Health, Wellness and Society Conference

I intend to submit an abstract to a definitive Health, Wellness and Society Conference, the site also contains an excellent knowledge resource.

I DID submit! http://w11.cgpublisher.com/proposals/106

I have also been asked to join the scientific advisory board for the conference and journal.

The paper was accepted


Sickle Cell and Nutritional Health: Can the Type of Food We Eat Help to Reduce the Sickle Cell Crisis? A Discussion About Access to Food Versus Supplementation
n.

In the UK most people with sickle cell are directed to take a supplementation of folic acid (usually 5mg daily). Folic acid is required by people who have sickle cell disease to help prevent anaemia that may be caused by the sickle red blood cells.

In a previous study (in press) we have demonstrated that 0.2mg of folic acid supplementation produced an increase in plasma folate status (5-meTHF) and a reduction in plasma homocysteine (tHcy - which is also associated with elevated risk of vascular disease and stroke). In the same study we also observed a comparable response in volunteers who had eaten food and drink equivalent to a 0.2mg folic acid supplement tablet for 12 weeks.

However, little is known about the nutrient profile of foods traditionally eaten by the UK African and Caribbean communities, or indeed what types of foods are being consumed. These communities are also more prevalent in the most deprived areas and have poor access to fresh fruit and vegetables.

Aims: To measure the folic acid content of key foods consumed in the UK and to map price and access in social deprived areas.

Results: We have measured that a 500 mL glass of fresh orange juice provides 0.13 mg folic acid and are now measuring levels in other food such as malt beer, yam, pomegranate, plantain, cherry cordial and a nutritional sickle cell product from Costa Rica. We have mapped local areas (food deserts) and food price and worked with 3rd sector community groups to create a cookbook. Additional results to be presented at a later stage.

Summary: Taken in parallel to folic acid supplements, the consumption of traditionally African and Caribbean foods, some of which are naturally high in folic acid, may be beneficial to people with sickle cell. However, the knowledge of such foods and access to them by the local community is restricted and thus wider policy may need to be addressed.

Keywords: Food Distribution, Food Accessibility, Community Food Security, Community Food Health, Nutrient Data Collection and Analysis, Ethnic Foods, Vitamin Supplementation / Fortification
Stream: A Healthy Society
Presentation Type: Virtual Presentation in English
Paper: A paper has not yet been submitted.


Dr. Graham Basten

Associate of School, School of Allied Health Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University
Leicester, Leicestershire, UK
I hold a doctorate (Ph.D.) from the UK Government's Institute of Food Research (http://tiny.cc/fios9) and over ten year's post doctoral research experience in nutrition and health from cells (molecular biology and cell culture), to physiological markers, to dietary data collection and implementation of policy (UK Food Standards Agency). I am currently particularly interested in the interface between clinical science and the application of these findings with target stakeholders. Hence, recent meetings with the UK NHS, charities and local and national government authorities and councils as well as Pepsi (health and wellness reformulation programme. My main interest is football (soccer) but don't mention the world cup!

Ref: W11P0106

DMU RIF Impact Output

I presented two invited oral presentations and DMU's Sickle Cell Conference

Sickle cell and nutrition:

Can the type of food we eat help to reduce the sickle cell crisis?

A discussion about food versus folic acid supplement.

Background: In the UK most people with sickle cell are directed to take a supplementation of folic acid (usually 5mg daily). Folic acid is required by people who have sickle cell disease to help prevent anaemia that may be caused by the sickle red blood cells.

In a previous study (in press) we have demonstrated that 0.2mg of folic acid supplementation produced an increase in plasma folate status (5-meTHF) and a reduction in plasma homocysteine (tHcy - which is also associated with elevated risk of vascular disease and stroke). In the same study we also observed a comparable response in volunteers who had eaten food and drink equivalent to a 0.2mg folic acid supplement tablet for 12 weeks.

However, little is know is known about the nutrient profile of foods traditionally eaten by the UK African and Caribbean communities.

Aim: To measure the folic acid content of key foods consumed in the UK.

Results: We have measured that a 500 mL glass of fresh orange juice provides 0.13 mg folic acid and are now measuring levels in other food such as malt beer, yam, pomegranate, cherry cordial and a nutritional sickle cell product from Costa Rica. Additional results to be presented at a later stage.

