The Nutrition and Food Research Group

The Nutrition and Food Research Group (NFRG) have an interdisciplinary oriented research approach to address pertinent food and nutrition concerns in order to improve the health of the UAE community. The overall goal of NFRG is to contribute to the scientific knowledge base for nutrition and foods. Our research is focused mainly on applying vital principles from different sciences to foods and beverages for human consumption. The group also studies the safety, quality and nutritional values of food with the aim of providing the society with safe and high nutritional quality of foods. The NFRG employs evidence-based practice and ethical principles in the research opportunities available to promote interdisciplinary collaboration; and build professional identity and commitment. Moreover, the Research group will work to translate their research outcomes through the exchange of knowledge with public sector, nutritional and health professionals, industry and academia.

• Integrate recent developments in the field of clinical nutrition for uncovering association between nutrition and chronic disease in UAE
• Create the interests of local community to be involved in studying food intake patterns and  life style practices among school children and adolescents for better food choices
• Examine  the infant feeding practices and its association with childhood obesity in United Arab Emirates
• Collaborate with other universities, public and private sectors to promote interdisciplinary faculty research and scholarly activities in the field of nutrition and food safety in UAE
• Examine the nutritional components and pathogenic organisms of traditional foods and dishes
• Work with industry and governments to help develop healthy food products from indigenous food ingredients of Middle East region
• Investigate the effect of medical  interventions on the nutritional status, biomedical and psycho-social health of the patients

List of National and International collaborators:

•  Ministry of Health and Prevention
• Ministry of Education
• Sharjah Municipality
• United Arab Emirates University -Al Ain
• American University of Beirut -Lebanon
• Jordan University of Science and Technology - Jordan
• University of Manitoba – Canada
• Dubai Municipality-Dubai.
• University of Oxford
• University of Bedfordshire, UK
• University of Toronto, Canada
• Nan Yang Academy of Science Singapore
• Beirut Arab University, Lebanon
• University of Utah, USA
• University of Northwest, USA
• University of Ottawa, Canada
• King Saud University, KSA

Internal Projects:

1.  Collaborative Project: Gamma radiation, high pressure processing and edible film coating to improve safety and quality of date fruit products-PI-Prof. Tareq Osaili
2. Competitive Project: Evidence-based Policies to Improve the Uptake of Dietetics Services in Primary Care: The Case of Sharjah-PI-Dr. Farah Naja
3. Competitive Project: Identification of chrono-nutrition profile and dietary inflammatory index associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the United Arab Emirates-PI-Dr. Hayder Hasan
4. Examining the adherence to dietary and lifestyle guidelines among pregnant women with Gestational Diabetes in the UAE: Gaps and opportunities-PI-Dr. Hadia Radwan
5. Effect of Smart Phone Delivered Health-Based Educational Intervention to Improve Dietary Habits and Body Composition of School Children in the UAE-PI-Dr. Hayder Hasan.
6. Promoting the role of community pharmacists in combatting the NCD epidemic in the UAE-PI-Prof. Farah Naja
7. Effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on patients with gingivitis and periodontitis: A prospective cohort study using inflammatory, microbiomic, and metabolomics markers-PI-Dr. MoezAlIslam Faris
8. Collaborative grant: National Birth Cohort Study of Preterm Infants in the United Arab Emirates-PI-Dr. Leila Cheikh Ismail
9. Competitive Grant COVID19: Dietary intake and its association with the severity of the COVID-19: case-control study in the UAE-PI-Dr. Leila Cheikh Ismail

External Projects:

1. Competitive grant: Comparison of INTERGROWTH-21 and Fenton Growth Standards to Assess Size at Birth in Preterm Infants-PI- Dr. Leila Cheikh Ismail.

1. Prof. Farah Naja was recognized as “Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Best Arab Researcher for the year 2022".
2. Dr. Hadia Radwan-Trophy presented by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, the Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, in acknowledgment of outstanding community engagement in conducting comprehensive health assessments for senior citizens.