![Professor Alexandra Johnstone Professor Alexandra Johnstone](/img/200x200/staffpages/uploads/rwt203/avatar/j9r3aBg9bLgGKMRuYjT0lE0II813cC4sUXHho4x9.png)
BSc, MSc, PhD, PGCE, RNutr
Personal Chair
- About
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- Email Address
- alex.johnstone@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 438614
- Office Address
Room 4.054, The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill Health Campus, Ashgrove Road West, Aberdeen, AB25 2ZD
- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
Professor Alexandra (Alex) Johnstone
Alex is a member of the Rowett Institute Executive Committee, as Theme Lead for Nutrition, Obesity and Disease. Alex obtained her PhD in 2001 and she is a UK registered Nutritionist with Association for Nutrition.
‘Working on safer, fairer, healthy and sustainable food for all’
She currently leads the £1.6M ‘FIO Food’ research grant, funded from UKRI Transforming Food Systems, which is research on Food Insecurity and Obesity, with emphasis on the retail food sector. Also the £0.5M ‘DIO Food’ grant on diet and health inequalities.
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/rowett/research/fio-food/index.php
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/rowett/research/dio-food-1857.php
These grants aim to:-
-Improve environmentally sustainable and healthier food choices in the UK food system, with focus on policy for the retail food sector
-Provide actionable evidence for retail strategy policy addressing dietary inequalities in two vulnerable groups - people living with obesity and food insecurity.
She manages a research team to successfully lead high calibre research activities, in collaboration with internal and external colleagues. She is actively engaged in organising and delivering teaching/learning excellence and the translation the team’s innovative science to a range of stakeholders, to achieving high impact, through sustained knowledge exchange activities, and having real commercial and community benefit.
My research team includes (March 2024):
Dr Marta Lonnie, Research Fellow
Dr Dan Crabtree, Research Impact Officer
Claire Fyfe, Research Technician
Annika Bucky, PhD student
Nouf Alkhattabi, PhD student
Merel Van Der Haak, PhD student
Leonida Mosomi, PhD student
David Morecroft, MRes Student
Adam Symon, BSc placement student
Yousif Firas, Bsc placement student
Vanessa Marescialli, MSc research project student
Mia Fuery, Summer Placement student
Raquel Kainga, Summer Placement student
I welcome visitors and students for placements and studies.
Caption Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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Chair, Rowett Ethics Panel
- External Memberships
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Chair, Scottish Network for Association for the Study of Obesity
Registered UK Nutritionist (RNutr)
Committee member, Scottish Section for The Nutrition Society
Prizes and Awards
2023 Principals Award for Scientific Excellence (Senior Category)
2021 UK BioBeat award ‘Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness 2021’. This report highlights 30 UK trendsetters from across the UK who are tackling the biggest health challenges of our time. These exceptional leaders are creating new opportunities for growth by combining a human understanding of technology and data with the drive to make healthcare improvements more accessible.
2019 Finalist, Food and Drink Federation, Scientist of the Year.
2018 Principals Award for Knowledge Exchange (Senior Category)
- Research
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Research Overview
Major achievements I have over 100 peer-reviewed publications supported by UKRI, EU funding and Scottish Government. My h-index, based on papers indexed in Scopus, is 38. 50% of my papers have more than 10 citations, with 9 papers with over 100 citations (Scopus, 26/01/23). I have raised over £8M in grants, to support my research. My research strategy has been to investigate the effect of diet on appetite control and energy balance. This has been driven by developing understanding of protein induced satiety and a strategy to systematically examine the effect of amount, type and timing of nutrient intake on energy balance. My main role has been as a UK research scientist to advance understanding of human nutrition, based at the Rowett Institute; but the extensive translation of my research for impact, is of key importance to me.
Research Areas
Accepting PhDs
I am currently accepting PhDs in Nutrition and Health.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.
Research Specialisms
- Nutrition
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Current Research
I successfully lead and manage high calibre research activities within the Rowett Institute. I am actively engaged in organising and delivering teaching excellence and learning and I translate my team’s innovative science to a range of stakeholders achieving high impact, through sustained knowledge exchange activities, and having real commercial and community benefit.
