Measuring protein digestion and associated brain responses

Photo by Roble de Invierno on Unsplash

Lead researcher: Dr Sally Eldeghaidy

Protein is an essential component of the human diet; however, little is known about the mechanisms of protein digestion and regulation “brain-gut axis” in humans. Non-invasive, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is emerging as a key technology to investigate the brain responses and gastrointestinal (GI) fate of foods and drinks.

The University of Nottingham and Wageningen University are pooling their multidisciplinary expertise to exchange knowledge and skills to develop MRI protocols and methodologies to measure different aspects of protein digestion in humans  for the first time, such as production of gastric secretions, emptying of gastric contents and markers of protein breakdown. We will also assess the associated gut-brain interactions to protein intake. The developed MRI protocols will then be employed to assess the digestion of different sources of protein, including plant and animal protein.

Funded by the Royal Society