For 100 years a research institute in Bucksburn has influenced the food we put on our plates - from the introduction of milk in schools and keeping the nation fed during World War Two to leading today's obesity research.
In 2013, the Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health will celebrate its centenary at a time when the research it generates is as much in demand as when it was first established.
Today, the Institute focuses on human health and nutrition but when it was founded in 1913, it was to further research in animal nutrition.
At the helm was John Boyd Orr, later to become Lord Boyd Orr, who moved from Glasgow to ‘the wilds of Aberdeenshire’ to become the Institute’s first director.
At the breakout of the Great War, Orr left the Institute, but returned in 1919 with a staff of four to begin work in a laboratory facility. Orr pushed for a properly equipped new research institute and finally the Government agreed to pay half the costs but stipulated that the other half was to be found from other sources. The extra money was donated by Dr John Quiller Rowett, a businessman and director of a wine and spirits merchants in London.
Rowett's donation allowed the purchase of 41 acres of land at Bucksburn for the Institute to be built on. Rowett also contributed £10,000 towards the cost of the buildings. The money was donated with one very important stipulation from Rowett — "if any work done at the Institute on animal nutrition were found to have a bearing on human nutrition, the Institute would be allowed to follow up this work."
Rowett’s words were soon to be realised and although Orr’s early research at the new Rowett Institute was concerned with the mineral content of pastures and the importance of vitamins and minerals in the diet of farm animals, he quickly made major breakthroughs in human health.
Having served as a medical officer in the trenches during the First World War, he had seen firsthand the poor health and physique of many of the army conscripts.
Professor Peter Morgan, the current Director of the Rowett, said Orr’s own medical interest soon led to a change in direction for the Institute.
“As a medic, Orr was able to run his own research interests in parallel with the research the Institute was originally set up to undertake,” he added.
“In the late 1920s, Orr began to look at the relationship between poverty, food and optimal health. His research changed our understanding of the relationship between diet and health – he was the first scientist to show that there was a link between poverty, poor diet and ill-health.
“He led a study looking at the importance of milk in the diet where he examined the effect on the growth of children. Orr observed that those who grew best had milk in their diets. This ultimately led to the policy of giving children free milk in schools.”
But Orr’s greatest contribution came in the late 1930s in the form of The Carnegie Survey, where he looked at the diet and health of over 1300 families across the UK.
The survey data was in the process of being analysed at the outbreak of World War II and the results were used to inform the development of UK food rationing policy, which for the first time was based on a greater understanding of nutritional needs, with special measures to safeguard the health of mothers and children.
So effective was this understanding of nutritional needs that the nation’s health was said to be generally better at the end of WWII than it was at the beginning.
“The Carnegie Study and rationing gave Orr the platform to look at food on global scale and he took up the issue of food security around the globe,” said Professor Morgan.
“He also played an important part in establishing the Nutrition Society, the UK’s foremost learned society in nutrition, for which he was elected as it first Chairman.
“His work also reflects why the Rowett has endured the test of time and will now celebrate its centenary. The research undertaken here fundamentally altered the way people thought about food and health and with the problems many societies face today in regard to obesity, the Rowett continues to push the boundaries in our understanding of health and nutrition.”
The advances in research continued throughout the post-war period when the Rowett led the way in improving the efficiency of animal production, establishing a global reputation for work in this area. During this period, the Rowett was led first by David Cuthberton and subsequently by Kenneth Blaxter, respectively the second and third directors of the Rowett Institute. The work of Kenneth Blaxter, in particular, had a major impact on practical rearing of farm animals, increasing both the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of livestock production.
During the 1980s the realisation that all was not well with the health of Scotland’s people started to turn the focus of the Institute’s research back towards human health, the lead being taken by the Rowett’s fourth Director, Philip James. The role of diet in chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer began to be investigated by Rowett scientists. During the late 80s and early 90s, Rowett scientists began to attempt to unravel the mechanisms whereby what we eat either promotes or protects us from the development of some of these diseases.
More recent breakthroughs include the identification of the importance of gut bacteria to metabolic and immune functions, research which has demonstrated that eating whole-grain foods can significantly reduce blood pressure and risk of heart disease, and work that has revealed the role of protein as a satiating nutrient, which led to the development of weight loss diets with a major UK food retailer.
Professor Morgan said current research had been advanced by the Rowett’s merger with the University of Aberdeen in 2008.
“Joining with the University enabled the Rowett to benefit from collaboration with other scientists and researchers working in the field of human nutrition.
“As a result the focus of research has broadened and important work is now underway across a range of disciplines.
“This includes work examining the psychological and socio-economic aspects of food choice. Our understanding of the impact of diet on our health has advanced significantly, now we need to make the same progress in understanding why we eat as we do and the factors which may prevent people taking on board dietary advice.
“These recent developments ensure that the Institute will stay at the forefront of the UK’s research capability in nutrition and that its research outputs continue to provide evidence for policy development and to support the food and drink industry to produce healthier foods.”