Biodiversification of nutrients to meet dietary needs of the UK population: prevention and control of Type 2 diabetes and promotion of a healthy gut

英国的饮食质量是一个关键的公共卫生问题。2017年，英国63%的成年人口超重，27%的人肥胖。不良饮食和超重或肥胖会增加罹患糖尿病和心血管疾病等非传染性疾病的风险。与肥胖相关的疾病在2018年花费了NHS超过60亿GB/年，到2050年估计每年将花费97亿GB。可预防的健康不良对人口的影响威胁到NHS的长期可持续性，而糟糕的饮食是这一点的关键组成部分(英国医学协会，2018)。英国在促进健康饮食习惯和确保所有人获得营养食品方面面临挑战的主要原因之一是各种营养食品和食品配料的有限，特别是在低收入地区(食品标准局，2019年)。我们提议开展这一合作研究项目，利用秘鲁本土作物，如紫色玉米和yacon作物，开发新的功能食品成分，这些作物在祖先中被认为对健康有积极影响。以满足和多样化英国人的饮食需求。我们将特别关注2型糖尿病(T2D)的预防和自我控制以及促进健康的肠道。面对日益不健康的人群，人们越来越意识到饮食和T2D之间的联系。如果不干预，到2030年，仅在英国就可能有550万人患有T2D。同样，肠道健康在追求益生菌和益生菌整体方法的消费者中越来越受欢迎，益生菌是支持健康肠道微生物群的关键，而肠道微生物群对整体健康和福祉起着重要作用。我们的项目涉及到对紫色玉米和富含Yacon的食品配料的营养和化学成分的全面表征，对其潜在的全身和肠道健康益处的分析，详细的英国消费者研究分析，以及对食品配料的营养和生物活性消化和新陈代谢的评估。通过整合由于监管限制、土地和气候限制而无法在国内生产的资源，我们将使英国的粮食供应多样化，改善粮食安全，这是应对气候变化和通胀导致粮食短缺的关键。我们的最终目标是改善英国弱势人群的生活质量，如高危人群或患有T2D的人，并减轻英国医疗体系的负担。

The quality of the UK's diet is a key public health issue. In 2017, 63% of the UK adult population was overweight, and 27% obese. Poor diet and being overweight or obese can lead to an increased risk of developing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Obesity-related diseases cost the NHS more than £6bn/year in 2018 and will cost an estimated £9.7bn annually by 2050\. The impact of preventable ill health on the population threatens the long-term sustainability of the NHS, and a poor diet is a key component of this (British Medical Association, 2018).One of the main reasons the UK is facing challenges in promoting healthy eating habits and ensuring access to nutritious food for all is the limited availability of diverse nutritious foods and food ingredients, particularly in low-income areas (Food Standards Agency, 2019).We propose to undertake this collaborative research project to develop novel functional food ingredients using indigenous Peruvian crops, such as purple corn and yacon crops that are ancestrally recognised for their positive impact on health, to meet and diversify dietary needs of the UK population. Our special focus will be on prevention and self-control of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and promotion of a healthy gut.Facing an increasingly unhealthy population, there is a growing awareness of the link between diet and T2D. Without intervention, 5.5 million people could be living with T2D in the UK alone by 2030\. Along the same line, gut health is gaining popularity among consumers who pursue a holistic approach to prebiotics and probiotics, which are key to supporting a healthy gut microbiome, which plays an important role in overall health and well-being.Our project involves a comprehensive characterisation of nutrient and chemical content of purple corn and yacon-rich food ingredients, analysis of their potential systemic and gut health benefits _in vitro_, a detailed UK consumer research analysis, and the assessment of the food ingredients' nutrients and bioactives digestion and metabolism _in vitro._By incorporating resources that cannot be readily produced domestically due to regulatory restrictions, and land and climate limitations, we will diversify the UK's food supply and improve food security, something crucial with climate change and inflation causing food shortages. Our ultimate goal is to improve the life quality of vulnerable people in the UK, such as people at risk or living with T2D and reduce the burden on the UK's healthcare system.