NNI News Releases

Discover the new NNI website

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 Z

At the end of 2012 we conducted a survey amongst our registered NNI members. We wanted to understand how we could improve the NNI website to make it easier to use. As a result, we are happy to bring to you our new website which has been completely redesigned to provide you with the best possible experience. You can read about the key improvements below, or if you prefer you can watch a short video explaining them on our YouTube channel.

Key Site Improvements:

Personalized Content
Everything you need is on the homepage. Please take a few minutes to update your profile with your nutrition interests and we’ll show you the most relevant content directly on your own personalized homepage.

Mobile Optimized
The new and improved site can be viewed on ANY mobile device. All of our content has been optimized so that you can access it on your mobile phone or tablet.

Improved Search
We’ve made our search functionality more intuitive. This it covers more pages and makes it easier for you to find exactly what you want. Try it out and see.

Simplified Navigation
We have simplified the layout. It’s crisper, cleaner, and much easier to navigate. Our one click philosophy means everything you need is right at your fingertips.

Faster Performance
We have made every effort to make the site more efficient so that you spend less time waiting for pages to load and more time enjoying our free content.

We realise that this is just the start and we fully intend to continue improving the site and finding new ways to deliver you the latest nutrition information to support you in your professional life.
Please feel free to contact us and let us know your thoughts on our new design and share with us your ideas on how we can continue to improve the site for you.

IPOKRaTES extends access to free lectures on IP-tv-teleducation until May 31, 2013

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 Z

IPOKRaTES is offering another special opportunity to view all IPOKRaTES lectures on IPO-TV-teleducation free of charge until the end of May. This will be available via their website.

IPOKRaTES-TV also presents lectures held by IPOKRaTES faculty at seminars. These lectures listed below are now available here. Please follow the link and then click on to IPO-TV.

Lectures of seminars:
1. Preventing and Protecting Brain and Lung from Injury, Rome 2011 Lecturers: Ferriero Donna, Cilio Maria Roberta, Mercuri Eugenio, Jobe Alan, Morley Colin, Thebaud Bernard

2. Pediatric Cardiology, La Spezia 2011 Lecturers: Friedberg M, Hasbani K, Sanders SP, Shirali G, Silverman N

3. Nutrition and Gastroenterology, Athens 2011, Lecturers: Neu J, Bell Ed, Hay W, Martin C

4. Comprehensive Care of the very premature infant, Lecco 2012, Lecturers: Costeloe K, Juul S, Navarro S, Rojas M

5. Neonatal Hemodynamics, Porto 2012, Lecturers: Seri I, Kluckow M, Greisen G, Noori S

6. Best of IPOKRaTES: An Update in Neonatology, Leuven 2012, Lecturers: Aschner J, Keszler M, Martin R, van Kaam A, Polin R, Haque K, Neu J, Hay W, Young T, Cilio RM, Groendendaal F, Inder TE, Toet M

7. Comprehensive Brain Care for Newborn Infants, Turin 2012, Lecturers: Cilio RM, De Vries L , Connemann N , Yager J

NNI’s 78th Workshop looks beyond the UN’s MDGs to better international nutrition

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 Z

Last month NNI hosted its 78th NNI workshop, looking at “International Nutrition: Achieving Millennium Goals and Beyond”.

The aim of the two-day event was to highlight the link between better nutrition, particularly in children and young women, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and to elevate the importance of nutrition on the international agenda – an important topic which is all too often overlooked.

Given the workshop’s goal, while it was held in Muscat, Oman and attended by 70 healthcare professionals (HCPs), for the first time it was also broadcast live via the NNI website, to reach thousands more HCPs around the world.

With more than 8,000 visits to the broadcast, it will not be the last time we use technology in this way to share key knowledge with HCPs and draw attention to critical nutrition related topics.

During the workshop 14 leading experts took to the podium, including:

B. Black: ‘Global distribution and disease burden related to micronutrient deficiencies’

B. Yarnoff: ‘How feeding practices affect height, weight and disease in infants in emerging countries’

R. Uauy: ‘Double burden of disease’

Z. Bhutta: ‘Meta-Analysis of Nutrition interventions to prevent of treat under nutrition’

A.Singhal: ‘Non-communicable disease: Role of early life factors’

A. Misra: ‘Obesity and the metabolic syndrome in developing countries: focus on South Asia’

We look forward to announcing more live broadcasts in the future. In the meantime, you can visit the Online Conferences section of our website to see Prof. Ricardo Uauy’s discussion on the double burden of disease. In this talk, Uauy looks at how an integrated agenda is needed to address the root causes of malnutrition – starting with under-nutrition to prevent death in young children and as an important first step in preventing adult nutrition-related chronic disease.

NNI announces the winner of the 2013 Fomon Physician Award at Experimental Biology

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 Z

The 2013 Samuel J. Fomon Young Physician Award will be presented to Dr. Parmi Suchdev at the 2013 ASN Scientific Sessions and Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology in Boston . This award is given to a physician within ten years of medical postdoctoral training, for outstanding work in the general area of pediatric nutrition, infant growth or body composition. As the award honors Dr. Fomon, preclinical and/or clinical research that contributes to medical applications or impacts the practice of infant feeding will be recognized.

Dr. Suchdev is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University and a medical epidemiologist with the CDC Nutrition Branch. Dr. Suchdev teaches medical students and residents at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta as a Pediatric Hospitalist. He also has joint appointments in the Hubert Department of Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health and the Program in Nutrition Health Sciences at the Laney Graduate School where he teaches a graduate nutrition course and mentors students. Dr. Suchdev received his medical and public health training at Northwestern University and completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of Washington. He completed the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service fellowship before joining the Emory faculty in 2007.

Dr. Suchdev’s research focuses on micronutrient malnutrition, in particular the safety and effectiveness of home fortification programs, as well as the effects of infection/inflammation on nutrition biomarkers. Since 2010, he has written 14 papers on this topic, which has contributed to the formulation of global policy by the WHO. Dr. Suchdev has been the principal investigator of a longitudinal effectiveness study in western Kenya, which found that selling Sprinkles through community vendors was effective in reducing anemia, iron deficiency, and vitamin A deficiency in children less than 5 years of age.

Special NNI Offer –Join the American Society for Nutrition before 12/31/2013 and save $25 on your membership

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 Z

Prof. Andrew Prentice, Professor of International Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Chair of the ASN Membership Committee, would like to invite all NNI members to join the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) at a special $25 savings by using the code NNI2013 on their membership application.

Established in 1928, ASN is a global society and publisher of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, The Journal of Nutrition and Advances in Nutrition. ASN is the authoritative voice in nutrition science and a home to nearly 5,000 members across 75 different countries. As part of ASN’s mission to support the dissemination and application of nutrition science to improve public health and clinical practice worldwide, ASN members living in a country identified by the World Bank as a low, lower-middle or upper-middle income economy are eligible for a discounted $50 annual dues rate. Note: International regular/associate applicants are still eligible to utilize the $25 discount. This means that you pay only $25 for one full year of membership!

ASN members receive benefits ranging from free access to the top peer-reviewed journals in the nutrition and dietetics category, reduced registration rates to topical meetings and conferences (members save $165 on registration to Experimental Biology 2013 and networking among Research Interest Sections and Councils. Whatever your research or clinical specialty, ASN can keep you informed and advance your career. Take advantage of this limited time offer!

