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The Nutrition Research Centre Ireland (NRCI) was established in 2016. This research centre evolved from the Macular Pigment Research Group (established 2006). This research centre has been self-funded since it’s fruition, because of funding secured by public entities and private bodies. The NRCI supports multi-disciplinary research and provides a platform for scientists to exchange knowledge and gain further understanding into the study of nutrition for human well-being.
Carotenoid Nutrition: The NRCI specialises on research into carotenoids. Carotenoids are naturally occurring plant pigments found in nature. Carotenoids play important roles throughout the body, but three particular carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin) are found at the back of the eye (the macula) where they are collectively known as macular pigment. Macular pigment is a biomarker for brain concentrations of these nutrients.
Macular Pigment: The NRCI is a world leader in the measurement of macular pigment (the carotenoid pigments concentrated at the back of the eye, known as the yellow spot). Currently, we use the Heidelberg Spectralis system and its image-based software program to measure macular pigment. Using this technology, we can quantify the amount of this nutritional pigment in the living person, and test the impact of nutrition and supplement intervention on macular pigment improvement.
Omega Nutrition: The NRCI specializes in research on the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. These fatty acids are produced by the body, but in specific stages of life and in various diseases the internal production of these molecules is suboptimal. At the NRCI we study the beneficial role of the consumption of these molecules in the cognitive state.
Visual Performance: The NRCI has a dedicated visual performance research facility, with state-of-the-art technologies in-situ to assess visual functions including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, glare disability, photostress recovery, colour vision, high performance vision.
Cognitive Performance: The NRCI has a dedicated cognitive performance research facility to assess cognitive processes including attention, reaction time and different types of memory.
Nutritional Interventional Studies: The NRCI specialises in conducting human nutritional interventional studies, where the outcome measures are related to human function, with a particular emphasis on visual performance and cognitive performance.
Analytical Chemistry: The NRCI has developed state-of-the-art methodologies and protocols for the analysis and quantification of omega 3-fatty acids and carotenoids in foods, supplements, blood and tissue. The main analytical systems used include High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), ultra-HPLC, and Gas Chromatography (GC). These analyses are used to support our basic research analytical development, interventional studies and Supplement Certified analysis.
Research Projects:
The Meso-zeaxanthin Ocular Supplementation Trials (MOST) were conducted to investigate the impact of three different macular carotenoid formulations on macular pigment optical density and visual performance in subjects with early age-related macular degeneration. The reports from these Trials showed that the formulations containing the three carotenoids resulted in improvements in visual function (contrast sensitivity) for patients with early age-related macular degeneration. They also showed that the longer the period of supplementation, the better the outcome for patients with early age-related macular degeneration and therefore highlighted the importance of continued supplementation for vision and retinal health. This research was sponsored by the Howard Foundation (Registered UK Charity No: 285822).
The Central Retinal Enrichment Supplementation Trial (CREST) was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial that investigated the impact of nutritional supplementation on visual function among healthy individuals with low retinal carotenoid levels. The gold-standard clinical trial observed significant improvements in visual function following 12-month carotenoid supplementation and highlighted how dietary fortification with these carotenoids can have a meaningful effect on visual function. CREST was funded by the European Research Council (Ref: 281096).
CREST AMD was a two-year trial involving over 100 people diagnosed with the early stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and has shown an improvement in the vision of those taking a dietary supplement of carotenoids. Improvements in vision were particularly marked among those receiving all three carotenoids compared to those receiving only zeaxanthin and lutein. CREST AMD was funded by the European Research Council (Ref: 281096).
This project, the Carotenoids and Age- Related Dementia Study (CARDS) represented the first discovery for Alzheimer’s disease relating to carotenoids. The research discovered that patients with Alzheimer’s disease are deficient in carotenoids and have poorer vision when compared to age-matched controls. Based upon these initial results, an investigation on the impact of the three carotenoids on macular pigment, visual and cognitive function in subjects with Alzheimer’s disease was conducted. This follow-on study showed that patients with Alzheimer’s disease respond positively to the supplement formulation with the 3 carotenoids. It demonstrated improvements in carotenoids in blood, retina and in visual function for these patients. Following this, it was discovered that combining the carotenoids with omega-3 fatty acids is beneficial for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.This formulation gave a greater carotenoid improvement in blood and also provided improvements in the quality of life for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. These results prompted further study to look at the impact of supplementation with a combination of carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids on cognition and visual function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease over a longer period of time (see reMIND). This research was sponsored by the Howard Foundation (Registered UK Charity No: 285822).
