traceability, contaminants in food, emerging pathogens, diseases affecting animals and crops, food allergy, obesity and various aspects of nutrition.