Area of Research, Research Lines, and Faculty
Area of Research: Nutrition and Health
Description:
The Graduate Program in Nutrition (PPGN) has a research area titled “Nutrition and Health.” Its goal is to educate innovative and solution-oriented researchers who generate knowledge in an interdisciplinary area involving Food, Nutrition, and Health. The Program also aims to provide academic training with an emphasis on the creation, development, and dissemination of scientific knowledge—particularly through the publication of scientific articles in high-impact journals, preparing qualified professionals for Graduate Education and research in this field of knowledge. These objectives align with the concepts of multidisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity, and interdisciplinarity, with studies involving the following knowledge cores: Basic and Experimental Nutrition; Clinical Nutrition; Epidemiology and Food and Nutrition Policies; and Foods and Collective Nutrition.
Research Line I: Nutritional Diagnosis and Intervention in Communities
Description: This research line includes: (a) epidemiological studies on nutritional status in populations with different socio-cultural and demographic characteristics at various stages of life, (b) epidemiological studies on risk factors and precursors of obesity and chronic diseases in adolescence and adulthood, (c) evaluations of food and nutrition policies and programs.
Research Line II: Dietary and Biochemical Studies Related to Nutritional Status
Description: This research line includes experimental and clinical studies with healthy or ill individuals, involving: (a) the nutritional composition of local and functional foods, (b) the metabolic effects of bioactive compounds, diets, and/or foods, (c) the relationship between oxidative stress and inflammation with food intake, and (d) the analysis of methods that assess nutritional status.
Research Line III: Nutrition in Meal Production and Eating Behavior
Description: This research line includes studies: (a) in Nutrition in food services, considering the evaluation and proposal of quality systems (nutritional, sensory, sanitary, regulatory, symbolic, and sustainability) in commercial and collective food services, serving diverse populations; (b) on the diagnosis of food consumption, diet quality, consumer perception, and food safety; (c) on the evaluation of food and nutrition policies and programs related to these themes.