The Egg Xanthophyll Intervention clinical Trial (EXIT) developed a carotenoid-rich egg and demonstrated that consumption of these eggs greatly improved blood carotenoid levels, but the duration of supplementation (8 weeks) was not long enough to improve macular pigment or visual function levels in this study. This research was sponsored by the Howard Foundation (Registered UK Charity No: 285822).
The Cognitive impAiRmEnt Study (CARES) was a parallel group, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial that investigated the impact of targeted nutritional supplementation in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (Trial 1) and cognitively healthy older adults (Trial 2). Despite a small sample size, CARES Trial 1 identified trends in improved performance in episodic memory and global cognition among individuals with clinically confirmed MCI following 12-month targeted nutritional supplementation. CARES trial 2 reported improvements in working memory, attention and domains of global cognition. Importantly, the magnitude of change in nutritional status observed in both blood and tissue was directly related to the magnitude of change observed in cognitive function. This research was sponsored by the Howard Foundation (Registered UK Charity No: 285822).
The Carotenoid- Omega bioAvailability Study (COAST) is a research project that was established to investigate the bioavailability of key carotenoid formulations in nutritional supplements by measuring response in serum concentrations and macular pigment. COAST is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention trial which recruited 97 healthy volunteers. The main finding of this first analysis was the identification of a new formulation with a new method of delivery (known as micromicelle) that can greatly increase the efficacy of these key carotenoids in nutritional supplements. Currently, COAST is undergoing secondary analysis to investigate the impact these formulations have on visual performance, cognitive function, and metabolic diseases. This research was sponsored by the Howard Foundation (Registered UK Charity No: 285822) and Industrial Organica (Mexico) as part of the WIT PhD co-fund program.
This project aims to develop a product providing the capability to test and assess visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in a portable and simulated virtual reality environment. The product will focus on the hardware functionality aspects such as visual resolution and patient experience. From a software aspect will implement functionality and features to run the visual function tests. This product will be tested in a human clinical trial. The end output being a clinically proven product capable of completing end user eye tests in a virtual reality simulated environment and providing detailed output supervisor result reports for eye professionals conducting the tests. VisionARY is funded by Enter
The purpose of FortiXan is to improve the nutritional content of the human diet by developing a nutritionally superior or fortified dairy product for the general population. This project hypothesises that using a dairy product as a vehicle for carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids will facilitate and enhance the delivery of these nutrients for population groups including children, people interested in sports, and vulnerable individuals such as patients with oesophageal cancer or Alzheimer’s disease where dysphagia is likely. This research is funded by Science Foundation Ireland.
The Memory Investigation with Nutrition for Dementia (re-MIND) study is a 24-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial investigating the impact of supplementation with carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E on the natural progression of individuals with mild-moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The purpose of this research is to build on exploratory work by the NRCI, which identified improvements in quality of life (memory, sight and mood) in patients with AD when a combination of carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids were provided. This research is sponsored by the Howard Foundation (Registered UK Charity No: 285822).
TLALOC is an observational study that describes macular pigment (MP) and its constituents in serum and diet, and for the first time in a Mexican sample in 215 volunteers. In addition, it studied possible relationships with environmental and nutritional determinants and compared the results with previous data on MP in an Irish sample, and reports MP in patients with metabolic diseases. The findings of TLALOC suggest that differences in MP are not only explained by ethnicity and genetics, but environmental factors such as sunlight exposure and dietary patterns are important determinants. This research is sponsored by Industrial Organica (Mexico).
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Response to Bernstein et al. Nolan JM, Meagher K, Kashani S, Beatty S. Eye (London). December 2013.
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