Projects

Since 2008, the TUDA (Trinity-Ulster-Department of Agriculture) study has supported a wide range of collaborative projects investigating nutrition, genetics, and lifestyle factors in diseases of ageing. These projects bring together expertise across disciplines to improve understanding of healthy ageing and to develop strategies for disease prevention and better wellbeing.

2024

The Boomerang Project investigates how key nutrients—particularly B-vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids—can support healthy brain ageing across European populations. By exploring the interaction between nutrition and cognitive health, the study aims to identify strategies to maintain brain health in later life.

2022

Aim4Health is an interdisciplinary North-South study using AI to address mental health inequalities in Ireland by examining the impact of diet and lifestyle on the TUDA cohort, integrating nutrition, environmental science, and data analytics.

2019

EpiBrain

The EpiBrain Project is a transnational collaboration among researchers in Northern Ireland, Canada and Spain investigating nutrition and the epigenome in early life and older age in relation to brain health

2019

GMI-TUDA

GMI-TUDA is a collaborative genetics study analysing biobanked TUDA samples using SNPs and whole genome sequencing, integrating the data with health and lifestyle information to investigate genetic risk factors for age-related diseases

2019

DARUG

Dementia Analytics Research User Group

2019

TUDA-Gut

TUDA-Gut explores how the gut microbiome of older adults interacts with diet and immune function, and its potential impact on brain health.

2017

OptiAge

Functional foods for Optimal nutrition for healthier Ageing:
The OPTIAGE project, through two intervention studies, investigated the effectiveness of a B-vitamin fortified drink on biomarker status and evaluated the impact of low-dose B-vitamin supplementation on bone mineral density in older adults in a 2-year RCT.

2014

BrainHOP Trial

The BrainHop trial is a two-year RCT investigating the effect of B-vitamin supplementation (folic acid, vitamins B12, B6 and B2) on cognitive function in older adults

2014

VALID

Valerolactones & healthy Ageing: LInking Dietary factors, nutrient biomarkers, metabolic status and inflammation with cognition in older adults

2014

TUDA Follow-Up

Ongoing follow-up investigations of the TUDA cohort, involve resampling /re-investigation of participants and forging new interdisciplinary, interinstitutional collaborations

2008

TUDA Study

TUDA serves as a foundational cohort study of 5000+ older adults to improve our understanding of how diet, nutrition, genetics, health, lifestyle, and environmental factors influence ageing-related diseases, with a focus on cardiovascular disease, dementia, and osteoporosis