National Institutes of Health (NIH) activities concerning nutrition research related to food composition databases

Abstract

Approximately 4% of the research expenditures for the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) is used to support nutrition research and training within NIH laboratories (intramural program) and in research institutions in the US and abroad (extramural program). In fiscal year (FY) 2000, the funding for NIH nutrition research and training was $694.9 million for 3150 projects. The research areas are broad and include the functions of nutrients and other food components in biological systems, the dietary intakes needed to prevent disease and/or promote optimal health, variables that affect nutrient functions and requirements, and genetic differences in needs and responses. The results of the many nutrition research projects and programs may help the Agriculture Research Service (ARS) of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) establish priorities for analyzing food components and including them in USDA food composition databases. NIH research projects are described and tracked through the Human Nutrition Research Information Management (HNRIM) system. A recent search for the key word antioxidants, food components of great interest to database developers and users, identified 131 projects, many with direct relevance to specific foods. NIH, along with other government agencies, provides financial support for the ARS, USDA National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program (NFNAP), which began in 1997. NIH support for NFNAP amounted to $1 850 000 in FY 2001. NIH is currently providing support for four NFNAP complementary databases: Native American foods, USDA commodity foods, choline, and fluoride. NIH provides support for segments of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). NIH support for NHANES was about $5.3 million in FY 2001 (about 12.4% of FY 2001 costs for the survey), and discussions are underway to assure continued NIH support for this survey.