Apply by 12/31/2013 and use the code NNI2013 to save $25 off of your membership application today!

NNI Expands its Free E-Learning Resource

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 Z

E-Learning is a particularly useful tool for Health Care Professionals (HCPs) as it is widely available and flexible to fit around busy schedules and shift working patterns.

For this reason, the Nestlé Nutrition Institute is expanding its range of online learning. This also supports the NNI’s aim to share science-based information and education with HCPs to enhance people’s lives around the globe.

Three new case study-based learning programs are now available via the E-Learning section of the NNI website:

• A newborn baby whose older sibling has moderately severe atopic dermatitis
• Sisters - a 2-month-old with colic and an 18-month-old with diarrhea
• A new mother of twins who wants to breastfeed

The NNI E-Learning page also now includes a webcast on preventing pediatric obesity and a section of courses, which have expired credit, but still provide useful learning opportunities.

Launch of the new NNI Vietnam website

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 Z

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute is always trying to expand its reach to health care professionals and scientists all around the world. This month we welcome Vietnam as the latest country to launch a local NNI website. This gives Vietnamese heatlh care professionals access to resources and publications in their own language and the opportunity to have a website enriched with local content from renowed local experts.

Ten-year results from German Infant Nutritional Intervention (GINI) study shows early intervention can have a long-lasting impact on childhood allergies

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 00:00:00 Z

Allergic diseases are increasing globally, so the need to find effective preventative measures is also increasing.

In a ten-year study, the German Infant Nutritional Intervention (GINI) that the intervention with certain hydrolyzed formula (for non-breastfed infants) during the first four months of life led to allergy prevention that could last until up to 10 years of age.

Early contact with food allergens can help infants develop both tolerance and sensitization to food antigens, so nutritional intervention strategies have been suggested for primary allergy prevention.
The GINI trial investigated the effect of hydrolyzed infant formulas on allergic phenotypes in children with family history of allergies.

At birth, the participating children were randomly assigned to eceive, for the first 4 months, one of four blinded formulas as breast milk substitute, if necessary. Follow-up with the children after 10 years showed a significant preventive effect on the cumulative incidence of allergic diseases, particularly atopic eczema/dermatitis. Partially hydrolyzed whey formula and extensively hydrolyzed casein formula showed results that persisted until 10 years without rebound, whereas extensively hydrolyzed whey formula showed no significant risk reduction.

More information about the study results will be presented at NNI Satellite Symposium during the ESPGHAN congress, in London, on May 9 The presentation will be broadcasted after the conference on NNI website.

The study results have just been published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

IPOKRaTES offers access to free lectures on IP-tv-teleducation from April 2 to April 30, 2013

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:00:00 Z

IPOKRaTES will offer a unique and special opportunity to view all IPOKRaTES lectures on IPO-TV-teleducation free of charge from April 2 to April 30,2013. This will be available via their website.

IPOKRaTES-TV also presents lectures held by IPOKRaTES faculty at seminars. These lectures listed below are now available here. Please follow the link and then click on to IPO-TV.

Lectures of seminars:

1. Preventing and Protecting Brain and Lung from Injury, Rome 2011 Lecturers: Ferriero Donna, Cilio Maria Roberta, Mercuri Eugenio, Jobe Alan, Morley Colin, Thebaud Bernard

2. Pediatric Cardiology, La Spezia 2011 Lecturers: Friedberg M, Hasbani K, Sanders SP, Shirali G, Silverman N

3. Nutrition and Gastroenterology, Athens 2011 Lecturers: Neu J, Bell Ed, Hay W, Martin C

4. Comprehensive Care of the premature infant, Lecco 2012 Lecturers: Costeloe K, Juul S, Navarro S, Rojas M

5. Neonatal Hemodynamics, Porto 2012 Lecturers: Seri I, Kluckow M, Greisen G, Noori S

6. Best of IPOKRaTES: An Update in Neonatology, Leuven 2012 Lecturers: Aschner J, Keszler M, Martin R, van Kaam A, Polin R, Haque K, Neu J, Hay W, Young T, Cilio RM, Groendendaal F, Inder TE, Toet M, Noori S.

NNI Research Fellowship – could it further your research?

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 Z

NNI Research Fellowship - Could you take your research further?The NNI Research Fellowship Program was established to help build global capacity in nutrition research and support young healthcare professionals interested in maternal and infant nutrition.

Through the program, successful applicants could receive up to CHF 20,000 to support their studies into the impact of nutrition on the health of young women, mothers and children.

In 2012, 20 applications were received and five grants subsequently awarded. You could be the next one!

Applications are now being taken for the next NNI Fellowship Grant. The deadline is 1 April 2013. For more information and an application form, visit the NNI Fellowship page on our website.

NNI Pediatric Nutrition Course shares latest evidence-based research with young HCPs in Singapore

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 00:00:00 Z

NNI Pediatric Nutrition Course shares latest evidence-based research with young HCPs in Singapore. In January, over 45 young healthcare professionals from across the globe discovered the latest advances in maternal infant and child nutrition at NNI’s Pediatric Nutrition Course, held in Singapore.

Over the six-day course, participants were reminded of the crucial role nutrition plays in the first 1,000 days of life, as well as having the opportunity to bring their knowledge up to date with presentations of the very latest evidence-based pediatric scientific research.

These lectures included the results and discussions from a recent groundbreaking study into effect of duodenal infusion of donor feces in patients with recurrent C. difficile infection and an examination of the growing evidence that the administration of probiotics such as Lactobacillus reuteri in breastfed babies, can relieve the symptoms of colic.

You can find more studies relating to early feeding on the NNI website, in the article Infantile Colic: Probiotics a Novel Therapeutic Study?, and in Prof. H. Van Goudoever’s NNI webinar: Enteral Feeding for Premature Babies.

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute aims to enhance the quality of people’s lives by fostering “Science for Better Nutrition” and sharing science based information with health professionals the world over. It does this through its publications, events (including its courses in Pediatric Nutrition), grants and fellowships and the extensive resources available on the NNI website.

Clinical Use of Probiotics in Pediatric Allergy (CUPPA): A World Allergy Organization Position Paper

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:00:00 Z

The WAO position paper published in WAO Journal 2012; 5: 148 – 167, concludes that there is no established role of probiotic supplementation in the prevention or treatment of pediatric allergy. Further epidemiologic, immunological, microbiological, genetic, and clinical studies are necessary to determine whether probiotic supplements will be useful in preventing allergy. Until then, supplementation with probiotics remains empirical in allergy medicine. In the future, basic research should focus on homoeostatic studies, and clinical research should focus on preventive medicine applications, not only in allergy. Collaborations between allergo-immunologists and microbiologists in basic research and a multidisciplinary approach in clinical research are likely to be the most fruitful.

