Background
During my University course in Food Science I developed a strong interest in behavioural aspects of food and food intake. This prompted me to take advantage of the relative educational freedom in my studies at the time and add Psychology and other topics of interest, to my core modules. Crucially, I carried out a literature review on the topic of 'food cravings', in which most aspects were best illustrated using chocolate as a case study. This formed the basis of a proposal for a PhD study in 'Why we like chocolate', which I sent off to 30+ chocolate companies worldwide, resulting in PhD sponsorship by Cadbury's and a move to the United Kingdom to work under the supervision of Professor Peter Rogers. The work included studies investigating mood, attitudes and psychopharmacological effects, and has left me with an in-depth knowledge of behavioural aspects of chocolate, not just in terms of psychopharmacological effects of many of its micro-constituents, but also with regards to consumer behaviour and the persistent re-currance of 'myths' based on incorrect assumptions regarding alleged effects of certain chocolate constituents.
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Subsequent post-doctoral research and teaching positions at the Institute of Food Research (Dept of Consumer Sciences), Bristol University (School of Experimental Psychology) and Oxford Brookes University (Functional Food Centre) have further shaped my Scientific Interests and Expertise, with a particular focus on Functional Foods - see relevant sections below and my Publication List.
Following on from my role at the Functional Food Centre (Oxford Brookes University) I have completed several consultancy assignments with major players in Food Industry, including Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline and Barry Callebaut. Please see my LinkedIn profile for more details - recommendations coming soon. I am also a member of the Nutrition Society and the British Psychological Society. ExpertiseWhilst my expertise can be summed up under the umbrella term 'Food, Mood and Cognition', my work to date has particularly focused on the effects of functional foods and functional food ingredients on mood and cognition, as well as appetite, satiety and energy intake, thereby investigating the viability of proposed commercial claims.
Products under investigation have included chocolate, energy drinks, caffeine, carbohydrates, food antioxidants and satiety-inducing fat emulsions. Scientific InterestsMy primary research interest concerns nutrition, health and behaviour from a psychobiological and psychopharmacological perspective. Key themes include:
Examples of these themes can be found in my publication list. |
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© Henk Smit, PhD FRSA
