Department of Nutrition
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components
The UNCG Nutrition Learning Laboratory: Public talks in Kannapolis in June 2008 (FREE) (pdf)
Registration form for talks (THESE ARE FREE, BUT YOU MUST REGISTER) (pdf)
Printable one page information sheet about The Center (pdf)
News Release: UNCG Announces Plans for Kannapolis Research Campus (pdf)
News Release: UNCG Opens Office in Kannapolis
General Information
The UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components is the UNCG program that is housed on the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC). The focus of research to be conducted in this Center will be cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of bioactive food components, to understand molecular targets for these dietary components and expand our fundamental understanding of their benefits to human health and wellness, healthy aging, and prevention of diseases such as cancer. The specific bioactive food components to be studied will be determined based on the interests and research of the Scientists in the Center, and the research teams they will develop. The bioactives to be studied may include components of blueberries, raspberries, and other berries (flavonoids like anthocyanins that may act as antioxidants), tomatoes (lycopene that may have anticancer properties), or red wine (resveratrol that may influence heart health). The UNCG Center will be housed in the UNC Nutrition Research Building at the NCRC in Kannapolis, NC which is about 70 miles southwest of Greensboro. This building is under construction and is scheduled to be completed in late Spring 2008. The Center is a satellite to the UNCG Department of Nutrition, School of Human Environmental Sciences on the UNCG main campus.
Contact Information:
Dr. Debbie Kipp, Chair, Dept. of Nutrition and
Interim Director of The Center
d_kipp@uncg.edu
phone: 336-334-5313
Mrs. Kelly Elliott, Administrative Manager
krelliot@uncg.edu
office location:
111 West Avenue
Kannapolis, NC 28081
phone: 704-250-5800
fax: 704-250-5809
Program Overview
The consumption of a nutritious diet promotes long-term health and reduction in risk for chronic disease. Certain constituents found in food are responsible for changes in health status. We expect that these constituents, bioactive food components, will provide insights into the role that diet plays in helping people live longer, healthier lives. The UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components will focus on fundamental research questions that enhance our basic understanding of the contribution of foods and their bioactive food components to health and prevention of disease.
What are Bioactive Food Components?
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), bioactive food components are “constituents in foods or dietary supplements, other than those needed to meet basic human nutritional needs, that are responsible for changes in health status.” Major sources of bioactive food components are plants, especially fruits and vegetables. Some foods that have become known for their bioactive food components include soy which contains isoflavones and phytoestrogens, red wine which contains resveratrol that may influence heart health, tomatoes which contain lycopene that may have anticancer properties, berries such as blueberries and raspberries which contain flavonoids like anthocyanins that may act as antioxidants, and green tea which contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) that may have anticancer properties.
Information about The North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC)
NCRC is a $1.5-billion, 350-acre developing public/private biotechnology-research hub focused on food and nutrition. This project is the brainchild of David H. Murdock, owner of Dole Foods and a onetime operator of the former textile mill located in Kannapolis that closed in 2003, leaving 4,800 people out of work. Kannapolis is a city of 39,000 about 30 miles northeast of Charlotte (and ~70 miles southwest of Greensboro). (www.ncresearchcampus.net)