Key role for Enteral Nutrition as Prevalence of Paediatric Crohn’s Disease increases

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 Z

Vevey, Switzerland, January 2013 – Exclusive enteral nutrition in paediatric Crohn’s disease is a highly effective, well-tolerated, anti-inflammatory treatment and contributes to mucosal healing according to experts at the recent Nestlé Nutrition Institute symposium at the 4th World Congress of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (WCPGHAN) held in Taipei (Taiwan). Speakers emphasised the importance of meticulous attention to the nutritional needs of young patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as a way of improving long-term disease outcomes and not just treating the inflammatory component of the disease. The worldwide incidence and burden of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis is rising with studies showing that it is twice as common compared with ulcerative colitis in the paediatric age group. The impact of Crohn’s disease on pubertal development can be devastating, manifesting as micro-nutrient deficiencies, inadequate macro-nutrients, weight loss and impaired growth. The Nestlé Nutrition Institute brought together experts in paediatric Crohn’s disease to discuss Nutritional Novelties in the Management of Paediatric Crohn’s Disease. The key role for Enteral Nutrition as Prevalence of Paediatric Crohn’s Disease increases - (1) Exclusive enteral nutrition is an effective and well-tolerated treatment in paediatric Crohn’s disease (2) Nutritional support is a crucial part of the management of Crohn’s disease to optimise disease control and improve long-term outcomes (3) Nutritional therapy improves long-term bone health.

To get the complete information of the congress - Click here !

New Insights: Nutrition in first 1000 days key to disease prevention and health

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 00:00:00 Z

Vevey, Switzerland – November 2012. At a Nestlé Nutrition Institute satellite symposium held at the World Congress of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in Taipei, Taiwan, leading experts shared new insights into the pivotal role nutrition in the first 1000 days, ie from pregnancy to two years of age, can play in disease prevention in later life, especially in reducing the increasing incidence of obesity and allergies. The new insights shared by the experts on the importance of Nutrition in first 1000 days key towards disease prevention and health were: (1) Excessive protein intake in infants linked to later obesity (2) Early intervention with lower protein formula helps towards healthy BMI (3) Allergy prevention now become a public heath priority For complete information please visit the WCPGHAN 2012 website or visit the NNI Website.

To get the complete information of the congress - Click here !

Advances being made in combining physical and nutritional therapy to mitigate age-related sarcopenia

Mon, 31 Dec 2012 00:00:00 Z

At a Nestlé Nutrition Institute satellite symposium held at the European Union Geriatric Medicine Society (EUGMS) congress, in Brussels on 27 September 2012, leading experts examined the evidence showing the synergistic relationship between resistance exercise and supplemental nutrition in the elderly. In particular, speakers explored the impact that this combined approach can have in supporting muscle strength and physical function to mitigate of age-related sarcopenia. 1. Protein supplementation strengthens muscle function – but not all proteins are equal 2. New Study shows whey offers superior advantages than other protein sources to counter muscle loss as adults age 3. Resistance exercise and specialised nutrition improves muscle strength even among frail. For further details please download the proceedings of the workshop or visit the congress website.

New sharing features available on the NNI site

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:00 Z

We have always tried to make it easy for our users to share content from the NNI site with friends and colleagues. It is possible to quickly share news items, publications, webinars and events on Facebook and Twitter via the relevant social media icons at the side of the page and as well as social sharing you can also print out content or send it via email if you prefer.

With a global audience that reaches around the world, we wanted to make sure that we offered every one of our members the ability to share items from the NNI site that are of interest to them, on the social network of their choice. To make that possible we have recently introduced an additional "orange" button to the sharing features, which you can find to the right of this news item. By clicking on the orange button you will be able to select from a huge range of additional social networks from around the world.

So whether you use Sina Weibo in China, VKontakte in Russia or Google+ in Japan, you can easily share interesting NNI content at the click of a button.

India’s first Pediatric Nutrition Course launches, developed with NNI support

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:00 Z

With over- and under-nutrition being key public health issues in South Asia, the Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI), in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), has developed and launched India’s first pediatric course focused on nutrition. Many experts were also involved in the design of the curriculum.

Two programs will be available:

• Post Graduate Certificate in Pediatric Nutrition (PGCPDN)
A six-month distance (online) programme. 16 credits

• Post Graduate Diploma in Pediatric Nutrition (PGDPDN) (32 credits)
A one-year programme with a three-month pediatric nutrition internship within a hospital. 32 credits.

The main course objectives are to:

• Develop a strong base of knowledge, skills and competencies amongst healthcare practitioners, nutritionists and others involved in the health and well being of infants and children.

• Provide comprehensive and practical guidance on all aspects of pediatric nutrition form the promotion of good health and nutrition, to the management of deficiencies and diseases.

• Support efforts by other stakeholders in improving nutrition related public health issues.

• Equip participants with the health and entrepreneurial skills needed to open pediatric clinics.

Further information and online admissions
The details of the course and how to apply can be found at: http://pgpn.ignouonline.ac.in/pgpn/

Discover more about the role and work of IGNOU

Experts highlight the need to integrate and synergise nutrition and exercise to optimise physical function in the elderly

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:00 Z

Protein and vitamin D supplementation improve strength and function to help mitigate age-related sarcopenia

Nutritional screening of the elderly – a start point for intervention against functional decline

Healthcare professionals encouraged to promote exercise programmes – as therapeutic for the elderly

At a Nestlé Nutrition Institute Satellite Symposium held at the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) in Barcelona, Spain, leading international experts emphasised the value of combining specialised nutrition and targeted exercise activities to help improve physical function in the elderly and reduce the incidence of age-related frailty, chronic conditions, and disability.

Sarcopenia is a modifiable cause of frailty in older adults
Francesco Landi, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy, explained that big risk factors for sarcopenia (the age-related loss of muscle, strength, and functionality) are low physical activity and the ‘anorexia of ageing’, Professor Landi said: “We have a correlation between the nutritional status of anorexia, low food intake and sarcopenia.”

Bringing into sharp focus the impact of sarcopenia and the age-related spiral of functional decline, he referred to recently published research of elderly people in a nursing home setting, showing up to 35% of residents suffer from the condition. Those with sarcopenia not only had higher mortality, but also had signs of frailty and were 3.2 times more likely to experience falls.

Whilst acknowledging the wide variety of physiological and social causal factors associated with sarcopenia, he highlighted the significance of insufficient food intake, and of ‘selective malnutrition’, in particular relating to a lack of protein, specific amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Professor Landi stated, “We know that this selective malnutrition has a negative outcome in terms of function.”

Professor Landi drew particular attention to a strong body of evidence supporting the positive role of supplemental nutrition including Vitamin D in muscle function, via anabolic, metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects. Another study showed that providing amino acids, which are typically derived from dietary protein, combined with resistance exercise such as weight training, increases muscle protein synthesis. He highlighted that enriching the diet in leucine, a particular amino acid naturally abundant in whey protein, has the protective effect on muscle function of increasing protein synthesis, of benefit in the treatment of people with sarcopenia to ward off the threat of frailty.

Based upon the evidence to date, Professor Landi recommended that therapeutic interventions should be based upon a diet including adequate protein, energy and vitamin D along with progressive resistance exercise training. “The evidence is clear that there is a synergistic effect between nutritional supplementation and exercise, but further long-term randomized controlled trials are needed to explore and define an optimized approach to treating sarcopenia.”Recent trials have confirmed the benefits of this synergistic approach in frail patients on a long-term basis.

Identifying risk of decline is key to intervention strategies
Professor Pedro Abizanda Soler, MD, PhD and Chief of Geriatrics at Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete (Albacete, Spain), reinforced the need for routine screening of older individuals for functional decline and nutritional risk. Screening is the first step in order to improve quality-of-life and better manage the frailty syndrome. He noted, “We all know how old people decline, but we must measure these things because then we are able to intervene.”

