Why take part in a clinical study?

The Liggins Institute’s overarching goal is to turn research into reality. That means turning scientific discoveries into real life applications that improve health. It’s why we follow people at every age and stage to identify the determinants of a healthy start to life and to investigate the diet and exercise factors that influence health and disease in adulthood.

Our research starts before a baby is even conceived to understand the impact of a mother and father’s health on their child’s development. We follow pregnant women to determine the long-term health implications of conditions like gestational diabetes and fetal growth restriction, as well as pregnancy complications like pre eclampsia.

We know that babies who are born early, very small or very large face greater challenges, so many of our studies follow these children as they grow up to assess the impact of any treatments or interventions on their development and long-term health.

Nutrition and exercise throughout life is another important aspect of maintaining health and reducing the risk of disease. We are interested in nutrition during pregnancy, how best to feed preterm babies, and the impact of early diet on the development of the gut microbiome.

Further down the track, we’re investigating whether the microbiome can be altered in teenagers as a possible treatment for obesity, the optimum nutrition and exercise for muscle strength and mobility, and the effect that certain food components - such as dairy - have on people’s health. Our nutrition studies extend into old age, to better understand the optimum diet to preserve muscle health.

If you take part in a study, our researchers will see you in hospital or at our purpose-built, family-friendly Clinical Research Unit (CRU) at the University’s Grafton campus.

All clinical studies are approved by the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s Health and Disability Ethics Committees.