Focusing on National Health Management, the 2016 Nutrition 

Science Research Foundation of BY-HEALTH Launched 

2016-11-23

On November 17, the 2016 Nutrition Science Research Foundation of BY-HEALTH (hereinafter referred to as “the Foundation”) launched cooperation projects. BY-HEALTH will invest CNY 1.9 million in cooperation projects with the University of Aberdeen, Sun Yat-sen University, the University of Macau, Chinese PLA General Hospital and other research institutes to carry out a number of research projects, aiming to pay close attention to national health management, focus on “precision nutrition” and constantly promote the research on nutrition improvement in Chinese.

In April 2016, BY-HEALTH launched a call for grant application for the Foundation.Since the call, BY-HEALTH had received more than 30 applications from research institutes, universities, hospitals and health care institutions nationwide. After two rounds of peer-reviews of the proposals by expert-panels consisting of leading experts in the nutrition research field, four researchers received this year’s Nutrition Science Research Fund, including Liang Hui, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of Qingdao University, Liu Yinghua, Director and Associate Chief Physician of Nutrition Department of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Wan Jianbo, Assistant Professor of Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences of the University of Macau, and Chen Jinyao, Lecturer of Sichuan University.

Photo of representatives of the projects funded by the 2016 BY-HEALTH Nutrition Science Research Foundation

This year, the main theme of the BY-HEALTH Foundation focused on product efficacy research, including “Study on the Antithrombotic Efficacy of Natto Monascus” and “Study on the health efficacy of Gaierli Tablets on peri-/post-menopausal Women”. These two projects explored the antithrombotic effect and mechanism of Natto Monascus complex on cardiovascular high-risk groups, and the effect of the joint intervention of soy isoflavone and calcium on peri-/post-menopausal syndrome and osteoporosis in peri-/post-menopausal women, respectively. In addition, the “Youth Research Fund Program” has been added to the Foundation this year, which aimed to encourage the active engagement of young researchers under the age of 40.

Photo of BY-HEALTH’s Vice President Liang Shuisheng delivering his speech in the Launching Ceremony of the Foundation

BY-HEALTH established the Foundation in 2012, with the commitment to attracting and promoting social resources to conduct research on dietary supplements and related fields. At present, the results obtained from projects funded by the Foundation have been fruitful, especially the research on efficacy and mechanisms of protein, propolis, glucosamine chondroitin, fish oil, algae oil DHA and other products.

Significant research findings obtained from previous projects funded by the Foundation were released this year. The research group from Sun Yat-sen University led by Prof. Zhu Huilian,found that personalised DHA intervention in children may play a positive role in cognitive development. The findings obtained by the team led by Hong Yan, Professor of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, demonstrated that lycopene supplementation can improve the basic cognitive ability of the elderly with cognitive disorders. These results provided a strong scientific basis for recommendations on dietary supplements of particular groups.

Photo of President Yang Yuexin of Chinese Nutrition Society giving her speech in the Launching Ceremony of the Foundation

In the future, the Foundation will continue to support the research work on dietary supplements and related fields, promoting the further development of nutrition research. By taking the interests of consumers as the core, following the strategic thinking of “Self-driven all the way towards consumers (consumer-oriented)” and focusing on “Precision Nutrition”, BY-HEALTH will make more valuable attempts in accurate nutrition detection, personalised vitamin development, precise decrease of blood glucose levels, accurate weight loss and many others, and apply these research findings to national health management in a more effective manner, thus making continuous contribution to the improvement of national health.