Based on data from the FRADEA11 (Frailty and Dependency in Albacete) study, nutritional risk identified by the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA®) is a better predictor of ‘incident disability’ (loss of functional ability in the Basic Activities of Daily Life (BADL) – than BMI. He highlighted: “Anorexia, weight loss and mobility impairment are the measures in the MNA most strongly associated with incident disability. I think that the identification of older adults at nutritional risk must be our priority.”

Practical perspective on integrating exercise into the patient care plan
Professor Miriam Nelson, PhD, director of the John Hancock Research Center on Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Prevention at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University (Boston, USA), shared experience and insights into the practical feasibility and biological outcomes of exercise programmes for older adults in the community.

She drew attention to the success of the StrongWomen initiative for mid-life and older aged women in the USA, currently being implemented in over thirty-five states. The programme is based upon a strength training curriculum implemented by allied professionals and community leaders: “Over a 12-week period participants recorded improvement in chair stand, arm curl, step test, sit and reach, and other physical function measures.”

In appreciation of the need to also address nutritional inadequacies in frail elderly, Professor Nelson mentioned that she looked forward to publishing the results in the near future of the Vitality, Independence and Vigour in the Elderly (VIVE) study, which is supported by Nestlé. This is a programme of strength training, aerobics and balance activities that are combined with post-exercise consumption of a protein- and nutrient-enriched drink.

Professor Nelson, exclaimed, “We need to encourage the healthcare sector to better convey the importance of exercise to patients, like a prescription. It is a therapeutic modality that reduces cardiovascular disease, and also helps with secondary symptoms of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, blood-glucose management, arthritis, osteoporosis, frailty, falls, breast cancer, colon cancer and many more conditions.”

Considering the various speakers input as a whole, Chairman of the symposium, Professor Yves Boirie, MD, PhD, Clinical Nutrition Department of University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, said, “We can see there is growing clarity about the strong relationship between nutrition and physical exercise in the elderly, in particular strength improvement. We must strive to identify at-risk patients and develop targeted interventions on nutrition and muscle training to improve physical function and reduce morbidity and associated heath care costs”.

NNI website is now available in French

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 Z

To reach out to more health and medical communities around the world, the NNI website is now available in French, with access to our French language resources. This site will be further enlarged by resources from leading experts in Maghreb, coming soon. For access to our full range of resources, please refer to the Global NNI site.

Visit the French language NNI site

Top scientists attend Nestlé International symposium on Nutrition and Healthy Ageing

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 Z

On October 9th the annual Nestlé International Nutrition Symposium (NINS) was hosted by the Nestlé Research Center.

This year’s program highlighted the etiology of ageing and the fundamental mechanisms and genetics associated with the ageing process. Over two days, participants heard presentations on the nutritional and applied aspects of ageing, such as the physiological changes in musculoskeletal, immune and cognitive function, and the influence of food intake and caloric control.
The primary goal of the NINS is to bring together pre-eminent scientists in the field and to deepen Nestlé’s scientific understanding of this important topic and the contribution it can make to this important domain.

Watch the symposium webcasts and discussion sessions

Applications being accepted for new pediatric course in Africa, supported by ESPGHAN and NNI

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 Z

A new Post Graduate Course in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition will take place in March and October 2013, with applications now being accepted. The closing date for applications is 15 January 2013.

The course will contain two modules focusing on important clinical problems in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, presented through a mix of case presentations, lectures, practical sessions and e-learning. E-Learning modules are accredited for CME by the European UEMS.

The course will take place at the University of Cape Town that will issue a certificate of competence and CPD accreditation. The course content will be delivered by prominent ESPGHAN members. It is open to pediatricians and medical practitioners involved in the care of children in Africa.

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute is supporting the course with an educational grant.

For further information and application forms, please contact: judith.dewet@uct.ac.za or liz.goddard@uct.ac.za, or telephone: +27 21 658 5316.

The Nestle Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) recognizes key achievements in nutrition at 2012 Awards

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 Z

Nestlé Nutrition Institute Africa (NNIA) hosted a scientific conference for some 150 health care professionals in Uganda, to discuss Maternal and Child Nutrition.

During the event, leading scientists presented the latest information showing the importance of good nutrition during the first 1000 days of life, from conception to a child’s second birthday. It is during this time that the foundations are laid for health, growth and development throughout life. More specifically, in Uganda, better nutrition during this crucial early period could have economic benefits and a significant impact on mortality rates in the under 5s, 60 per cent of which can be linked to under nutrition.

The scientific presentations were followed by the presentation of the annual NNIA Awards that recognise African health care professionals for their contribution in the field of nutrition.

The 2012 NNIA Awards

The Community Nutrition Award went to Uganda’s Professor Joyce Kikafunda for her key role in advocating action against malnutrition in Uganda. She developed a community-nutrition model called ‘The Gender Integrated Nutrition and Agriculture’ (GINA), that tackles malnutrition at low cost by using a community based, multi-sectoral, and integrated approach. GINA is currently being used to design the five-year Uganda Community Connector Project (CCP) that aims to reach more than 81,000 households.

“The GINA model is very well thought through and considers the key drivers of food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty. The model is simple, practical, and easy to scale-up,” said Prof. Anabwani, the NNIA scientific board chairperson.

Professor Joyce Kikafunda is an Agriculturist, Food Processing and Nutrition Scientist from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of Makerere University.

The Best Scientific Publication Award went to Dr. Ngaha Augustin for his novel research: an “Evaluation of the supplementation of Breastmilk with pre formula in the nutrition of Low Birth Weights”. The study involved a prospective longitudinal cohort where the impact of fortifying breastmilk with protein, energy and minerals (through a pre formula) was evaluated on the growth patterns of low birth weight infants.

During the study, 70 babies were divided into two groups with one receiving the fortified breastmilk, and the second unfortified breastmilk. The results revealed a statistically significant higher average weight gain per day including better brachial perimeter growth; all characterised by a shorter hospital stay in the first group. To our knowledge this is the first study of its kind conducted in the African continent and furthermore it influences both clinical nutrition practices as well as encourages more research in this specific field.

Dr Augustin is a consultant paediatrician and the head of University Of Montages De Bangangté’s Medical Division in Cameroon. Maternal and child nutrition is at the heart of all his responsibilities and he regularly trains and coaches the health workers on the hospital protocols relating to the nutritional management of low birth weight infants in the neonatal wards.

The negative impacts of dehydration on cognitive performance

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 Z

Several scientific studies into the effects of dehydration on adults have highlighted how it can impair short and long-term memory, induce fatigue and lower cognitive performance – the extent of which depends on the intensity and speed of dehydration and fluid ingestion. Many of these studies can be downloaded from the NNI website, links to these documents can be found at the end of this summary.