ORCHID ID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5484-292X
Current grants
UKRI, BBSRC 2022-2025 FIO-FOOD: Food insecurity in people living with obesity – supporting sustainable and healthier food choices in the retail food environment (PI Johnstone, Rowett) £1.8M
UKRI, BBSRC 2022-2025 DIO-FOOD: Dietary inequalities in people living with obesity in the UK (PI Johnstone, Rowett) £0.5M
Healthy diets for a healthy weight: exploring physiological mechanisms related to dietary fibre and non-nutritive sweeteners (PI Johnstone, Rowett) £1.0M Scottish Government
A Human Volunteer Study Of The Effects Of Psyllium And Inulin On The Gut Microbiome And Metabolites: Can We Identify Responders And Non-responders To Optimise Outcomes For Pelvic Radiotherapy Patients? (Co-applicant with Kiltie, Rowett) PhD student work ongoing.
Past Research
MRC - MECNUT: Impact of dietary exposure to emulsifiers on the intestinal mucosa - implications for inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome MR/P023606/1 (PI Campbell, Liverpool)
MRC- Chrono-nutrition investigation of timing of eating influence on energy balance MR/P012205/1 (PI Johnstone, Rowett)
BBSRC -Protein4Life: Towards a Focused Dietary Framework for Healthy Ageing, Priming Food Partnerships BH164010 (PI Stevenson, Newcastle)
EU - Full4Health: WorkPackage Leader. A dual-centre project which examined high protein meals on satiety signalling across the age groups, from children to the elderly, with physiological and psychological measures related to food choice. (PI Mercer, Rowett)
Knowledge Exchange
Public engagement is one of my key strengths. I regularly contribute regularly to radio, television and printed press and has often contributed to The Conversation, the online blog. Many of my public outreach activities, have been funded by small grants. Examples include, online resources for schools to celebrate the centenary of the discovery of insulin; > 3000 pupils participated in this event (2021/22). In March 2023, I delivered activities around healthy sustainable diets, as part of British Science week, involving a CPD event for teachers, workshops for families, together with whole school and community events.
In recognition of my public engagement (Café Scientifique, Café Med, Pint of Science, TechFEST, Soapbox Science, Explorathon and International Women’s Day), I received the Principal’s Award for Knowledge Exchange (2018). She was also Finalist in the Food and Drink Federation Scientist of the Years (2019) and in 2021 was cited as one of 30 UK trendsetter from across the UK, tackling the biggest health challenges of our time in the UK BioBeat award ‘Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness.
Funding and Grants
- 2010–2015 NeuroFAST –explored the stress and eating behavior, to provide new data from human studies that is needed to inform health policy initiatives (local post-doc and two research assistants) (Scott & 410165664, Stress and eating behaviour: implications for obesity. Obes Facts. 2012;5(2):277-87).
- 2011-2016 Full4Health – explored the FOOD-GUT-BRAIN axis across age groups (8 to 80 years), (local PhD student and post-doc) (Mercer, 410165664, Halford. Approaches to influencing food choice across the age groups: from children to the elderly. Proc Nutr Soc. 2015 May;74(2):149-57).
- 2012-2016 SATIN (Satiety Innovation) – investigated novel food ingredients (fermentable fibres) for satiety (local two research assistants) (López-Nicolás, 410165664 et al. Satiety Innovations: Food Products to Assist Consumers with Weight Loss, Evidence on the Role of Satiety in Healthy Eating: Overview and In Vitro Approximation. Curr Obes Rep. 2016 Mar;5(1):97-105).
- 2013-2015 Knowledge Transfer Partnership Grant, via Technology Strategy Board with Genius Foods to investigate the role of gluten-free diet, employed a research associate.
- 2016-2020 MRC Grant holder The Big Breakfast study: chrono-nutrition influence on energy balance.
- 2016-2018 BBSRC Co-Applicant Protein4Life
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
I am Lead Educator for the Massive Online Open-Learning Course (MOOC) for University of Aberdeen Nutrition and Wellbeing Course, which has had over 60K participants since starting in 201
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/an-introduction-to-nutrition-and-wellbeing-1412.php
I am course co-ordinator for the MSc Human Nutrition and Metabolism, Assessment of Nutritional Status
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/degree-programmes/118/human-nutrition/
- Publications
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Page 1 of 3 Results 1 to 50 of 120
Ultra-processed food (UPF), health and mechanistic uncertainty: What should we be advising the public to do about UPFs?
