Research summary
People’s eating and drinking habits (ingestive behaviours) are increasingly recognized as key influences on health and life expectancy—sometimes contributing to diet-related diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart problems. But the underlying factors involved are poorly understood. As Canada Research Chair in Ingestive Behaviour, Dr. Daiva Nielsen is using neuroscience, sensory science and genomics approaches to explore the complex contributors to human ingestive behaviours.
She and her research team hope to shed light on the biological and neurocognitive processes that underlie people’s food preferences and eating behaviours. Using cutting-edge wearable technology, they are investigating how people respond to both basic food-related stimuli—including taste, texture and aroma—and the more complex stimuli that they encounter in the environment, such as food advertising. Their findings will lead to strategies to help people regulate ingestive behaviours, ultimately benefiting their health and well-being.