In healthy global adults (women and men) global cognitive-motor performance is preserved during water deprivation up to a moderate dehydration level of 2.6% loss of body weight, when subjects are able to increase their task related effort. These findings, which were observed during slowly progressive dehydration, are in contrast to acute water loss due to exercise or heat (Szinnai et al 2005, Cian et al. 2001, Gopinathan et al. 1988). Cian et al. demonstrated that dehydration induced by heat stress or exercise can have detrimental effects on short-term memory, working memory and visuo-motor abilities. However, although no beneficial effect on cognitive variables could be demonstrated with fluid ingestion, it did prevent a decrement in long-term memory as compared to control and dehydration. (Cian et al. 2001) In a different study Cian et al showed that hyperhydration may improve short-term memory (Cian et al. 2000).
For more about these studies and their conclusions, please use the following links: 

GOPINATHAN PM. et al, 1988: Role of dehydration in heat stress-induced variations in mental performance (read)

CIAN C. et al, 2000: Influence of Variations in Body Hydration on Cognitive Function: Effect of Hyperhydration, Heat Stress, and Exercise-Induced Dehydration (read)

CIAN C. et al, 2001: Effects of fluid ingestion on cognitive function after heat stress or exercise-induced dehydration (read)

SZINNAI G. et al, 2005: Effect of water deprivation on cognitive-motor performance in healthy men and women (read)

Other summaries in our hydration series:

Does having a drink, make you think? The effect of good hydration on children
Promoting good hydration, promotes good health. The health benefits of hydration

Press release: Prioritizing pre-term infants' nutrition is key for short and long-term health and development

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 Z

Human milk is preferred feed for pre-term infants: fortification role in improved functional outcomes
Pasteurised donor human milk seen to reduce life threatening infection but more research needed
Early initiation of enteral nutrition can reduce severity of illness and improve neurocognitive function

Vevey, Switzerland – 7th November 2012: At a Nestlé Nutrition Institute satellite symposium held at the European Academy of Paediatric Societies (EAPS), in Istanbul on 7 October 2012, leading experts brought into sharp focus the importance of prioritizing pre-term infants' nutrition for short and long-term health and development outcomes. Currently a gap exists between recommendations and actions in this evolving field and speakers reinforced the value of current treatment strategies as well as exploring further research needs.

Mimicking intra-uterine growth rates: the goal

Professor Hans van Goudoever, Head of Paediatrics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam outlined the framework within which nutritional strategies are deployed for pre-term infants: “Basically our goal is to mimic intrauterine growth rate and body composition, but most importantly to obtain a functional outcome comparable to infants born at term”. He also highlighted the scale of the issue. In Europe alone, 500,000 infants are born prematurely, so it is vital that these infants’ nutritional needs are addressed in order to influence the long-term health prognosis of the population at large.

He reinforced that human milk is regarded as the preferred feed for pre-term infants, reducing the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) and improving neurocognitive development1,2. However, in these infants, nutrient requirements are very high, particularly for protein3. So human milk alone is not sufficient to meet these needs and consequently growth is sub-optimal when compared to intrauterine growth rates4.

The addition of human milk fortifiers has been shown to improve growth in the neonatal period, however there is also evidence that infants fed pre-term formula have higher rates of growth than infants fed with fortified human milk5,6. Reflecting the evolving and still inconclusive nature of this area of research, Professor Goudoever said, “It is clear that fortifiers have improved the nutritional status of pre-term infants. However, more powerful research is required to develop further these fortifiers to better mimic intrauterine growth and development”.

Evolving role of human milk banks

Professor Karen Simmer, Centre for Neonatal Research and Education, University of Western Australia, Perth described that the development of Human Milk Banks in Australia is motivated to a significant degree by the need to reduce the incidence of Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC) and maintain or increase breast-feeding rates after preterm birth.

Over 90% of mothers give breast milk to their babies and it is known that this is beneficial for cognitive development, as well as being effective in reducing obesity and the risk of infection, including NEC. Many of these advantages may also be achieved by the use of Pasteurised Donor Human Milk (PDHM), which has been available for over a century and the results of studies to date indicate a marked effect on the reduction of NEC and improvement of neurocognitive development. Commenting on the practical challenges still facing the PDHM concept, Professor Simmer noted, “To set up a milk bank, legal and safety aspects have to be carefully considered. The questions that remain to be investigated in the future are about how to retain protein quality? What is the role of fresh donor milk? What would be the optimal supplementation of pasteurized donor human milk and how to reduce contamination and/or develop an alternate fast method of detecting contamination pre-pasteurisation”? She also noted that more data is required on the long-term benefits or otherwise of donor milk, particularly in regard to insulin resistance and body composition.

Premature birth – a nutritional emergency

Professor Thibault Senterre, MD, PhD, from the University of Liège, Belgium, described the importance of early nutritional intakes, considering premature birth as a ‘nutritional emergency’. He highlighted the consequences of the frequent practice of accumulating nutritional deficit in pre-term infants and the lack of consistent adherence to relevant recommendations and guidelines7 on nutrition support. In particular, he referred to one study that suggests that early intakes during the first week of life may influence long-term outcomes8, commenting, “I would like to describe insufficient intakes below what is recommended as malnutrition – if you decrease protein and/or energy intake you may decrease the IQ of the pre-term infant at eighteen months. This may be avoided in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and therefore have a positive impact on severity of illnesses and neurocognitive functions”.

Professor Senterre reinforced that optimizing nutritional support is possible and valuable. He referred to positive results achieved in the Liège study started in 2005, based upon adherence to a protocol of enteral and parenteral nutrition in VLBW infants9: “Our data showed that only 6% of VLBW infants at gestational age had developed a post-natal growth restriction, which is very low when compared to other published studies. Moreover, improved post-natal growth seems to improve metabolic homeostasis. I really think we need to prioritize the improvement of nutritional support for the majority of VLBW infants”.

References

1. Sullivan S, Schanler RJ, Kim JH, Patel AL, Trawoger R, Kiechl-Kohlendorfer U, et al. An exclusively human milk-based diet is associated with a lower rate of necrotizing enterocolitis than a diet of human milk and bovine milk-based products. The Journal of pediatrics. 2010; 156(4): 562-7 e1.
2. Isaacs EB, Fischl BR, Quinn BT, Chong WK, Gadian DG, Lucas A. Impact of breast milk on intelligence quotient, brain size, and white matter development. Pediatric research. 2010; 67(4): 357-62.
3. Agostoni C, Buonocore G, Carnielli VP, De Curtis M, Darmaun D, Decsi T, et al. Enteral nutrient supply for preterm infants: commentary from the European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition Committee on Nutrition. Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition. 2010; 50(1): 85-91.
4. Ehrenkranz RA, Younes N, Lemons JA, Fanaroff AA, Donovan EF, Wright LL, et al. Longitudinal growth of hospitalized very low birth weight infants. Pediatrics. 1999; 104(2 Pt 1): 280-9.
5. Kuschel CA, Harding JE. Multicomponent fortified human milk for promoting growth in preterm infants. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004; (1): CD000343.
6. Schanler RJ, Shulman RJ, Lau C. Feeding strategies for premature infants: beneficial outcomes of feeding fortified human milk versus preterm formula. Pediatrics. 1999; 103(6 Pt 1): 1150-7.
7. Practical Approach to Paediatric Enteral Nutrition: ESPGHAN 2010
8. Stephens BE, Walden RV, Gargus RA, et al. First-week protein and energy intakes are associated with 18-month developmental outcomes in extremely low birth weight infants. Pediatrics. 2009 May; 123(5): 1337-43.
9. Senterre T, Rigo J. Optimizing early nutritional support based on recent recommendations in VLBW infants and postnatal growth restriction. Senterre T 2011, 2012: J Pediatric Gastroenterol Nutr.2011 Nov;53(5):536-42.

