GCRC Metabolic Research Kitchen
What is a metabolic kitchen?
A metabolic kitchen prepares nutrient-controlled meals for subjects participating in research studies. Meals are designed by the research dietitian, and can be controlled for any one or a number of nutrients depending upon the research question. Subjects can be free-living and pick up pre-packaged food to take home, or they can be fed from the kitchen while staying in the hospital as an inpatient.
How is it different from a regular hospital kitchen?
The metabolic kitchen adheres to important operational and food safety guidelines used by institutional kitchens. However, metabolic kitchens are required to be more precise in food usage, measurement and preparation. For example:
- When a new food is brought into the kitchen, it may be sent for biochemical analysis so that the exact nutrient content is known prior to using it in a research study.
- Whole foods, such as baked cookies or prepared sauces, are weighed to the nearest 0.1 gram, as are individual ingredients in recipes. This is (again) to ensure that the exact nutrient content of a food item is known.
- The research dietitian designs menus according to the needs and specifications of the researcher. Menus can be controlled for a single nutrient (e.g. calcium), a single category of nutrients (e.g. lipids), or several components at a time (e.g. macronutrient distribution and dietary fat ratios). All the while, appearance and palatability of the food remains a priority.
Who uses the metabolic kitchen?
Any research approved by the GCRC Advisory Committee has access to the metabolic kitchen, as long as their needs have been well-defined in the protocol and reviewed by the research dietitian.
The GCRC at Cincinnati Children's Hospital currently has the only metabolic kitchen in our area. Nutrition studies are on the rise nationwide, and we hope to support this trend among local researchers by providing access to such a facility.
Contact Us
If you are interested in designing a feeding study or would like more information on using the metabolic kitchen, please contact the research dietitian, Suzanne Summer, at 513-636-2734, or suzanne.summer@cchmc.org.
