Nina Cabezas Wallscheid, Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Ageing, is researching the impact of nutrition on the human blood system. Her research team aims to identify the ideal diet for a long and healthy life.
You grew up on the Costa Brava and studied in Barcelona - places where other people go on holiday. What was that like?
For me, it was an opportunity to get to know people from all over the world. Roses, a small village on the coast, was a great place to make international contacts and brush up my language skills. My mother is German, my father Spanish, and we had neighbours from many different countries. That just gave me an even more international outlook!
What's so special about the stem cells that eventually develop into blood cells?
Blood stem cells are quite unique: over time, they are able to renew the body's entire population of blood cells. But problems with the regulation of these blood stem cells can lead to leukaemia. We think that correct nutrition can keep the stem cell pool healthy over your lifetime.
What impact does diet have on a healthy blood system?
A major one. We and other researchers have shown that essential nutrients can significantly impact our blood system. Vitamin A and vitamin C, for example, are vital for maintaining a healthy pool of stem cells in the blood.
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Is there a perfect diet to guarantee a long life?
Recent years have seen advances in the search for the perfect diet - or for the ideal nutrients that would extend our lifespan. There is work that links intermittent fasting with longevity, for example. One of the aims of our lab is to identify and enrich the specific nutrients that make up the ideal diet for a long and healthy life.
You've already climbed Kilimanjaro. Is the Matterhorn next on the list?
Switzerland is a dream for nature lovers. For me and my husband, it's great to have so many options right on our doorstep, and we're already thinking about what our next adventure might be. We've even started taking along our three-year-old when we go hiking, kayaking or skiing. Climbing the Matterhorn would be fantastic, but also a pretty big challenge!
