Approved Research

Exploring the associations between diet quality and population health: Observational evidence from the UK Biobank cohort

Lay summary

Scientific rationale: The average age of the UK population is increasing and, as a result, the UK is experiencing high rates of age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease, dementia, and certain types of cancer.  In addition, older adults are at increased risk of poor oral (mouth) health, which is a key risk factor for poor systemic (whole body) health.  Identifying ways to help reduce disease risk and improve health across the life course is very important to help reduce burden on our National Health Service and wider economy.  What we eat can play a key role in determining our oral (mouth) and systemic (whole body) health, but more research is needed to identify the specific aspects of our diet which protect against poor health and disease. 

Aims: This project aims to identify how different components of our diet (for example, which foods or nutrients we consume) influence our health.  We are particularly interested in how our diet influences our oral (mouth), cardiovascular (heart), and brain health, and whether improving oral health can have benefits on other parts of the body such as our brain and heart health.  We also aim to identify whether all individuals respond in a similar way to different diets, or whether there are certain individuals or groups of people who might benefit more from different dietary changes. 

Project duration: 3 years

Public health impact: The findings of this project will help identify specific nutrients, foods or whole dietary (dietary pattern) changes which could be recommended in policy, public health settings and clinical practice to help reduce the risk of age-related diseases and minimise burden on the National Health Service.  The results will provide new insight into the role of the diet on oral health and the potential impacts that improving oral health could have on systemic (whole body) health.