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Bionutrition

The Bionutrition Unit offers a variety of services to investigators in nutrition-related research. Dietitians are available to help plan, design, and implement the nutritional components of research protocols; recruit and screen research participants; and collect and analyze dietary intake data. Our Metabolic Kitchen’s research cooks are experts in preparing research meals.   

For those who are in the planning stages of a research project, we offer virtual clinic by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Bionutrition Core Services

  • Consultation for research protocol design, development, and implementation
  • Controlled feeding studies/monitoring participants on controlled diets; meal services for other research participants
  • Anthropomorphic measurements (body composition, skinfolds, waist/hip circumferences)
  • Nutrient intake data (using the Nutrition Data System for Research, or NDS-R, software program)
  • Nutrition education

Major Resources/Equipment

  • Metabolic Kitchen: prepares specially designed research diets for participants in outpatient-based studies; a multi-purpose room is also available for nutrition studies that require on-site feeding
  • Tanita body composition analyzer TBF-310 and BC-418 (bioelectric impedance analysis)
  • Biodynamics bio-impedance analyzer
  • Stadiometer to measure height electronically
  • Lange calipers
  • Scaletronic digital scale 

Don't see what you need? Have an urgent request? Contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 205-934-7442.

  • "Based on the scientific rigor of the study and the number of times it has been referenced, the editors of HYPERTENSION identified this paper as the most important clinical study of the year. The success and importance of this study highlights the essential role that the Nutrition Unit has played in accomplishing our goals. Without the Unit’s input, the study could not have been done."


    — David Calhoun, MD, Professor of Medicine, Vascular Biology and Hypertension Program, UAB

  • "The support of the Nutrition Unit will be absolutely essential to complete this project."


    — David Calhoun, MD, Professor of Medicine, Vascular Biology and Hypertension Program, UAB

  • "These studies have literally changed the course of my career. The word is getting out. We could never have done this without CRU and Bionutrition."


    — Barbara Gower, PhD, Professor, Department of Nutrition Sciences, UAB

  • "Controlled dietary studies are needed for such research, and would not be possible without the current infrastructure at UAB."


    — John Knight, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, UAB

  • "The research from our group heavily utilizes the Bionutrition Core of the Clinical Research Unit for our research protocols. Without this resource, the research of our group would be critically hampered and in many cases, would have to be suspended. This would threaten our ability to sustain current NIH funding and compete for new funding, and would cripple research currently funded by or recently submitted to the American Heart Association."


    — Orlando Gutierrez, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Nephrology, UAB

  • "The Nutrition Unit of the CRU does play a critical role in successfully completing my clinical research. Without the Unit’s assistance, I would not have been able to compete for my current grants or complete the proposed studies as necessary to accomplish my research objectives."


    — David Calhoun, MD, Professor of Medicine, Vascular Biology and Hypertension Program, UAB

  • "A familiar refrain that I hear is how fortunate we are to have such a critical and rare resources as a metabolic kitchen with expert research dieticians."


    — Orlando Gutierrez, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Nephrology, UAB