biomedical sciences research institute - Research - University of Ulster

Dr Kristina PentievaSenior LecturerContact Details:T: +44 (0)28 70324675k.pentieva@ulster.ac.ukDr Pentieva is a member of Folate Research Group within NICHE. Her main research interests are in the fieldof folate and metabolically related B-vitamins and their role in health and disease. In particucar, she is involved ininvestigating bioavailability of different folate derivatives and the bioavailability of folate from various food matricesin healthy subjects including people with common polymorphisms for genes encoding enzymes involved in folatemetabolism. In addition, she is interested in the influence of gender, age and genotype on folate and B-vitamin statusin view of the implications for dietary recommendations for different population groups and food fortification policy.Another object of her interests is the development of novel functional foods enriched with natural folates as analternative approach to fortification.Dr Pentieva is a member of The Nutrition Society (UK) and the European Academy of Nutritional Sciences.Publications:Hoey L, McNulty H, Askin N, Dunne A, Ward M, Pentieva K, Strain JJ, Molloy AM, Flynn CA, Scott JM; Impact of avoluntary food fortification policy on folate, related B-vitamin status and homocysteine in healthy adults; AmericanJournal of Clinical Nutrition, 86:1405-1413, 2007McNulty H, Pentieva K, Hoey L and Ward W; Folic acid and related B-vitamins in disease prevention; Food Science andTechnology; 21: 41-43, 2007Bekaert B, Cooper ML, Green F, McNulty H, Pentieva K, Scott JM, Molloy AM, Rayman MP; Effect of selenium statusand supplementation with high-selenium yeast on plasma homocysteine and B vitamin concentrations in the UKelderly; Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 52: 1324-1333, 2008Dickey W, Ward M, Whittle CR, Kelly MT, Pentieva K, Horigan G, Patton S, McNulty H; Homocysteine and relatedB-vitamin status in celiac disease: effects of gluten exclusion and histological recovery; Scandinavian Journal ofgastroenterology, 43: 682-688, 2008McNulty H, Pentieva K, Hoey L and Ward W; Homocysteine, B-vitamins and CVD; Proceedings of the Nutrition Society,67: 232-237, 2008Dr Ruth PriceResearch AssociateContact Details:T: +44 (0)28 70323515rk.price@ulster.ac.ukDr Price has been a member of NICHE since 2000, and her main research interest is in the area of wholegrains andheath. She is currently the lead researcher on the EU-funded Integrated Project “Healthgrain– exploiting bioactivity ofEuropean cereal grains for improved nutrition and health benefits”. The aim of this work is to increase understandingof the mechanisms whereby minor components present in cereals (particularly wholegrain wheat foods) impacton human physiology, and thus may contribute to the prevention or alleviation of heart disease and other diseases.87