Nutrition and Food Security
Guy Roussel Takuissu Nguemto
Dr Guy R. Takuissu Nguemto is a Cameroonian biochemist and nutrition scientist whose research bridges molecular biology, public health nutrition, and food security to address major health challenges in low-resource settings. He obtained his PhD in Food Science and Nutrition from the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, in 2020, before undertaking postdoctoral research in pharmacology at the University of the Free State, South Africa. His postdoctoral work focused on medicinal plants, pancreatic β-cell biology, and pharmacological approaches to diabetes prevention and management. His research integrates molecular, clinical, and epidemiological approaches to understanding non-communicable diseases, with particular emphasis on the role of gut microbiota, enteric viruses, and diet in metabolic disorders, malnutrition, and foodborne diseases. He has led and contributed to multidisciplinary research projects on the valorisation of indigenous food and medicinal plants, culturally appropriate nutrition interventions, and health systems strengthening, while mentoring numerous young scientists across Africa.
Dr Takuissu Nguemto serves as Head Deputy of the Centre for Research in Food, Food Security and Nutrition at the Institute of Medical Research and Medicinal Plants Studies (IMPM), Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Cameroon. He is also Director of Research at the J&A Oben Foundation, where he leads research on innovative nutritional interventions aimed at combating malnutrition and improving the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations. In addition, he is the General Coordinator of the Cameroon Junior Scientist Association (CamJuSA), promoting scientific excellence through mentorship, capacity building, and collaborative networking for early-career researchers. Dr Takuissu Nguemto is an active member of several international scientific organisations, including the Global Young Academy, the American Society for Nutrition, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA)-Africa.
Background
Malnutrition and diet-related disorders remain among the most pressing global public health challenges, disproportionately affecting populations in fragile and resource-limited settings. Undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies (hidden hunger), and the growing prevalence of overweight and obesity increasingly coexist within the same communities, households, and even individuals. These nutritional challenges often occur alongside infectious diseases such as diarrhoeal illnesses, tuberculosis, HIV, and parasitic infections, as well as non-communicable diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. This complex and overlapping burden impairs physical growth, weakens immune function, compromises cognitive development, and increases the risk of morbidity and premature mortality across the life course. It also reduces educational attainment and economic productivity, increases healthcare costs, and places considerable pressure on already overstretched health systems. These health challenges are further exacerbated by food insecurity driven by poverty, climate change, conflict, environmental degradation, and increasingly fragile food systems. Addressing this multifaceted burden requires a deeper understanding of how malnutrition and diet-related disorders interact with infectious and chronic diseases within populations facing multiple biological, environmental, and socioeconomic vulnerabilities. Such evidence is fundamental for developing effective policies and interventions that improve nutritional health, strengthen resilience, and help break the intergenerational cycle of ill health and poverty.
Research Goals
The Nutrition and Food Security (NFS) Research Group works at the interface of nutritional epidemiology, public health nutrition, and translational research to address these interconnected challenges. Our mission is to generate high-quality evidence and develop culturally appropriate, context-specific nutritional interventions that improve health outcomes among vulnerable populations. By integrating population-based surveys, clinical and epidemiological studies, laboratory research, and implementation science, we investigate the biological, environmental, behavioural, and social determinants of malnutrition and diet-related diseases. NFS Research Group translates these findings into practical strategies that enhance the prevention and management of both infectious and non-communicable diseases, strengthen food systems, and support equitable, resilient, and sustainable improvements in health and human development.
The NFS Research Group is organised around three complementary Research Axes that collectively address the biological, environmental, social, and policy dimensions of malnutrition, food insecurity, and diet-related diseases. Together, these Research Axes generate evidence to inform effective interventions, strengthen health systems, and improve nutrition and health outcomes across the life course.
