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Representing one of the most important lifestyle factors, diet can strongly influence the incidence of cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative diseases and thus a healthy diet is crucial for healthy ageing. Various bioactive constituents of certain foods and beverages, in particular a class of compounds called flavonoids, have generated interest over the last few years. Recent dietary intervention studies, in particular those using wine, tea, cocoa or blueberries, have begun to demonstrate beneficial effects on the function of blood vessels and on mental performance. While such foods and beverages differ greatly in chemical composition, nutrient content and calories per serving, they have in common that they are amongst the major dietary sources of two groups of flavonoids known as anthocyanins and flavanols. Dietary supplementation studies in humans and animal models using foods or extracts rich in these flavonoids have indicated that they possess an ability to enhance memory and learning. It is thought that they may do this by 1) protecting vulnerable brain cells, 2) enhancing existing brain cell function, 3) stimulating brain cell regeneration, or 4) triggering the growth of new brain cells and/or new blood vessels. Building on existing human and animal work conducted in our laboratory, this multidisciplinary study is designed to determine how specific flavonoids may enhance memory and learning by focussing on their potential to stimulate the growth of new neurons and blood vessels, and the molecular events which determine these changes. The study will also provide crucial information on the ability of flavonoid-rich foods to produce improvements in memory and learning in human older adults using both behavioural and state-of-the-art, brain imaging (fMRI) techniques. The outcomes of this proposal have implications for exploiting the potential beneficial health effects of flavonoid components of the diet, particularly with relation to counteracting the decline in human learning and memory which is associated with normal and abnormal ageing. If we are able to determine which flavonoids are the most beneficial, and how and where they work in the brain, this will help us develop future strategies to maximise these dietary agents in our foods, for example, by developing plants or novel functional food products with high levels of specific flavonoids. In addition, specific dietary advice on food consumption will be improved, as will guidelines to prevent the indiscriminate marketing of food supplements on the basis of putative protective effects. The proposal will broaden understanding of the role that diet plays in the prevention of human brain ageing and the enhancement of a range of cognitive abilities (e.g., spatial memory, long-term memory). The study will also provide the background for new and promising preventive treatments for tackling cognitive decline. The results of this study therefore have important implications for an ageing population where an increase in healthy ageing is greatly desired. Moreover, the potential benefits in terms of quality of life are relevant to the population as a whole, as are the potential savings in health care costs.

Representing one of the most important lifestyle factors, diet can strongly influence the incidence of cardiovascular disease and thus a healthy diet is crucial for healthy ageing. Recent dietary intervention studies, in particular those using wine, tea and cocoa, have demonstrated beneficial effects on reducing cardiovascular disease risk, including an ability to lower blood pressure and to prevent blood vessel ageing. While such foods and beverages differ greatly in chemical composition, nutrient content and calories per serving, they have in common that they are amongst the major dietary sources of a group of plant compounds known as flavanols. The beneficial effects of flavanols have been attributed to their potential to be absorbed into the blood and to exert direct actions on blood vessels. Whilst flavanol-rich foods can be regarded as being protective against cardiovascular disease, the content of active flavanols is significantly reduced during industrial processing. This is because during heating and storage, the flavanols react with to varying degrees with sugars to form new products known as flavanol-Maillard conjugates. At present, information regarding the absorption of these new conjugates and whether they possess similar beneficial properties to native flavanols is lacking. This proposal is designed to address these questions and to unravel the significance of industrial food processing on their inherent health properties. On completion of the proposal, we will be in an excellent position to advise manufacturers of flavanol-rich foods on the best processing conditions required to produce foods with optimum beneficial cardiovascular effects. Building on existing human work conducted in our laboratory, this multidisciplinary study is designed to: 1) investigate the formation of flavanol-Maillard products during the processing of a common flavanol-rich food, namely cocoa; 2) determine the fate of these compounds in the human stomach, small intestine and large intestine; and 3) assess their ability to exert beneficial effects human cells. The first objective will inform us of the major flavanol-Maillard conjugates formed in the flavanol-rich foods during the processing, in this case heating of the cocoa beans during roasting. Although we will study cocoa, heat processing is relevant to many other flavanol rich-foods and therefore will have wider relevance. Secondly, we will examine the absorption of these conjugates, along with native flavanols by feeding processed cocoa to human and measuring them in blood. This will tell us whether heat processing reduces the absorption of native flavanols and also whether the flavanol-Maillard conjugates are absorbed by humans. We will also investigate their metabolism in the large intestine and whether they have a beneficial effect on the balance of the gut microflora, akin to changes seen with pre-biotic functional foods. Lastly, we will examine the beneficial effects of the conjugates in cellular models of human colon cancer and cardiovascular disease using state-of-the-art molecular techniques. We predict that this proposal will help determine the optimum industrial processing conditions required to generate flavanol-rich foods capable of exerting the strongest cardiovascular protection. It will inform both industry and the consumer and will help us develop future strategies to maximise flavanols in our foods. The proposal will broaden understanding of the role that diet plays in the prevention of cardiovascular disease and will help provide evidence for new and promising dietary strategies for tackling cardiovascular disease. The results of this study therefore have important implications for an ageing population where an improvement in healthy ageing is greatly desired. Moreover, the potential benefits in terms of quality of life are relevant to the population as a whole, as are the potential savings in health care costs.

Sharing Cities has four key objectives. 1) To achieve scale in the European smart cities market by proving that properly designed smart city solutions, based around common needs, can be integrated in complex urban environments. This will be done in a way that exhibits their true potential and allows for the significant scale-up and consequent increase in social, economic and environmental value. 2) Adopt a digital first approach which proves the extent to which ICT integration can improve and connect up existing infrastructure, as well as the design and running of new city infrastructure. This will also allow for the creation of a new set of next stage digital services which will help citizens make better and beneficial choices around energy efficiency and mobility, which when scaled up will enhance the city’s ability to hit key targets for mobility, housing, energy efficiency and resilience, and economic development. 3) Accelerate the market to understand, develop and trial business, investment and governance models, essential for the true aggregation and replication (through collaboration) of smart city solutions in cities of different sizes and maturities. In doing this, we intend to accelerate the pace by which we make transformative improvements, and enhance sustainability in communities. 4) Share and collaborate for society: to respond to increasing demand for participation; to enhance mechanisms for citizens’ engagement; to improve local governments capacity for policy making and service delivery through collaboration and co-design; resulting in outcomes that are better for citizens, businesses and visitors. These will be delivered by a range of expert partners across 8 work packages.