A MEMBER of staff from the University of Reading was recognised at an industry-leading awards ceremony in London last week.
British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) honoured Prof Julie Lovegrove, director of the Hugh Sinclair unit of human nutrition, with the BNF prize – an award which celebrates an individual for their significant contribution to the field.
Prof Lovegrove has investigated the role nutrition plays on cardiovascular diseases, focusing on the impact of dietary fats, nutrient-gene interactions and personalised nutrition across her 30 year career.
She said: “It is an honour to be awarded the prestigious BNF Prize to mark outstanding achievement in an area of nutrition. The importance of nutrition in improving public health has been a lifelong ambition and focus of my career.
“I’d like to acknowledge the support and inspiration I’ve received from so many exceptional scientists, colleagues, and an outstanding research team. This BNF Prize reflects achievements made possible by collaborative work effort, shared success, and friendship of them all”.
The award was presented to Prof Lovegrove at the BNF’s annual awards ceremony.
Prof Lovegrove’s work, which has led to over 260 scientific publications, has played a significant role in combating diseases such cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
She also serves on a number of external committees, including her position as deputy chair of the government’s scientific advisory committee for nutrition (SACN) and president of the Nutrition Society.
Sara Stanner, BNF science director, said: “We would like to congratulate Julie for her outstanding contribution to the field of nutrition over the past 30 years, studying the role of nutrition on cardiovascular diseases, with a focus on the metabolic impact of dietary fats, plant phytochemicals, nutrient-gene interactions and personalised nutrition.
“While the BNF Prize is always a challenge for the reviewing committee as it leads to many worthy nominations, Julie’s exemplary scientific research and application of this science to public health made her a worthy recipient of this award for us. We hope this inspires others in the field to go on and achieve great heights and further advance our understanding on the subject.”