Notes to editors:

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI) fosters "Science for Better Nutrition" by sharing science based information and education to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of people’s lives all over the world.
The Nestlé Nutrition Institute shares leading science based information and education with health professionals, scientists and nutrition communities and stakeholders, in an interactive way.
For more information, please consult www.nestlenutrition-institute.org

Contacts:
Media enquiries
Tel: +41 21 924 2200
Email: Nestlé Corporate Media Relations

Olympic Sports Nutrition Conference showed impact of micronutrients on sporting performance

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 Z

The 14th Sports Nutrition conference bridged the gap between science and practice as leading scientists, all with a background in sport, shared their insights relating to ‘Nutritional strategies to prepare for the Olympics’ with a select group of sports nutritionists, sports dieticians, physiologists, coaches, and athletes.

The workshop took place in Oxford and London this summer to coincide with the London 2012 Summer Olympics. It covered a number of hot sports nutrition topics, each delivered by renowned experts who successfully translated the latest scientific discoveries into practical guidance that athletes and coaches could put to immediate use.

For example, Andrew Jones showed in which situations supplementing a diet with beetroot could improve performance; Prof. Luc Van Loon highlighted the role of nutrition in muscle reconditioning, along with some useful diet recommendations; and Louise Burke explained how Austrailia’s Olympians went ‘back to basics’ to find a competitive edge for London 2012, starting with a close look at their diets.

The content of these and other presentations from the event can be found on the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website and the NNI YouTube channel.

UAE FITS survey concludes parents need more guidance on suitable feeding plans

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 Z

The most recent Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS), focused on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has highlighted gaps between the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended feeding practices for children aged 6-24 months and the realities in the region.

The study involved 500 infants aged 6-11.9 months and 500 children aged 12-24 months. It set out to describe feeding patterns of infants and toddlers in the UAE, assess nutrient adequacy of diets and the extent to which they matched current feeding recommendations.

While most mothers in the region are educated and well informed, not much was previously known about the dietary status of UAE infants and toddlers, especially how subgroups of different ages vary in their food consumption and nutrient intakes.

Some of the outcomes were encouraging, for example, about 90% of infants had been introduced to complementary foods between 4 and 6 months matching recommendations by the AAP.

However, only 60% of children aged 5 months were breastfed and by 9-11 months, 90-100% were consuming unmodified cow’s milk on a daily basis, well ahead of the APP recommended 12 months or later. In addition, 1 in 10 children consumed French fries or sweetened beverages on any given day and 7% consumed juice before the AAP recommended age of 6 months or later.

To help close these gaps, parents and caregivers would benefit from guidance about the introduction of developmentally appropriate, micronutrient-rich first solid foods such as iron-rich infant cereals, iron-fortified grain products, meats, soft fruits, cooked vegetables and the importance of breastfeeding through the first year of life.

Improvements in nutritional practices and feeding behaviors in infancy and early childhood will not only influence immediate growth and health, but potentially bring long-term health benefits such as a reduced risk of obesity and hypertension, which often have antecedents early in life.

To learn more about the importance of adequate early nutrition and its impact on health later in life the following resources are available on the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website:

Online Conference: Weaning Practices in the US, New Findings from the 2008 FITS
In this film, Dr. Anna Maria Siega-Ritz compares the 2008 FITS findings with the 2002 study. While she notes some encouraging improvements, the study showed that good feeding habits often decline after the age of two and she encourages pediatricians to help parents change this

Publication: Early Nutrition: Impact on Short- and Long-Term Health
This publication followed the 68th Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop, which was dedicated to early nutrition and its impact on long-term health. In this book, more than 20 leading experts share their latest thinking and research on the subject.

Event details and webinars: 68th NNIW: Early Nutrition: Impact on Short- and Long-Term Health
On this page you will find more details of this event and the various presentations.

Promoting good hydration, promotes good health

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 Z

Just one glass of water a day can make a big difference to cognitive performance and those who regularly drink water consume less calories and have a healthier lifestyle than those who drink sweetened caloric beverages. These are two of the conclusions from some of the studies into hydration available to download on the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website.

The studies suggest that adequate hydration can have a significant impact on a person’s quality of life and their ability to perform at their mental and physical best.

For example, in a US study into the link between cognitive performance and hydration in older adults (>50 years), where there was as little as one or two glasses of water difference between the two groups tested, the mental performance of less hydrated participants fell way short of those who had drunk sufficient amounts of water the day before.

Another US survey that sought to understand the role of water in diets, found that high water consumers have better eating and drinking patterns and consume on average 194 calories less a day than non-water consumers. It revealed that younger, less educated adults where the most likely to opt for sweetened caloric beverages (SCBs) over drinking water, highlighting a need for better information about the importance of good hydration targeted at this group.

The US Beverage Guidance Panel backed this conclusion with its own studies into the health benefits of a range of drinks regularly consumed across America. In its ranking, the top three drinks were drinking water, followed by unsweetened tea and coffee, and low-fat and skimmed milk and soy beverages. The Panel also saw a link between the consumption of sweetened caloric drinks and excess energy intake and recommended that calorie-free beverages, ideally drinking water, should provide 60%, if not 100%, of an individuals daily fluids needs.

If you would like to read more about these studies and their conclusions, please use the following links:

Popkin et al., Water and food consumption patterns of U.S. adults from 1999 to 2001
Summary
Full Text

Stookey et al., Replacing sweetened caloric beverages with drinking water is associated with lower energy intake
Summary
Full Text

Suhr et al. The relation of hydration status to cognitive performance in healthy older adults.
Summary

Popkin et al., A New Proposed Guidance System for Beverage Consumption in the United States
Summary

Press release: Children not properly hydrated

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 Z

Multi-country studies show fluid intake at breakfast does not suffice to maintain adequate hydration for the whole morning
In the USA, most of the children aged 4 to 13 years do not meet the Adequate Intakes (AI) for water from both foods and beverages
Experts call for additional research, programmes and policies to guide children’s beverage intake whilst at school

Vevey, Switzerland, – 15 October 2012. At a Nestlé Nutrition Institute Satellite Symposium recently held on October 7th at the Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) in Philadelphia, USA, leading international experts highlighted the importance of maintaining good hydration status in children on a daily basis to ensure optimal body function.

More than two thirds of schoolchildren have a hydration deficit

Professor Gerard Friedlander of the Paris Descartes University Medical School, France, explained that children are more likely to be dehydrated than adults due to their high surface-to-body weight ratio. They also pay less attention to their fluid intake. Professor Friedlander was citing the results of large studies held between 2009 and 2011 in France, Italy, UK and USA^1,2,3,4. These revealed that more than two thirds of children have a hydration deficit when they go to school in the morning, despite what they may have had at breakfast time.

The studies involved a cohort of about 500 schoolchildren aged 9-11 years in each of the four countries. Interestingly, just over 60% of the children in each country were found to have a hydration deficit as measured by a urinary osmolality of over 800 mOsmol/kg of water5. Professor Friedlander who oversaw the European studies said, “A majority of children drank less than 400ml of fluid at breakfast and had a greater risk of having a high osmolality after breakfast than children drinking more than 400ml of fluids. These results demonstrate how important it is for children to be adequately hydrated whilst at school. Little data currently exists on the impact of hydration status of children on health, but some studies have shown that it may affect mental performance, such as concentration, short-term memory and attention”.

