Dr Noha Ahmed Nasef staff profile picture

Contact details +6469519421

Dr Noha Ahmed Nasef Medical Science

Research Officer

Doctoral Co-Supervisor
Riddet Institute

Dr Nasef has developed research capabilities and cross-disciplinary collaborations to assess how NZ grown functional foods can regulate inflammation and contribute towards improved management of chronic diseases. She has acquired and applied skills in cell and molecular biology, microscopy and conducted animal and human studies to understand how functional foods regulate inflammation. Dr Nasef has a multidisciplinary background along with experience in running clinical trials and in-depth knowledge of NZ’s food and agricultural landscape,

Professional

Qualifications

  • Medical Science - University of Auckland (2014)

Research Expertise

Research Interests

Clincal trials

Inflammation

Functional foods

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Cell biology

Thematics

Health and Well-being, Future Food Systems

Area of Expertise

Field of research codes
Biochemistry and Cell Biology (060100): Biological Sciences (060000):
Dietetics and Nutrigenomics (111102): Immunology (110700): Innate Immunity (110707): Medical And Health Sciences (110000): Nutrition and Dietetics (111100)

Research Projects

Current Projects

Project Title: Applicability of ulcerative colitis dietary guidelines in New Zealand

Several international dietary guidelines, reviews and studies for ulcerative colitis have been published over the years. However, these guidelines are not easily applied in a NZ setting due to limitations of resources in our health sector. Additionally, the dietary advise may not be relevant to new zealanders due to differences in cultural and social practices and availability of recommended food choices. In this project, we will develop dietary recommendations for UC that is better aligned with the NZ healthcare resources particularly in the smaller or under resourced regions of Aotearoa. Additionally, we will collect feedback from ulcerative colitis individuals to better understand their dietary habits in relation to their disease to ensure better uptake of dietary recommendations.
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Date Range: 2025 - 2026

Funding Body: Health Research Council of New Zealand

Project Team:

Completed Projects

Project Title: Assessing the utility of measuring mesentric adipose tissue in Crohn's disease

Belly fat is reported to have an important role in Crohn's disease progression. This makes belly fat a potential therapeutic target that can be influenced by the external environment including the gut microbiota and diet. In this study, we validate the use of imaging as a non invasive diagnostic tool for measuring inflamed belly fat in people with Crohn's disease. The imaging tool can be used to assess the effectiveness of different therapies on belly fat to improve outcomes for sufferers of Crohn's disease
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Date Range: 2025 - 2026

Funding Body: Health Research Council of New Zealand

Project Team:

Project Title: Utility of dietary management of ulcerative colitis

Date Range: 2023 - 2025

Funding Body: Health Research Council of New Zealand

Project Team:

Project Title: Developing knowledge exchange on apple intake for equitable gut health outcomes

Developing knowledge exchange on apple intake for equitable gut health outcomes
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Date Range: 2023 - 2023

Funding Body: HRC - Research Activation Grant

Project Team:

Teaching and Supervision

Contact Supervisor

Completed Doctoral Supervision

Co-supervisor of:

  • 2024 - Linda Nezbedova - Doctor of Philosophy
    Investigating the Health Benefits of Monty’s Surprise Apple Phytochemicals