Projects

Leading institution: Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade

The project focused on trans fatty acids (TFA) content, especially in traditional food in Serbia and Slovenia, and the assessment of TFA dietary intake. The primary goal of the project was promoting general health, because there are convincing data that TFA intake is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Teamwork, training, and mutual visits contributed to connecting young scientists with the aim of knowledge transfer. Determination of TFA by analytical methods, standardization of portion sizes, and application of software contributed to the harmonization of dietary intake assessment in both countries. Selection of foods and complex dishes with higher TMK content, recommendations, and constant media education can have a beneficial health effect on our population. The results of the project were published in an international journal doi:10.21101/cejph.a5928 and presented at international meetings.

Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases can be prevented, delayed or reduced by improving our eating habits. Increasing the consumption of plant foods rich in a range of compounds with potential beneficial effects (‘bioactive compounds’) is an important strategy to fight these chronic diseases. However, the translation of many promising preclinical results into human clinical trials has so far proven challenging mostly due to the large heterogeneity in individuals’ responsiveness to the intake of these compounds. Building a European multidisciplinary network, POSITIVe specifically addressed this issue by tackling: 1) the between-subjects variability in human absorption and metabolism of these compounds (working group, WG1); 2) the variability in the response (bioactivity) of humans to the intake of these compounds (WG2) and 3) the translation of the results from WG1 and WG2 into applications relevant to the scientific community, food industry, public health regulatory authorities, and health care professionals.