Miriam Clegg

My areas of research interest include examining the role of food and diet on appetite, incorporating markers of food intake, eating behaviours and nutritional status including gastrointestinal transit, energy expenditure and hormones related to appetite. At present, my work focuses strongly on exploring nutrient intakes across the lifespan, particularly investigating mechanisms for improving foods, diets and appetite control, and increasing protein intake in older adults. My research right now is funded by grants obtained from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” and European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT Food). As Principal Investigator for the BBSRC funded Food4Years Ageing Network, I have built a community that is committed to the development, integration and communication of healthy, affordable foods and specific diets for all older adults across our food landscape.

The main methodologies that I utilise are food intake and physical activity measurements, questionnaires and scales, indirect calorimetry for energy expenditure and substrate utilisation, measurement of appetite hormones and gastric emptying utilising stable isotopes and oral processing techniques.