Research Axis #1 - Epidemiology of malnutrition and food insecurity
This Research Axis aims to generate a comprehensive understanding of the magnitude, distribution, determinants, and evolving patterns of malnutrition and food insecurity across diverse ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural settings in Cameroon and other low- and middle-income countries. It addresses all forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies (hidden hunger), overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases, while examining their interactions with infectious diseases and other emerging public health threats. Particular emphasis is placed on populations at greatest risk of nutritional vulnerability, including infants and young children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating women, older adults, displaced populations, and individuals living with HIV, tuberculosis, parasitic infections, or chronic non-communicable diseases. Research within this axis integrates quantitative and qualitative methodologies to characterise nutritional vulnerabilities at household, community, and national levels. Population-based surveys assess dietary intake, nutritional status, anthropometric indicators, biomarkers of micronutrient deficiency, and household food security. Spatial epidemiology and geospatial modelling are used to identify nutritional hotspots and examine their relationships with poverty, agricultural productivity, food systems, climate change, urbanisation, and seasonal variation. Qualitative and mixed-methods studies further investigate the cultural, behavioural, gender-related, and structural factors that influence dietary practices, food access, and nutrition policy implementation.
Research Axis #2 - Nutritional interventions for populations with multiple disease burdens
This Research Axis focuses on developing and evaluating evidence-based nutritional interventions that prevent disease, improve clinical outcomes, and enhance quality of life among populations affected by multiple and overlapping infectious and non-communicable diseases. Recognising that malnutrition both contributes to and results from disease, this research seeks to identify nutritional strategies that strengthen resilience and support integrated disease management. Research activities include clinical and community-based intervention studies evaluating balanced dietary patterns, targeted nutrient supplementation, functional foods, and food-based approaches for individuals living with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, HIV, tuberculosis, parasitic infections, and chronic gastrointestinal disorders. Particular attention is given to identifying affordable and culturally acceptable dietary interventions suitable for resource-constrained settings. The Research Axis also investigates the therapeutic potential of bioactive compounds derived from indigenous foods and medicinal plants in reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, metabolic dysfunction, and organ damage associated with chronic diseases. Additional work explores nutrition education, behaviour change strategies, and community-based programmes designed to prevent progression from pre-disease conditions, such as prediabetes, early metabolic syndrome, and mild undernutrition, to severe disease and long-term complications. Through implementation research, the axis aims to translate scientific evidence into scalable interventions that can be integrated into routine healthcare and public health programmes.
Research Axis #3 - Gut microbiota, enteric infections and nutritional disorders
This Research Axis investigates the complex interactions between the gut microbiota, enteric pathogens, nutrition, and host metabolism, with the goal of advancing precision nutrition and improving health outcomes. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding how alterations in the gut microbiome and virome contribute to malnutrition, impaired immunity, chronic inflammation, and metabolic diseases. Research explores the role of bacterial, viral, and parasitic enteric infections in disrupting intestinal microbial communities, impairing nutrient absorption, and influencing growth and metabolic function, particularly among children, immunocompromised individuals, and other vulnerable populations. Planned studies include characterising gut microbial and viral diversity using advanced molecular and genomic approaches, investigating the mechanisms through which pathogens such as rotavirus, norovirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, and intestinal parasites alter gut function, and assessing their long-term effects on nutritional status and disease susceptibility. The axis further evaluates innovative interventions – including dietary modification, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, fermented foods, and microbiome-targeted therapies – to restore microbial balance, improve intestinal health, and enhance resistance to enteric infections. By integrating microbiology, nutrition, immunology, epidemiology, and systems biology, this research seeks to elucidate how interactions between the microbiome, virome, host immune responses, and environmental exposures shape susceptibility to both infectious and non-communicable diseases. The knowledge generated will contribute to the development of novel nutrition-based strategies for preventing and managing malnutrition and improving population health.
Dr. Guy R. Takuissu Nguemto
Prof. Judith Ngondi
Head Deputy Laboratory of Nutrition and Nutritional Biochemistry at the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, contributes expertise in medicinal plant research, preclinical studies, and the valorisation of local resources for food fortification and therapeutic interventions.
Prof. André Pascal Kengne
Director of Programs at the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in Nairobi, Kenya, provides expertise in epidemiological study design, metabolic disease data analysis, and regional collaborations on diabetes and cardiovascular health among food-insecure populations.
Dr. Guy R. Takuissu Nguemto
Group Leader
takuissunguemto@trendfoundation.org
Dr. Takang Beyang Glen Ayuketa
Deputy Group Leader
takangbeyang@trendfoundation.org