Creating hydration ‘habits’ for schoolchildren

“Providing water access in schools is a global issue and varies from country to country. Collaborative efforts among school administration, communities, and policy makers are needed to improve school drinking water provision”, said Maureen Pisanick a nutritionist and Industry Consultant. She continued, “Although interventions and policies to encourage healthy beverage intake in schools and child care are increasing, there is a need for additional research, programmes, and policies to guide beverage intake in these settings”.

Ms Pisanick proposed that investigations be implemented that can identify whether provision of water in schools can trigger a reduction in sugar sweetened beverage consumption and whether this could also lead to increased consumption of water outside the school environment. She addressed ways in which water can be promoted in schools such as establishing marketing campaigns to promote water consumption. These campaigns might include integrating the hydration topic in lessons on biology, health, nutrition, and physical education. Also, signs and advertisements can be posted in the cafeteria and throughout schools promoting water consumption.

Evaluating water consumption amongst children and adolescents

“Most of the US population may not meet the Adequate Intakes (AI) for water from both foods and beverages”, said Dr Adam Drewnowski, Center for Public Heath Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, USA. He was referring to the National Heath and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) FOR 2005-2010, a comprehensive study amongst almost 5000 children and adolescents. The study examined the consumption of water (bottled and tap) and other beverages, including 100% fruit juices, soda/soft drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks, milk, and other drinks (e.g., coffee, tea, energy drinks, etc.) by age and gender groups. Additional analyses examined consumption patterns by race, ethnicity and household education and incomes. Total water content of foods and beverages was then compared to Dietary Reference Intake (DRIs) values published by the Institute of Medicine for each age gender group.

Dr Drewnowski said, “The results are quite surprising when you consider that most children in this US study aged 4-8 years (74.6%) and most boys (85.2%) and girls (82.7%) ages 9-13 years failed to satisfy the Adequate Intake values for water published by the Institute of Medicine. Based on national standards, adequate hydration remains an issue in the US population”.

References
1. US Study:Stookey et al., Public Health Nutrition, 2011
2. French Study:Bonnet et al., Ann Nutr Metab , 2012;
3. Italy Study: Assael et al, J Nutr Disorders Ther, 2012
4. UK Study; Barker et al, FASEB J 2012
5. Sawka MN et al, 2007; D’Anci et al, Nutr Rev 2006; Shirreffs SM, EJCN, 2003

Notes to editors:

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI) fosters "Science for Better Nutrition" by sharing science based information and education to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of people’s lives all over the world. The Nestlé Nutrition Institute shares leading science based information and education with health professionals, scientists and nutrition communities and stakeholders, in an interactive way. For more information, please consult www.nestlenutrition-institute.org

Contacts:
Media enquiries
Tel: +41 21 924 2200
Email: Nestlé Corporate Media Relations

NNI SAR launched 1st Advanced Certificate Course on “Applied Enteral Pharmaconutrition in Critical Care"

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 00:00:00 Z

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute in South Asia launched the 1st Advanced Certificate Course on “Applied Enteral Pharmaconutrition in Critical Care” at Chennai, India. The course has been designed in academic partnership with TACT academy for clinical nutrition which is India’s first simulation based healthcare training centre. It is the first accredited program dedicated for intensive training on evidence based enteral nutrition practices in critical care. The program aims at improving clinical outcomes through capacity building among critical care specialists and dieticians and implementation of cutting edge Enteral Nutrition practices in various hospitals across South Asia Region.

The curriculum includes a combination of scientific deliberations from International/National experts, Problem Based Learning Sessions (PBLS), Live Demonstrations of Enteral feed preparations as well as Best practice sharing sessions. The interactive case discussions and troubleshooting of difficult real time scenarios are thought provoking and motivating for the delegates. Limited registration cap facilitates efficient group work, interaction and individual attention.

Does having a drink make you think?

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 00:00:00 Z

The link between hydration status and cognitive performance is quite well established in adults. However, relatively little data is available in children. Several groups have published evidence that additional consumption of water may improve cognitive performance, such as immediate memory and visual attention.

A high prevalence of dehydration (83%) has yet again been shown in the study by Parisi et al. Supplementation of water did result in a higher auditory number span.

Benton and his collaborators demonstrated that immediate memory function was improved when additional water was consumed.

Edmonds’ group has published two papers demonstrating the effect of additional water intake on improved visual attention and search.

Summaries and link to full text publications are available on the NNI site:

The effect of the consumption of water on the memory and attention of children

Does having a drink help you think? 6–7-Year-old children show improvements in cognitive performance from baseline to test after having a drink of water

Should children drink more water? The effects of drinking water on cognition in children

The relationship between hydration status and cognitive performance in school children

Study reveals fortified milk and cereals can cut risk of anemia in children

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 Z

Micronutrient deficiency is a common public health problem in developing countries, especially for infants and children in the first two years of life, as their rapid growth means they have high nutritional needs.

Encouragingly, the results of a new study commissioned by the Nestlé Nutrition Institute, has found that milk and cereal products fortified with iron and a combination of other micronutrients can reduce the risk of iron-deficiency anemia in children 57% more than non-fortified foods and have more pronounced effect on hemoglobin levels than iron single-fortification.

Researchers from the Winterthur Institute of Health Economics in Switzerland analysed the combined results of 18 published trials involving more than 5 400 children; reviewing randomised controlled trials, reference list screening and hand searches.

The researchers used electronic databases (MEDLINE and Cochrane library searches through FEB 2011) to identify about one thousand potentially relevant trials to include in the study, before assessing their quality and risk of bias to select a final 18 trials for the study. These trials were conducted in Africa, Asia, South and Central America and Europe, and were largely conducted amongst low-income groups in rural communities, or communities on the outskirts of urban areas.

As the consequences of long-term lack of iron can include impaired mental development in children, decreased physical work capacity and impaired immune function the results have important health economic implications as authorities determine the most effective solutions to public health issues that also offer the best value for money.

Discover more about the study’s findings by downloading the subsequent report: Effects of micronutrient fortified milk and cereal food for infants and children: a systematic review and watch the related video from Dr. Spieldenner on the NNI YouTube channel

New Research Fellowship set to further global understanding of nutrition

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 Z

A new NNI Research Fellowship Program aims to help build global capacity in nutrition research, and further global understanding of nutrition and its impact on young women, mothers and child health.

Open to young healthcare professionals from anywhere in the world, the program offers the opportunity to research areas relating to young women, mother & child health and nutrition. Grants will be awarded to successful candidates to support their research. All institutions working in the research area of Nutrition & Health of young women, mothers and their children are eligible to be a host institution.

For further details of the NNI Research Fellowship program and how to apply, visit the Fellowship section of the NNI website. First round of applications is open and the deadline is October 1st. Next deadline for application will April 1st, 2013.

French Fellowship program helps improve healthcare in more developing countries

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 Z

Since the 1980s, the Nestlé Nutrition Institute has been offering fellowships to help young health professionals from developing countries gain practical experience at some of the world’s leading hospitals that they can apply at home to improve local health care.

Today known as the NNI Clinical Fellowship Program, we are delighted to announce that post-graduates with an interest in gaining clinical and practical training in the field of Maternal and Child nutrition can now also apply to follow a French speaking program at the CHU Sainte-Justine, Canada. Thus extending the reach of this valuable program that also includes Portugese, Spanish and English opportunities in Brazil, Mexico and Austrailia, respectively.