PLoS MedicineContributions to Journals: ArticlesAn increasing proportion of the population is not covered by the current RDA for vitamin C – Interrogation of EPIC-Norfolk and NHANES 2017/2018 cohorts
Critical reviews in food science and nutritionContributions to Journals: ArticlesLight manipulation as a route to enhancement of antioxidant properties in red amaranth and red lettuce
Frontiers in Nutrition, vol. 11Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTackling dietary inequalitiesin the UK food system: An exploration of stakeholders’ experiences to deliver national recommendations for policy and health care practitioners
Working Papers: Working PapersThe impact of the cost of living crisis and food insecurity on food purchasing behaviours and food preparation practices in people living with obesity
Appetite, vol. 196, 107255Contributions to Journals: ArticlesImpact of age on the prevalence of poor-quality dietary variety, associated lifestyle factors, and body composition profile (low body muscle mass and high body fat mass) in older people residing in Colombo district, Sri Lanka
Heliyon, vol. 10, no. 5, e27064Contributions to Journals: ArticlesWeight loss: why listening to your circadian rhythm may be important
Contributions to Specialist PublicationsFree-living Physical Activity and Executive Function: A Multi-Study Analysis of Age Groups and Times of Day
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, vol. 24, no. 1, 100425Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTackling diet inequalities in the UK food system: is food insecurity driving the obesity epidemic? (The FIO Food project)
Proceedings of the Nutrition SocietyContributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665123004871
Scoping Potential Routes to UK Civil Unrest via the Food System: Results of a Structured Expert Elicitation
Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 20, 14783Contributions to Journals: ArticlesFood insecurity in people living with obesity: Improving sustainable and healthier food choices in the retail food environment—the FIO Food project
Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 390-399Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.12626
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/21462/1/Lonnie_etal_NB_Food_Insecurity_In_VOR.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Glycated Haemoglobin (HbA1c) and Future Physical and Mental Functional Health in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk Population-Based Study
Journal of Personalized Medicine, vol. 13, no. 9, 1336Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe cost-of-living crisis is feeding the paradox of obesity and food insecurities in the UK
Obesity, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 1461-1462Contributions to Journals: Comments and DebatesThe effects of caloric restriction on adipose tissue and metabolic health are sex-and age-dependent.
eLife, vol. 12, e88080Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe effect of hunger state on hypothalamic functional connectivity in response to food cues
Human Brain Mapping, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 418-428Contributions to Journals: ArticlesInvestigating the Effectiveness of Very Low-Calorie Diets and Low-Fat Vegan Diets on Weight and Glycemic Markers in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Nutrients, vol. 14, no. 2, 4870Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSelf-Reported Purchasing Behaviour, Sociodemographic Predictors of Plant-Based Protein Purchasing and Knowledge about Protein in Scotland and England
Nutrients, vol. 14, no. 21, 4706Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLate night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why
Contributions to Specialist PublicationsFocus on diet and exercise
Contributions to Journals: Features- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2022.09.011
Riset baru soal penurunan berat badan: waktu Anda makan makanan terbanyak miliki sedikit efek
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesWeight loss: the time of day you eat your biggest meal has little effect – new study
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesAssociation between legume consumption and risk of hyper-tension in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk cohort
Nutrients, vol. 14, no. 16, 3363Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHigher total faecal short chain fatty concentrations correlate with increasing proportions of butyrate and decreasing proportions of branched chain fatty acids across multiple human studies
Gut Microbiome, vol. 3, e2Contributions to Journals: ArticlesDeterminants of Undernutrition and Associated Factors of Low Muscle Mass and High Fat Mass among Older Men and Women in the Colombo District of Sri Lanka
Geriatrics, vol. 7, no. 2, 26Contributions to Journals: ArticlesCircadian Rhythms in Resting Metabolic Rate Account for Apparent Daily Rhythms in the Thermic Effect of Food
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 107, no. 2, pp. e708–e715Contributions to Journals: ArticlesThe Acute Effects of Breakfast Drinks with Varying Protein and Energy Contents on Appetite and Free-Living Energy Intake in UK Older Adults
Geriatrics (Switzerland), vol. 7, no. 1, 16Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHemp and Buckwheat are valuable sources of dietary amino acids, beneficially modulating gastrointestinal hormones and promoting satiety in healthy volunteers
European Journal of Nutrition, vol. 61, pp. 1057–1072Contributions to Journals: ArticlesSalivary ghrelin response to drinks varying in protein content and quantity and association with energy intake and appetite
