Department of Nutrition
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components, located on the North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC
Information Sheet about the UNCG Center at NCRC (pdf)
News and Information
-"Unlocking secrets of Chinese medicine at NCRC" (article about Dr. Jia's research published in the Kannapolis Citizen and Reseacher)
-An -omics look at a Chinese Tea (pdf)
-UNCG press release: Center for Bioactive Food Components Investigates Melamine Toxicity
-UNCG press release: Eminent Researcher Named Co-Director of UNCG Bioactive Food Component Research Center
Program Overview
There is an increasing awareness of the impact that diet and metabolism have on our health status. The consumption of
a nutritious diet promotes long-term health and reduces the risk of chronic
disease. Certain constituents found in foods (such as fruits and vegetables)
and medicinal herbs (such as herbal teas) are responsible for changes
in health status. We expect that these bioactive components will provide
insights into the role that diet plays in helping people live longer, healthier
lives. Researchers at The UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive
Food Components are conducting research to identify and evaluate bioactive
ingredients from food, plants and traditional Chinese medicines for the
prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity,
and cancer. This research entails chemical and metabolic profiling of bioactive
components from a whole biological systems (metabolomics) approach.
Other research examines cellular and molecular mechanisms of bioactive
components, in order to address fundamental research questions that enhance
our basic understanding of the contribution of bioactive components to
human health and wellness, healthy aging, and disease prevention.
The UNCG Center is
housed in the UNC Nutrition Research Building at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, NC which
is about 70 miles southwest of Greensboro (and 30 miles northwest of city center Charlotte).
The Center is a satellite to the UNCG Department of Nutrition,
School of Human Environmental Sciences on the UNCG main campus.
Contact Information:
Dr. Wei Jia, Ph.D.
Professor and Co-Director of The UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components
office phone number: 704.250.5803
w_jia@uncg.edu
http://www.uncg.edu/ntr/facultyres/jia.html
Dr. Debbie Kipp, Ph.D., R.D.
Chair, Dept. of Nutrition and
Interim Co-Director of The UNCG Center for Research Excellence in Bioactive Food Components
office phone number: 704.250.5801 (NCRC), 336.256.0266 (UNCG)
d_kipp@uncg.edu
Ms. Eileen O'Flaherty
Administrative Support Associate
office phone number: 704.250.5810
efoflahe@uncg.edu
Office Address:
500 Laureate Way
Suite 4226
Kannapolis, NC 28081
general phone number: 704.250.5810
fax: 704.250.5809
http://www.uncg.edu/nutrition/ncrc
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 NCRC
NCRC is a $1.5-billion, 350-acre public/private biotechnology-research hub focused on food and nutrition. This project is the vision of David H. Murdock, owner of Dole Foods and former owner of the Kannapolis textile mill that closed in 2003. The campus will eventually include approximately one million square feet of office and laboratory space and 350,000 square feet of retail space, as well as townhomes, apartments, and parks. The public-private partnership is expected to eventually employ 5,000 researchers and their staff, and create up to 30,000 jobs. Kannapolis is a city of 39,000 about 30 miles northeast of Charlotte (and ~70 miles southwest of Greensboro) (www.ncresearchcampus.net).