We do research on food, nutrition, and health, within a societal and cultural perspective.
The largest public health challenge in the world today is unhealthy diets leading to the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
The diet of different population groups is influenced by political, social, and cultural factors.
The overall goal of the research group is to contribute with knowledge that helps to promote a healthy and sustainable diet, prevent nutrition-related diseases, and reduce social health inequalities.
Our research supports the Sustainable Development Goals and national public health goals and has both a national and global perspective.
The group belongs to the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Head of research group
Members
More about the research group
More specifically, the research group is involved in projects that investigate:
- The relationship between food and health at a molecular biological level. Such knowledge lays the foundation for the development of dietary advice.
- The mechanisms behind the development of NCDs and identification of biomarkers for dietary intake and health.
- Prevalence, causes and consequences of nutritional problems in different population groups.
- Design and evaluation of programmes and interventions in various arenas (eg kindergartens, schools and health stations) that take into account the needs of vulnerable groups and contribute to reducing social inequalities in health.
- How food and nutrition policy is designed and implemented.
- How knowledge about a sustainable and healthy diet is communicated at different levels and to different groups in society.
- How to improve nutritional competence among health personnel using digital teaching methods.
The group is associated with two master's specializations in nutrition that are part of the Master's in Health Sciences: Public Health Nutrition and Nutrition Competencies for Health Professionals.
The group has a broad approach to nutrition research that includes methods in molecular biology, dietary intervention studies, nutrition epidemiology, nutrition communication, food sociology and food culture, intervention research and policy research, in addition to research in teaching methods.
We apply quantitative and qualitative methods as well as research in the laboratory.
The research group collaborates with a number of Norwegian and international institutions.
Projects
- Diet, gut microbiota and metabolic regulation
- Digitalisation of student activity through group work (Digigroups)
- Effect of fiber-rich cereal products on metabolic regulation in people with gut symptoms or coeliac disease
- Food security among refugees and asylum seekers in Norway
- Iodine status in different population groups
- Policy Evaluation Network (PEN) – Public policies addressing health-related behaviours in Europe
- Pregnant plus
- Determinants of Diet and Physical activity: Knowledge hub to integrate and develop infrastructure for research across Europe
- EATWELL: A Comparative Material-Semiotic Ethnography of Food Systems and More-than-Human Health in Bhutan (eatwell-bhutan.net)
- NewTools: Developing tools for food system transformation, including food summary scores for nutrition and sustainability (app.cristin.no)
Partner institutions
Norwegian universities and colleges
- University of Agder
- University of Bergen
- University of Oslo
- University of South-Eastern Norway
- VID Specialized University
- Østfold University College
International universities
- Cornell University, USA
- Edith Cowan University, Australia
- Monash University, Australia
- University of Auckland, New Zealand
- University of California Davis, USA
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- University of Eastern Finland Cupio
- University of Giessen, Germany
- University of Iceland
- Uppsala University, Sweeden
Research institutions
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research (ACPIR)
- Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Nofima
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Health trusts
- Innlandet Hospital Trust
- Oslo University Hospital
Industry
- Genetic Analyses (GA)
- Mesterbakeren (Norwegian bakery chain)
- Mills (Norwegian food brand)
- Tine (Norwegian food brand)
Stakeholders
- Det glutenfrie verksted (Norwegian company selling gluten free products)
- The Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI)
- Oslo Municipality
- Salvation Army
- Norwegian Coeliac Association (NCF)
- Olympic Seafood
- Fremtidsmat (Future Food)
Selected publications
- Adequate vitamin B12 and folate status of Norwegian vegans and vegetarians. Henjum, Groufh-Jacobsen, Lindsay, Raael, Israelsson, Shahab-Ferdows, and Hampel.
- Adherence to the Norwegian dietary recommendations in a multi-ethnic pregnant population prior to being diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus. Garnweidner-Holme, Torheim, Henriksen, Borgen, Holmelid, and Lukasse.
- A Scoping Review of Facilitators of Multi-Professional Collaboration in Primary Care. Sørensen, Stenberg, and Garnweidner-Holme.
- Beneficial effect on serum cholesterol levels, but not glycaemic regulation, after replacing SFA with PUFA for 3 d: a randomised crossover trial.
- Facilitators and barriers to healthy food selection at children’s sports arenas in Norway: a qualitative study among club managers and parents.
- Fish oil supplementation induces expression of genes related to cell cycle, endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells: a transcriptomic approach.
- Incident type 2 diabetes attributable to suboptimal diet in 184 countries. O'Hearn, Lara-Castor, Cudhea, Miller, Reedy, Shi, Zhang, Wong, Economos, Micha, and Mozaffarian.
- Is iodine intake adequate in Norway?. Henjum, Abel, Meltzer, Dahl, Alexander, Torheim, and Brantsæter.
- Nutrient intake and environmental enteric dysfunction among Nepalese children 9-24 months old – the MAL-ED birth cohort study.
- Policy implementation and priorities to create healthy food environments using the Healthy Food Environment Policy Index (Food-EPI): A pooled level analysis across eleven European countries (sciencedirect.com).
