The project will focus on improving health services and healing patients with venous leg ulcers.
A new research collaboration between Edith Cowan University's (ECU's) Nutrition & Health Innovation Research Institute (NHIRI), Silverchain, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and Curtin University has been awarded a $999,803 grant under the National Health and Medical Research Council's (NHMRC) 2024 Collaboration in Health Services Research investment programme.
ECU will play a major role in the collaborative project, which will focus on improving health services and healing patients with venous leg ulcers (VLU), known as leaky legs.
"These patients often suffer from prolonged healing times, chronic oedema with excessive fluid leakage, limited mobility and poor quality of life. With increases in chronic conditions such as diabetes and an ageing population the prevalence of VLU's is increasing," NHIRI research programme lead Professor Joshua Lewis said.
"This collaborative research project will be looking at how we can improve the services that these people receive and will investigate the better management of those wounds," Professor Lewis added.
ECU's research component will focus on better evaluation and monitoring of the nutritional status of 75 patients that will be participating in the study and developing novel nutritional strategies to address this nutrient loss.
ECU's Dr Liezhou Zhong said ECU researchers will be working to create novel "nutrient-dense" foods that combine the amino acids such as arginine with fruit and vegetables to promote healing and help maintain good health and nutrition.
"We are developing nutrient-dense enriched ice cream and cookies that will increase key nutrients in the patient's diets, but also increase their fruit and vegetable intake. This will not be a supplement, but whole foods that the patients will consume," Dr Zhong said.
"Traditional foods such as ice creams and cookies are considered to be nutrient poor and energy dense, but our novel foods will be nutrient rich and energy dense."
ECU's Dr Lauren Blekkenhorst noted that while ice cream and cookies are considered 'sometimes' foods and should be limited by the general population, patients living with VLU's often have increased energy requirements brought on by wound healing.
"The many bioactive compounds found in fruits and vegetables will also help in healing the body, so adding fruits and vegetables to ice cream or cookies, which are more palatable than supplements, will hopefully improve adherence and provide added benefits to the healing process."
She said that if patients see the added benefits of increasing their fruit and vegetable intake, this could translate into increasing overall fruit and vegetable intake in the longer term, improving diet quality and reducing hospital readmissions.
"If patients see the added benefits that adding whole foods in their diet like fruit and vegetables can bring, hopefully patients will improve their diet in the long term and can stay out of hospital," she added.
NHRMC boosting research collaboration
The Australian Government, through the National Health and Medical Research (NHMRC), is investing $15 million to improve health outcomes by supporting health service focussed research projects that foster collaboration between health services and research organisations.
"Creating opportunities and strategic alliances for our top Australian researchers to collaborate across sectors is integral to enhancing our research expertise, capabilities and networks," NHMRC CEO Professor Steve Wesselingh said.
"This unique grant opportunity is intended to support research that emphasises improving our health system and how we can look to future proof our health services in both metro and rural areas.
"Research funded under this opportunity will support improved health outcomes right across Australia, helping to both protect and save lives."