Summary: Taken in parallel to folic acid supplements, the consumption of traditionally African and Caribbean foods, some of which are naturally high in folic acid, may be beneficial to people with sickle cell.

Dr. Graham Basten, De Montfort University, Associate Head of School, School of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Health & Life Sciences,

Sickle cell and nutrition:

Can the type of food we eat help to reduce the sickle cell crisis?

An Invitation to participate in research

Introduction: Little is know about the accurate dietary intake patterns of people in the UK with sickle cell disease. Researchers at De Montfort University are interested in the link between food intake and sickle cell disease and need to find out more about what people with sickle eat. They would like to recruit people with sickle cell (exclusions apply) to complete a food intake study in order to assess the nutrient profile of people reporting sickle cell anaemia.

Aim: To identify the nutrient profile of people with sickle cell disease using validated food frequency techniques.

Protocol: The study will have been approved by the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee at De Montfort University, Leicester. An Advisory Group has been established comprising one person with sickle cell and two representatives from local sickle cell support groups. All researchers who will have contact with people with sickle cell as research participants will have been cleared by the enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks for working with young people.

The research will entail an initial interview about food intake on day one and depending on participant choice either contact by the researchers by phone/email or text on six subsequent days to record food intake or the participant taking away a week’s food diary in paper booklet format, completing it for each of six subsequent days and returning it by pre-paid post to the researchers.

Exclusion criteria will include cases where the person does not give informed consent (and where the person is 15 or under, where the carer does not give informed consent and the person does not give assent).

Conclusion: The results from the study will allow for planning of a larger UK and US study, to provide information about typical foods consumed and to test these for nutrient profile and finally to allow the planning of a diet based intervention for sickle cell study.

Best Thinking

I now also have a page on Best Thinking

DMU RIF / AHS Staff Development

June 17th and 18th I will be at King's College Sickle in Focus Conference

DMU RIF - Meeting with Nottingham City Council

I met today with Sharan Jones (Health and Wellbeing Manager) at Nottingham City Council. In a very productive meeting we discussed health and inequality in Nottingham and Europe.

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF) Project Outcome

The funding from the DMU RIF allowed the purchase of a Laptop and PDF reader which enabled me to meet with growers literally in the field!

I met with Fresh Gro and agreed a partnership of work and future collaboration. Starting in autumn 2010 we expect to start using undergraduate honours projects as pilot for new nutrition studies.

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF) Project Outcome

Funding from the DMU RIF allowed Simon Dyson and I to visit NHS consultants Baba Inusa
and Jo Howard to discuss a collaboration and a series of projects using the trial equipment from the RIF. This has resulted in a significant AMR Bid with more work to follow.

The RIF funding as paralleled the staff development from the School of Allied Health to enable me to visit the Sickle Cell In Focus conference.

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF) Project Outcome

Funded by the DMU RIF I have had meetings with the Clinical Leads in charge of the new build at King's Mill Hospital.

In productive meetings we established a good partnership for future for our Healthy Building Design projects.

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF) Project Outcome

The DMU RIF has allowed me to liaise in partnership with OSCAR Nottingham, a sickle cell charity.

As an impact to the RIF funding with additional guidance and support from me they have since secured funding from One Nottingham, Sport Relief and the partnership has been nominated for a cultural change award.

The partnership has secured 3rd sector impact in future food and nutrition work and has raised the profile of DMU in Nottingham.

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF) Project Outcome

The RIF also funded the purchase of Adobe Captivate and Sony Sound Stage to allow video capture of PC based tasks and to create audio pod casts.

These have been used with the purchase of video equipment to allow volunteers to rapidly follow complex instructions when taken part in diet based trials.

Further examples and clips to follow!

Please contact me if you want to more about this work.

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF) Project Outcome

The DMU RIF funded the purchase of video devices which was then used to record a typical meal, which was then analysed using Microdiet (DMU staff and collaborative partners can see the footage if you e-mail me as this will go to publication).

The success of this trial has allowed an Action Medical Research Bid which has progressed to final stage.

The following is an example report.

