Bionutrition Unit

The Bionutrition Unit provides the necessary resources to plan and conduct inpatient and outpatient studies that demand sophisticated nutritional support. It also provides nutritional services to study participants.

The unit’s staff has extensive experience in adult and pediatric research. Services include:

• Consultation and assistance with protocol development and implementation.
• Comprehensive evaluation of nutritional status, including medical background, activity/lifestyle factors, anthropometrics, and laboratory values.
• Instructions for dietary regimens, nutrition education (individual and group), and monitoring of compliance to the diet.
• Design of weighed, nutrient-controlled, and therapeutic/modified diets; development of menus and recipes.
• Metabolic kitchen for preparation of weighed diets for inpatient and outpatient research subjects.
• Measurement of height, weight, body mass index, head, arm, waist or hip circumferences, skin folds, and bioelectrical impedance (BIA).
• Assistance with screening potential subjects for dietary investigation.
• Dietary data collection, including food diaries, dietary recalls and histories, and food frequency questionnaires.
• Computerized analysis of dietary intake using both the Nutrient Data Systems (NDS) and Food Processor.

Metabolic Kitchen Hours of Operation

The Kitchen is staffed 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. Research subjects obtain up to two days of food per visit.