WINNIPEG — March is nutrition month in Canada and researchers at the University of Manitoba want you to learn more about your health and your body. The team at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals was awarded a $1-million grant for a unique mobile clinic that will take a dual-energy X-ray machine across the province in an RV.
“We can monitor their body composition, so whether they lose fat or lean mass or gain fat and lean mass,” said research co-ordinator Julia Rempel.
The machine can also see where your fat comes from, which can determine whether you are at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The team wants to stress the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, instead of just reading what’s on the scale.
“The scale doesn’t tell you how much muscle you have, the scale doesn’t tell you how much fat you have, and the scale doesn’t tell you where your fat and muscle are located,” said Rempel. “So knowing those results can be very beneficial to your health.”
This summer they will test 1,200 Manitobans of all ages and backgrounds for their research.
“The DEXA machine is actually portable. We’re going to put it in a mobile research unit, and we are going to drive around the province so we can access Manitobans in rural communities,” said Dr. Peter Jones.
They hope their findings will give Manitobans direction on how to improve their diets and exercise for a better-quality life.
“We’ll set it up and hopefully get a good look at how the profile of diet, exercise and sleeps interacts with risk for disease like heart disease and stroke,” said Dr. Jones.
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