Centre for Nutritional Studies

 

School of Public Health & Primary Care

Faculty of Medicine

 The Chinese University of Hong Kong

 

Director: Prof Jean Woo

MA MD (Cantab) MD BChir, FRCP(Lond), FRCP(Edin), FRACP, FHKAM(Medicine), FFPH

Professor of Medicine

Head, Division of Geriatrics

Department of Medicine & Therapeutics

 

Manager: Prof Mandy Sea

BSc, MPhil, PhD

Centre Manager & Principal Nutritionist

Centre for Nutritional Studies

 

 

History

 

 

Mission

 

 

Vision

 

 

Current projects

 

 

Research grants and donations

 

 

Services

 

  Community Services

 

  Public Services

 

 

Events

 

 

Recent representative publications

 

 

 

 

History

 

The Centre for Nutritional Studies was established for 12 years.  It represents a successful inter-faculty and inter-departmental collaborative group studying various aspects of nutrition in children, adults and the elderly, in the community as well as hospitals and long term residential care.  The stimulus to the formation of the Centre was the award of the US Bristol-Myers Squibb Mead Johnson Unrestricted Grant in Nutrition for 5 years in 1997.

 

Apart from members obtaining competitive grants to carry out research, the Centre has successfully developed a social enterprise model to become self-sustainable in translating an effective lifestyle modification programme developed and evaluated as a research project, into a public service.  This allowed continuous support of various research staff and projects on a regular basis to complement specific projects supported by competitive grants.

 

  

 

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Mission

Ÿ            To conduct research in nutrition, particularly in areas of concern in this region, covering the role of nutrition in the prevention of diseases, and nutritional aspects of acute and chronic diseases

Ÿ            To promote awareness of the importance nutrition among health care workers and the public

Ÿ            To interact with similar organizations in other countries, particularly the Asian Pacific

 

 

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Vision

To apply the scientific founding to daily life of the public (e.g. weight management and nutritional advice to prevent chronic diseases) and to train the healthcare professionals on the relationship between nutrition and health

 

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Current projects

 


1.

The investigation of parental attitude / belief, knowledge and practice on infant and young child feeding in Hong Kong, collaboration with Family Health Service of the Department of Health, and the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

2.

The association of food group intake and bone loss in elderly Chinese population.

3.

Glycemic index and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

4.

Lifestyle risk factors for colorectal cancer.

 

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Research grants and donations

 


2009-11

Health and Health Services Research Fund

Prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and advanced liver fibrosis in Hong Kong – A cross-sectional population study using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and transient elastography

 

2009-11

SK Yee Medical Foundation

Healthy ageing through empowerment

 

2007-08 

MSD

A Phase IIa randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to study the efficacy and safety of MK-0773 in patients with sarcopenia

 

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Services

 

Community Services

 

1.

Provision of Nutritional services to the Tung Wah Enhanced Home and Community Care Services

 

2.

Dietetic advice for local and overseas nursing homes

 

3.

Dietetic advice for Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing

 


Low salt cooking competition (July 2006)

   


 

Anti-hypertension campaign

 


Supermarket Tour

 

 

Healthy cooking demonstration

 

 

Cadenza: Eating healthily and happily (26 April, 2009)

 

 

Childhood sport classes

 

 

 


   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public Services

 

In 2002, our centre aims for letting the public can use our dietetic services for improving their health by running lifestyle modification programme (LMP) which is based on the scientific findings and experience. LMP has been run for 7 years and there were about 7000 people used our service.

 

For details please visit

http://www.sph.cuhk.edu.hk/cns/cns_index.htm

 

 

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Events

 

 

Symposium

10th Anniversary Symposium of Centre for Nutritional Studies in conjunction with the Annual Symposium of the School of Public Health: New Horizons in Nutrition & Public Health (co-organized with Chinese Nutrition Society, Food and Nutritional Sciences Programme, the Nethersole School of Nursing and the Hong Kong Epidemiological Association) in 2007

 

  

  

 

 

Press conference

 

Dining-Out will Increase the Risk of Overweight (17 Mar, 2008)

 

 

 

 

Factors that Reduce the Risk of Rebound Weight Gain (21 Jul, 2009)

 

 

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Recent representative publications

 

1.

Chan R, Lok K, Woo JProstate cancer and vegetable consumption.  Mol Nutr Food Res 2009; 53: 201-216.

 

2.

Woo J, Kwok T, Leung J, Tang N.  Dietary intake, blood pressure and osteoporosis.  J of Human Hypertension 2009; 23: 451-455.

 

3.

Chan RSM, Woo J, Chan DCC, Lo DHS, Cheung CSK.  Bone mineral status and its relation with dietary estimates of net endogenous acid production in Hong Kong Chinese adolescents.  British Journal of Nutrition 2008; 100: 1283-1290.

 

4.

Wang AYM, Lam CWK, Sanderson JE, Wang M, Chan HIS, Lui SF, Sea MMM, Woo J.  Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status and cardiovascular outcomes in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients: a 3-y prospective cohort study.  Am J Clin Nutr 2008; 87: 1631-8.

 

5.

Woo J, Cheung B, Ho S, Sham A, Lam TH.  Influence of dietary pattern on the development of overweight in a Chinese population.  Eur J Clin Nutr 2008; 62: 480-487.

 

6.

Chan RSM, Woo J, Chan DCC, Cheung CSK, Lo DHS.  Estimated net endogenous acid production and intake of bone health-related nutrients in Hong Kong Chinese adolescentsEur J Clin Nutr 2009; 63(4): 505-12.

 

7.

Woo J, Lam CWK, Leung J, Lau WY, Lau E, Ling X, Xing XP, Zhao XH, Skeaff CM, Bacon CJ, Rockell JEP, Lambert A, Whiting SJ, Green TJ.  Very high rates of vitamin D insufficiency in women of child-bearing age living in Beijing and Hong Kong.  Br J Nutr 2008; 99(6): 1330-1334.

 

8.

Zhang XH, Woo J, Heller RF. Increasing dietary fish intake has contributed to decreasing mortality from CHD among the older population in Hong Kong.  Public Health Nutr 2009; 12(8): 1248-53.

 

 

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