Role
Senior Lecturer in Nutrition
Dr Hunter is a member of the Sport Science Academic Team. She is Module Leader of Applied Nutrition. Previously responsible for the design, validation and then Course Leadership of BSc (Hons) Exercise Nutrition and Health. Research interests in the role of the gut microbiome in health and disease. Scientific Advisor to the UK All Party Parliamentary Group Human Microbiome.
Career overview
Dr Hunter gained her PhD from the University of Aberdeen in the development of stable isotope techniques to study protein synthesis in humans in vivo. She went on to undertake a 3 year post-doctoral position at the Rowett Research Institute in which she coordinated a MAFF-funded project investigating the influence of dietary lipids on post-prandial haemostasis. Since then, she has coordinated the design and validation of two undergraduate degrees relating to nutrition at Nottingham Trent University and taught undergraduate and postgraduate modules relating to nutrition, metabolism, and health promotion.
Research areas
Dr Hunter is an active member of the Sport, Health and Performance Enhancement Research Group and the Biomedical, Life and Health Sciences Research Centre
Current Research Students:
- Kelly Johal
- Catarina Ramos
- Hannah Lindsell
- Connor Parker
- Nicola Camp
- Matthew Savage
- Mollie Pinkney
Dr Hunter’s research focusses on the impact of nutrition on health and disease in humans. She has the following main areas of interest:
- The gut microbiome in health and disease.
- Nutrition for performance and health in the workplace.
- Psychosensory methods for improving health.
Opportunities arise to carry out postgraduate research towards an MPhil / PhD in the areas identified above. Further information may be obtained on the NTU Research Degrees website https://www.ntu.ac.uk/research/research-degrees-at-ntu.
External activity
Dr Hunter is a Scientific Advisor to the All Party Parliamentary Group: Human Gut Microbiome.
She is a member of The Physiological Society.
Sponsors and collaborators
Internal Collaborators:
- Dr Neil Williams, Senior Lecturer in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition
- Dr Alex Sumich, Associate Professor in Biopsychology and Mental Health
- Dr Nadja Heym, Associate Professor in Personality Psychology and Psychopathology
- Dr Fiona Freeman, Principal Lecturer in Neuropharmacology
- Dr Mustafa Sarkar. Associate Professor in Sport and Performance Psychology
- Dr Daniele Magistro. Senior Lecturer in Physical Activity and Health
External Collaborators:
- Professor Glenn Gibson, Professor of Food Microbiology, University of Reading
- Dr Gemma Walton, Associate Professor in Metabolomics, University of Reading
Publications
Biddulph, B., Morris, J.G., Lewis, M., Hunter, K., Sunderland, C. (2023). Reliability of near infrared spectroscopy with and without compression tights during exercise and recovery activities. Sports, 11(2), 23. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports11020023
Ramos, C., Gibson, G., Walton, G., Magistro, D., Kinnear, W., Hunter, K. (2022). Systematic review of the effects of exercise and physical activity on the gut microbiome of older adults. Nutrients, 14, 674. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14030674.
Tropimova, I., Bajaj, S., Bashkatov S.A., Blair J., Brandt, A., Chan, R.C.K., Clemens, B., Corr, P.J., Cyniak-Cieciura, M., Demidova, L., Filippi, C.A., Gaaripova, M., Habel, U., Haines, N., Heym, N., Hunter, K., Jones, N.A., Kanen J., KirensyayaI, A., Kumari, V., Lenzoni, S., Lui, S.S.Y., Mathur, A., McNaughton, N., Mize, K.D., Mueller, E., Netter, P., Paul, K., Pickering, A.D., Pleiger, T., Raine, A., Reuter, M., Robbins, T.W., Samylkin, D., Storozheva, Z., Sulis, W., Sumich, A., Tkachenko, A., Valadez, E.A., Wacker, J., Wagels, L., Wang, L.-L. and Zawadzki, B. (2022). What's next for the neurobiology of temperament, personality and psychopathology? Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. ISSN 2352-1546 (Forthcoming).
Camp, N., Fernandes Ramos, A.C., Hunter, K., Boat, R. and Magistro, D. (2022). Differences in self-control, self-efficacy and depressive symptoms between active and inactive middle-aged and older adults after 1 year of COVID restrictions. Aging and Mental Health, 25, 1-6. DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2022.2046691
Sumich, A., Heym, N., Lenzoni, S., Hunter, K. (2022). Gut microbiome-brain axis and inflammation in temperament, personality and psychopathology. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 44, 101101.
Camp, N., Johnston, J., Lewis, M.G.C., Zecca, M., Di Nuovo, A., Hunter, K. and Magistro, D. (2022). Perceptions of in-home monitoring technology for activities of daily living: semistructured interview study with community-dwelling older adults. JMIR Aging, 5 (2): e33714. ISSN 2561-7605
Cunningham, M., Azcarate-Peril, M.A., Barnard, A., Benoit V., Grimaldi, R., Guyonnet, D., Holscher, H.D., Hunter, K., Manurung, S., Obis, D., Petrova, M.I., Steinert, R.E., Van Sinderen, D., Vulevic, J., Gibson, G.R. and Swanson, K.S. (2021). Shaping the future of probiotics and prebiotics. Trends in Microbiology. ISSN 0966-842X.
Fido, D., Heym, N., Bloxsom, C.A.J., Hunter, K.A., Gregson, M. and Sumich, A. (2021). Don't slap the fish: the relationship between dietary omega-3 intake and physical aggression is mediated by motor inhibition in response to distressed faces. Personality and Individual Differences, 169: 110062. ISSN 0191-8869.
Camp N., Lewis M., Hunter K, Johnston J., Zecca M., Di Nuovo A., and Magistro D. (2021). Technologies used to recognize Activities of Daily Living in community-dwelling older adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(1), 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010163.
Walton G.E., Gibson, G.R. and Hunter K.A. (2020). Mechanisms linking the human gut microbiome to prophylactic and treatment strategies for COVID-19. British Journal of Nutrition, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114520003980
Heym, N., Heasman, B.C., Hunter, K., Blanco, S.R., Wang, G.Y., Siegert, R., Cleare, A., Gibson, G.R., Kumari V. and Sumich, A.L. (2019). The role of microbiota and inflammation in self-judgement and empathy: implications for understanding the brain-gut-microbiome axis in depression. Psychopharmacology, 236 (5), pp. 1459-1470. ISSN 0033-3158.
Williams N.C., Hunter K.A., Shaw D.E., Jackson K.G,. Sharpe G.R. and Johnson M.A. (2017). Comparable reductions in hyperpnoea-induced bronchoconstriction and markers of airway inflammation after supplementation with 6.2 and 3.1 g/d of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty 3 acids in adults with asthma. British Journal of Nutrition, 117(10). 1379-1389.
Williams, N.C., Johnson, M.A., Shaw, D.E., Spendlove, I., Vulevic, J., Sharpe, G.R. and Hunter, K.A. (2016). A prebiotic galactooligosaccharide mixture reduces severity of hyperpnoea-induced bronchoconstriction and markers of airway inflammation. British Journal of Nutrition, 116(5). 798-804.