Mission:
The mission of the Western Human Nutrition Research Center is to improve dietary recommendations by understanding variability in people’s responses to diets, nutrients and other food constituents. We evaluate the biological effects of diets and foods in controlled human feeding and supplementation studies, and apply a systems biology approach to integrate the data obtained from using cutting-edge phenotyping methods including metabolomics, immunology, genetics, clinical chemistry, neurophysiology, molecular and cell biology, and assessment of eating behavior, exercise physiology and the gut microbiome. This work involves an inter-disciplinary team and collaborations with multiple partners at UC Davis, other universities, stakeholders in agriculture and the food industry, national and international agencies and research centers in developing countries. We provide information on nutrition science and effective intervention strategies to scientists, policy makers, consumers and health care professionals in the U.S. and worldwide. Our workplace fosters innovation and personal growth, trust and respect, honesty and fairness, and a high level of achievement and competence.