Additional items:
Nutrimenthe Activities
This page gives feedback from events and symposia NUTRIMENTHE has attended during the lifetime of the project.
NUTRIMENTHE at the 11th European Nutrition Conference, Madrid, October 2011
The NUTRIMENTHE consortium hosted a symposium “Nutrition and Cognitive Function” that attracted 250 delegates.
NUTRIMENTHE at the first European Food Science Day, Brussels November 2009
NUTRIMENTHE was represented at the first European Food Science Day in Brussels on 18th November 2009. The event, organised by CommNet, focussed on the need for better communication of food research to industry, policy makers and consumers. The event brought together a wide ranging audience of over 100 participants from all over Europe. Speakers included Catherine Geslain-Laneelle the Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority, Beate Kettlitz from the Confederation of Food and Drink Industries of the EU, the MEP Lena Ek, Maeve Rute from DG Research and Willemwin Bax from the European Consumers Organisation. The event also enabled nine Framework funded Food projects to present their results in three breakout sessions on “Safer Food”, “Improving Health” and “Reducing Risk” and for others to display posters. The full text of Catherine Geslain-Laneelle’s speech can be viewed here:
“Knowledge is nothing if not shared” and the event highlighted the need for food scientists to be better at explaining what they are doing. To be able to explain in simple terms the results of food research beyond the confines of their own immediate community. Maeve Rute from DG Research emphasised that although the EC has made dissemination and communication a contractual obligation for projects, there is room for improvement. The EC’s view is that consortia need to reach beyond their own partners and immediate scientific community. Websites are projects’ main means of communication but tend to be targeted just to partners, only a third of projects publish newspaper articles and very few have used TV for example. Will the EC be doing anything to help? In the future, communication training for Food scientists is being considered through calls for proposals to the current Food workprogramme. The EC is also to establish a communication portal next year as a means for project results to find their way to stakeholders. They also wish to promote the CommNET partnership and encourage more linkage between projects. All in all a lively and stimulating event that may be repeated annually.
NUTRIMENTHE at the Power of Programming Conference, Munich, May 2010
The Power of Programming – feedback from event May 2010.
NUTRIMENTHE at the EuroScience Open Forum, Turin, July 2010
NUTRIMENTHE was represented at the EuroScience Open Forum conference that took place in a very warm Turin at the FIAT factory.
Feeding the Future Generation – York, October 2010
Delegates from around Europe gathered in York on 6th October 2010 for an event that showcased the research of NUTRIMENTHE. The event, sponsored by Unilever, a partner in the project, was organised by one of the UK partners, Beta Technology.
NUTRIMENTHE’s five-year research programme, which began in March 2008, has brought together paediatricians, health professionals and nutritionists in an ambitious project to assess the link between the food pregnant mothers, babies and children eat, to health and mental performance in later life. “It is too early for any definitive results at this stage,” said Beta Technology Director Jayne Evans. “But is clear from the research so far that food intake, especially by mothers during pregnancy, is important to foetal brain development.”
In her welcome address, Professor Cristina Campoy, of the University of Granada, who is leading the project, said: “Our goal is to examine the effects of diet on the mental performance of children. Included in this is a study on the effects of multivitamins and supplements on children which will produce new data on childhood development. The programme also includes research into consumer understanding of the relationship between diet and mental performance and economic implications of the project. Once we understand how best to improve the diet of children we can also understand how to improve their IQ.”
Key results presented at the Open Forum included:
Biological aspects
- Folic acid supplementation during the first three months of pregnancy is associated with less behavioural problems in children aged 18-months.
- Folates influence brain growth and development directly.
- There is observational evidence that fish eating in pregnancy and breast feeding are beneficial to child development – this may be due to their fatty acid content, in particular the Omega 3 fatty acid Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The child’s diet may also be important.
- Genetic variants modify these effects; however other studies are needed to confirm this.
- Breast feeding is particularly important to infants with some genotypes.
- Supplementation with DHA during pregnancy relates to higher DHA levels in maternal and umbilical plasma and red blood cell phospholipids.
- Higher maternal and foetal DHA status during pregnancy relates to better performance in neuropsychomotor tests at 5 ½ and cognitive examination at 6 ½ years of age.
- Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) status prior to the 20th week of pregnancy may be relevant for children’s neurological development.
Consumer perceptions
- Consumers (parents and teachers) taking part in a study in four countries (UK, Germany, Hungary and Spain) had a concept of a healthy diet, which involved balance, variety and moderation.
- Parents discussed the effects of diet on mental performance principally in terms of effects on Attention and Concentration.
- All teachers reported an awareness of the effect of diet on children’s performance in school.
Economic aspects
- Improving mental function has a huge economic potential and relatively small improvements in cognitive skills can have very large impacts on a nation’s future well-being
Presentations from the event
Welcome address and introduction to the NUTRIMENTHE Project
Maternal folic acid supplement use in early pregnancy and child behavioural problems
Genetic variation of the FADS1 and FADS2 gene cluster as related to fatty acid metabolism
Long-term effects of prenatal nutrition on brain development
Effect of protein intake during infancy on long-term mental performance
The effect of micronutrient (B vitamin) supplementation on cognitive development in pre-school children
Quantitative requirements of N-3 LC-PUFA for neural function in children with phenylketonuria
Methods of assessment of mental performance and behaviour
Consumer expectations-how parents and teachers perceive that food affects mental performance
Economic impact of improving mental function
NUTRIMENTHE Symposium in Milan, Italy, November 2012
NUTRIMENTHE symposium in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, May 2012
