Jessica Virgili

Jessica is a PhD student at the University of Exeter, under the supervision of Dr Luciana Torquati, Prof Anni Vanhatalo, Dr Bert Bond, and A/Prof David Vauzour. Her research investigates the potential of dietary interventions to enhance vascular health, with a specific focus on the combined and independent effects of dietary nitrate and inulin, a fermentable fibre. Jessica's work aims to elucidate the pharmacokinetics of nitric oxide (NO) biomarkers and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), especially acetate, in response to nitrate ingestion with inulin supplementation. She also examines the chronic effects of these dietary components on NO biomarkers, SCFAs, gut microbiome composition and diversity, and vascular function (flow-mediated dilation and blood pressure) in hypertensive individuals. A key aspect of her research is understanding how diet-induced changes in the gut microbiome contribute to better vascular health, highlighting the gut microbiome's crucial role in enhancing vascular function and overall wellbeing. This research is supported by funding from the Rank Prize Fund and the University of Exeter.