Downlee Systems Limited
Downlee Lodge, Bankhall Drive
Chapel-en-le-Frith
High Peak SK23 9UB


07/06/2010

Food List
Code Food Name Quantity Grams

Day 1
Breakfast
11490 Corn Flakes 24.0 g
12315 Whole milk, average 1.0 med glass ( 200.0g)
17063 Sugar, white 1.0 heaped tsp ( 6.0g)
17175 Cola 1.0 std. can ( 330.0g)

Mid-morning snack
11475 White bread, toasted 2.0 LgThkSlice ( 68.0g)
17485 Butter 1.0 medium por ( 10.0g)
17073 Jam, fruit with edible seeds 1.0 level tsp ( 8.0g)
11512 Digestive biscuits, chocolate 1.0 medium por ( 15.0g)

Lunch
17506 Beer, bitter, average 1.0 large can ( 444.0g)
14284 Orange juice concentrate, unsweetened 1.0 medium por ( 50.0g)
11506 Chocolate biscuits, full coated 1.0 medium por ( 20.0g)
12387 Ice cream, dairy, vanilla 1.0 medium por ( 40.0g)
5-272 Ice cream wafers 1.0 each ( 2.0g)
17377 Water, distilled 1.0 medium por ( 200.0g)

Dinner
18307 Chicken, breast, casseroled, meat only 1.0 small por ( 100.0g)
17298 Curry sauce, canned 1.0 medium por ( 150.0g)
5-661 New potatoes, boiled in unsalted water 1.0 medium por ( 175.0g)
11463 Naan bread 1.0 medium por ( 160.0g)
11620 Savoury rice, cooked 1.0 medium por ( 180.0g)
15232 Pakora/bhajia, vegetable, retail 1.0 medium por ( 60.0g)
17342 Chutney, mango, oily 1.0 teaspoon ( 10.0g)
17377 Water, distilled 1.0 medium por ( 200.0g)
17175 Cola 1.0 std. can ( 330.0g)

Evening snack
17230 White wine, dry 1.0 glass ( 125.0g)
12389 Lollies, with real fruit juice 1.0 medium ( 60.0g)


Grams Total 2967.0 g





Nutrient totals

Nutrient Amount

Water 2347.72 g *
Total Nitrogen 12.76 g
Protein 77.14 g
Fat 71.55 g
Carbohydrate 416.91 g
Energy kcal 2686.46
Total Sugars 183.11 g
Total Saturates 23.29 g #
Total Monounsaturate 22.83 g #
Total Polyunsaturate 10.76 g #
Non-starch Polysacch 12.31 g *#
Sodium 4527.73 mg

* : Approximate nutrient values used for some food(s)
# : Unknown values for some food(s) treated as zero

Blood folate status and expression of proteins involved in immune function, inflammation, and coagulation:

New paper published:

Blood folate status and expression of proteins involved in immune function, inflammation, and coagulation: biochemical and proteomic changes in the plasma of humans in response to long-term synthetic folic acid supplementation.

The prevalence of Fusobacterium necrophorum in persistent sore throat swabs: a screening method that is hard to swallow?

The prevalence of Fusobacterium necrophorum in persistent sore throat swabs: a screening method that is hard to swallow?

Submitted for publication in the British Journal of Biomedical Science as a Biomedical Science in Brief Article

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF)

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF)
I have secured two RIF grants from DMU (<£20k), one to look at healthy building design and one to look at food and nutrition.

Healthy building design

Introduction:

To allow research workshops and activities to discuss the effect of the NHS / Medical building design and engineering on acute and long-term health, and will be encompassed in two themes.

Theme one examines the effect of the clinical built environment on reliable data collection. NHS strategies Point of Care testing, Choices, and creation of primary care holders encourages more clinical measurements to be taken in a variety of settings. Co-driving this is modern technology which allows sensitive clinical measures to be made in non-conventional settings (for example at home or in supermarket car parks). However, the effect of the built environment on these measures is unclear.
Theme two examines the long-term health effects of poor building design and engineering using the latest research from cross disciplines.

Food and nutrition

Introduction:

The food and nutrition cluster at HLS faculty has an established and evolving international reputation for academic research in food and human nutrition. The cluster offers dynamic research across a wide cross-section of activities from pure, applied, NHS, e-learning and social sciences.