Physiology and Behavior, vol. 242, 113622Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113622
The effects of caloric restriction on adipose tissue and metabolic health are sex- and age-dependent
Society for Endocrinology BES 2021Contributions to Conferences: AbstractsAssociations between ghrelin and leptin and neural food cue reactivity in a fasted and sated state
Neuroimage, vol. 240, 118374Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHot Topic workshop report: Reshaping the food environment – Applying interdisciplinary perspectives in appetite research
Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 216-227Contributions to Journals: ArticlesAppetite Control Across the Lifecourse: The Acute Impact of Breakfast Drink Quantity and Protein Content. The Full4Health Project
Nutrients, vol. 12, no. 12, 3710Contributions to Journals: ArticlesLe moment où l’on mange affecte-t-il notre poids ? Voici ce qu’en dit la science
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesThe public health rationale for promoting plant protein as an important part of a sustainable and healthy diet
Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 281-293Contributions to Journals: ArticlesHow are you?: Introducing stress-based text tailoring
Contributions to Conferences: PapersIs body weight affected by when you eat? Here’s what science knows so far
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesComparing supermarket loyalty card data with traditional diet survey data for understanding how protein is purchased and consumed in older adults for the UK, 2014-16
Nutrition Journal, vol. 19, 83Contributions to Journals: ArticlesMealtime: A circadian disruptor and determinant of energy balance?
Journal of Neuroendocrinology, vol. 32, no. 7, e12886Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jne.12886
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/14765/1/Collins_etal_jne_mealtime_VORpdf.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Nondigestible Carbohydrates Affect Metabolic Health and Gut Microbiota in Overweight Adults after Weight Loss
The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 150, no. 7, pp. 1859-1870Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa124
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Sapogenol is a major microbial metabolite in human plasma associated with high protein soy-based diets: the relevance for functional food formulations
Foods, vol. 9, no. 4, 422Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9040422
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13964/1/Neascu_etal_foods_Sapagenol_VOR.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Energy balance: Impact of physiology and psychology on food choice and eating behavior
Present Knowledge in Nutrition: Clinical and Applied Topics in Nutrition. 11 edition. Elsevier, pp. 143-158, 16 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818460-8.00008-3
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Food additives: Assessing the impact of exposure to permitted emulsifiers on bowel and metabolic health – introducing the FADiets study
Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 44, no. 4, pp. 329-349Contributions to Journals: ArticlesProtein Valuation in Food Choice Is Positively Associated with Lean Mass in Older Adults
The Journal of Nutrition, vol. 149, no. 11, pp. 2056-2064Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz124
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12556/2/Buckley_et_al_JoN_ProteinValuation_VoR.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] https://abdn.pure.elsevier.com/en/en/researchoutput/protein-valuation-in-food-choice-is-positively-associated-with-lean-mass-in-older-adults(db98f06f-2aaf-4f94-b50c-22fa0700851c).html
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Nudging, formulating new products, and the lifecourse: a qualitative assessment of the viability of three methods for reducing Scottish meat consumption for health, ethical, and environmental reasons
Appetite, vol. 142, 104349Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.104349
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/14652/1/Nudging_lifecourse_and_new_products_in_Scotland_as_accepted_by_Appetite.pdf
- [ONLINE] https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195666319300364
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
Nudging meat off the menu
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesHow biscuits enriched with protein could keep the UK’s ageing population strong
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesConocer las siete edades del apetito puede mejorar nuestra salud
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesAre emulsifiers bad? Not enough evidence to say we should stop eating them
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesActivity energy expenditure is an independent predictor of energy intake in humans
International Journal of Obesity, vol. 43, no. 7, pp. 1466–1474Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0308-6
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12594/1/Accepted_Manuscript.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
The Ageing Gut-Brain Study: Exploring the role of the gut microbiota in dementia
Nutrition Bulletin, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 145-153Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.12378
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/14162/1/The_Ageing_Gut_Brain_Study.pdf
- [ONLINE] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nbu.12378
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus