Nishantika Mitra
Doctoral candidate Nishantika Mitra is researching the interaction between diet and ageing.
Key facts
Programme: PhD in Health Sciences
Research topic: Diet and Nrf2 Pathway Modulation
Supervisor: Dr Farha Ramzan, Associate Professor Fiona Lithander, and Professor Mark Vickers
Nishantika Mitra is a current doctoral candidate at the Liggins Institute researching the interaction between diet and ageing. She completed her master's and bachelor's degrees in Dietetics and Applied Nutrition in India and has a background working as a consultant nutritionist in the private sector.
Nishantika’s doctoral project is exploring diet and Nrf2 modulation. As we age, our bodies experience increased inflammation, leading to various long-term illnesses. The Nrf2 pathway helps protect against harmful substances and reduce inflammation. Compounds like glucoraphanin in vegetables such as broccoli activate Nrf2, reducing cellular damage and promoting a healthy balance in cells. Nishantika’s research proposes that liver-produced extracellular vesicles can carry protective proteins to distant organs, potentially influencing the ageing of the prostate and brain. Therefore, understanding the health benefits of moderate vegetable consumption could be beneficial.
To learn more about Nishantika's research, watch here Three Minute Thesis (3MT) presentation, titled 'Glucoraphanin vegetable soup and blood extracellular vesicles'.