1) This project will identify key areas and groupings within the cluster and foster a food and nutrition research culture conducive to grant submissions

2) Specifically, it will allow further development and collaborative workshops and meetings between the NHS, Graham Basten and Simon Dyson to address the issue of clinical, nutritional and social aspects of Sickle Cell Disease.

Revolving Investment Fund (RIF)

I have secured two RIF grants from DMU (<£20k), one to look at healthy building design and one to look at food and nutrition.

Healthy building design

Introduction:

To allow research workshops and activities to discuss the effect of the NHS / Medical building design and engineering on acute and long-term health, and will be encompassed in two themes.

Theme one examines the effect of the clinical built environment on reliable data collection. NHS strategies Point of Care testing, Choices, and creation of primary care holders encourages more clinical measurements to be taken in a variety of settings. Co-driving this is modern technology which allows sensitive clinical measures to be made in non-conventional settings (for example at home or in supermarket car parks). However, the effect of the built environment on these measures is unclear.

Theme two examines the long-term health effects of poor building design and engineering using the latest research from cross disciplines.

Food and nutrition

Introduction:

The food and nutrition cluster at HLS faculty has an established and evolving international reputation for academic research in food and human nutrition. The cluster offers dynamic research across a wide cross-section of activities from pure, applied, NHS, e-learning and social sciences.

1) This project will identify key areas and groupings within the cluster and foster a food and nutrition research culture conducive to grant submissions

2) Specifically, it will allow further development and collaborative workshops and meetings between the NHS, Graham Basten and Simon Dyson to address the issue of clinical, nutritional and social aspects of Sickle Cell Disease.

My research at DMU

The following summarises my research activity as part of the strategy of the faculty of health and life sciences and the School of Allied Health Sciences:

Qualifications: PhD, BSc (Hons. Sand.)

Research Interests

• Diet and health based human intervention trials
• Sickle Cell Anaemia and Diet
• Ethnicity and the health paradox
• Diet, pregnancy and infant health
• Folic Acid: Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease – clinical blood results, biomarkers and physiological measurements
• Induction of phase-II detoxification enzymes by cruciferous vegetables: Glucosinolates, super broccoli and cancer
• Clinical chemistry method development

Recent Publications

• Basten, G.P., Duthie, S.J., Pirie, L., Hill, M.H., Powers, H.J, Sensitivity of markers of DNA stability and DNA repair activity to folate supplementation in healthy volunteers. British Journal Of Cancer 2006, 94, 1942-1947.
• Basten, G.P., Hill, M.H., Duthie, S.J, Powers, H.J., Effect of Folic Acid Supplementation on the Folate Status of Buccal Mucosa and Lymphocytes, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers 2004; 13, 7.
• Narayanan, S., McConnell, J., Little, J., Sharp, L., Piyathilake, C.J., Powers, H., Basten, G., Duthie, S.J., Associations between Two common variants C677T and A1298C in the Methylenetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene and Measures of Folate Metabolism and DNA Stability (Strand Breaks, Misincorporated Uracil and DNA Methylation Status) in Human Lympocytes In Vivo, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers & Prevention, 2004, 13, 1436-1443
• Basten, G.P., Y, Bao., Williamson, G., Sulforaphane and its glutathione conjugate but not sulforaphane nitrile induce UDP-glucuronosyl transferase (UGT1A1) and glutathione transferase (GSTA1) in cultured cells. Carcinogenesis 2002 Vol. 23, 8, 1399-1404.

Projects

• Assessment of the dietary intake of ethnic populations in Leicester using 24 hour recall and 7 day food diaries.
• Food fortification vs supplements and the nutrient contents of various food and drinks.
• Antioxidant capacity of generic ethnic ingredients and dishes.
• Role of phytochemicals in cancer and heart disease.

Esteem/Professional Contribution

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Senior Fellow Award Panel Judge for the HEA
• Grant review expert for the BBSRC AgriFood Committee
• Member of Health and Wellbeing Nutrition Advisory panel for PEPSICO
• University Representative for the Society of Biology
• Member of The Institute of Biomedical Science
• Member of The Phytochemical Society of Europe