Day stay (single day) studies carried out within the Human Nutrition Unit research clinic – these studies require volunteer participants to spend the day at the Unit where a range of tests are carried. Most studies are complete by 5pm when volunteers return home.

Longer term (1-4 weeks) residential studies carried out within the Human Nutrition Unit residential facility – these studies require volunteer participants to live at the Unit and follow a carefully controlled dietary regime. Breakfast, dinner and overnight stay occur within the comfortable facilities of the Unit. During the day participants may attend work or study taking with them their food requirements for the day. Careful control and provision of all dietary components increases both the accuracy of the trial, since precise dietary components can be altered, and the compliance of the participants.

Many of these studies are of a 'cross-over' design, where the participant completes both the treatment and control arms of the trial. This gives additional power to the study to detect significant effects of the dietary component under investigation using only a small number of trial subjects.

Entry into the trial is randomised and treatment group blinded until completion.