Full information about the program, including details of how to apply can be found in the Fellowship section of the NNI website.

‘Nutrition Month’ events support Bangladesh Vision for Health

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 Z

One of the key objectives of Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI) is to help improve the nutritional status of people globally, by creating awareness of nutrition science and building capacity within the medical fraternity. Through this, in Bangladesh, we aim to support the Health Ministry’s Vision 2021, as well as the UN’s Millennium Development Goals, especially MDG4: Reducing Child Mortality and MDG5: Improve maternal health.

To help achieve our objectives, the NNI arranged a ‘Nutrition Month 2012’ in Bangladesh, with the underlying theme: ‘Natural defences during 1st 1000 days of Life’ from 11 July 2012 to 10 August 2012.

During the month we offered 3 500 healthcare professionals a full program of events, including: a New Born Resuscitation and Essential New Born Care Program; Continuing Medical Education Program; Paramedical Training & Quiz on nutritional topics; NNI Symposium Events for HPCs; and the screening of a scientific film on breastfeeding.

The importance of breastfeeding was emphasized throughout the month and a major event titled ‘Breastfeeding – The Gold Standard of Natural Immunity for Babies’ was organized in Dhaka. The symposium’s guest of honour, Adviser to the Honourable Prime Minister, Prof (Dr.) Syed Moddaser Ali, also stressed the need for adequate awareness and education on breastfeeding for mothers and her supporting family. And a brochure was launched during ‘Breastfeeding Week’ containing scientific articles from eminent physicians.

We believe that events such as these will help build trust in scientific knowledge and debate and have a positive outcome on the nutritional status of the population, especially during the 1st 1000 days of life. They also help reinforce our commitment to using scientific platforms to build strong and lasting relationship with healthcare professionals.

2012 Sports Nutrition Conference takes an Olympic focus

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 Z

This year, as the greatest sportsmen and women gathered in London to compete in the 2012 Olympic Games, the best minds in sports nutrition were also gathering in the British capital to discuss the ability of nutrition to support athletes in achieving the highest levels of performance.

The Olympic Sports Nutrition Conference, supported by the Nestlé Nutrition Institute, featured an impressive line-up of speakers and participants that included renowned doctors, scientists and athletes from around the globe, including conference host Prof. Luc van Loon from Maastricht University Medical Centre, Netherlands and local host Jeni Pearce from the English Institute of Sport in London.

The conference covered a range of sports nutrition topics, including: the ergogenic properties of carnitine, Nitrate and its application as an ergogenic aid, Nutritional signals for muscle reconditioning, Global application of beta-alanine in sports practise and Preparing for the 2012 Olympics, the success and failures of nutritional intervention.

The conference was followed by a NNI workshop titled: ‘Limits of human endurance’ chaired by Prof. Luc van Loon and Prof. Romain Meeusen. We had the unique opportunity to interview the chairs and experts of the workshop. We will upload these interviews on our YouTube Channel over the next weeks.
Watch now the interview with Prof. Romain Meeusen on ‘Caffeine, exercise and the brain’ and with Prof. Ron Maughan on ‘Hydration during intense exercise training’.

Two-thirds of children have a hydration deficit – reports conclude

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 Z

Adequate hydration in children is important for their healthy growth and development, yet three recent Nestlé supported studies in the US, France and Italy of children aged 9 to 11 years, found children to have a hydration deficit in the mornings, even after having consumed breakfast.

Children are more prone to water loss than adults because they have a greater body surface, body weight ratio and their excretion and urine concentration abilities are not fully developed, so they need to drink regularly to meet their hydration needs. However, recommended daily water intakes vary widely between countries and continents, where they exist at all.

Each study had remarkably similar findings – at least two thirds of children in each of the countries have a hydration deficit by the time they arrive at school each morning, especially boys. The results of these studies are also comparable to previous findings in other countries.

Just as the report findings were similar, so were their conclusions. Children are typically not consuming enough fluids in the morning to replace loss of hydration during the night and maintain an adequate hydration status for the whole morning. Further research into the health implications the hydration deficit was also called for, along with a definition of the hydration needs of children and clear recommendations for daily intake.

Summaries of the three studies can be found on the NNI website:

French children start their school day with a hydration deficit
(a link to a complimentary version of the full article can be found within the summary document)

Italian Children go to School with a Hydration Deficit

What is the cell hydration status of healthy children in the USA? Preliminary data on urine osmolality and water intake
(a link to a complimentary version of the full article can be found within the summary document)

Nestlé Nutrition Institute – growing with you

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 Z

In recent months our membership has continued to grow and we would like to offer a warm welcome to all our new members.

Since its relaunch nearly two years ago, we have continued to enhance the news, information and resources available on the NNI website, giving healthcare professionals convenient access to the latest thinking on a wide range of nutrition related topics.

One of our most recent improvements is the addition of a ‘My NNI’ section that allows you to save your favourite items and resources in one place for easy reference.

We have also recently enhanced our popular webinar section. You can now access the presentation slides, search presentations by keyword and watch our webinars full screen, giving you even more ways to enjoy and learn from our webinars, including the five new international workshops in pediatric, adult and sports nutrition added this year.

Other resources on our website include a regularly updated event calendar of nutrition related events – along with a summary of the event; practical tools to support you on a daily basis; e-learning; and access to a comprehensive library of articles and publications.

But our website is just one way to stay in touch with the latest news and information from the NNI. You can also find us on Twitter @NNInstitute and view selected short webinars on the NNI YouTube channel.

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute 3rd International Course on Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 Z

A program enabling health care professionals from across the world to connect and share science-based practices in dysphagia patient care was held in the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (Toronto, Canada) in June, sponsored by the Nestlé Nutrition Institute.

Titled ‘Teaming Up for Quality Care of Dysphagia Patients’ the course was co-chaired by Dr. Catriona Steele, PhD, SLP, Associate Professor, University of Toronto and Dr. Pere Clavé, Associate Professor of Surgery, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and Hospital de Mataró.

Robust discussion took place among the 60 diverse participants from various areas of the medical profession (physicians, dietitians, speech-language pathologists, nurses, occupational therapists, dentists, pharmacists, and engineers), and from 11 countries (Canada, USA, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, and Japan).

The six basic theory and practical, hands-on sessions are accredited to provide ASHA continuing educational credits, and will be made available online to spread the learning further and foster the growth of well-organised multidisciplinary teams with well-trained members.

New review looks at early nutritional strategies for preventing allergic disease

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 Z

With the numbers of adults and children with allergic disorders on the increase globally, a new review on nutritional strategies to prevent allergic diseases in childhood, by Hania Szajewska MD, has set out to find effective strategies that can reduce the onset of allergies through early intervention.

While the review stated exclusive breasting feeding for the first six months as a desirable goal, especially for those children with a hereditary risk of allergy (i.e. those with an affected parent and/or sibling), where this is not possible, it is recommended that these infants should receive a formula with a confirmed effect on allergy reduction.

However, the review highlighted that not all hydrolyzed formulas are equal and that efficacy and safety should be established for each hydrolyzed formula, as a number of factors, including not only the protein source and degree of hydrolysis, but also the method of hydrolysis, contribute to differences in effect among hydrolysates and their effect on the risk of specific conditions.

For example, a 2010 meta-analysis comparing the efficacy of a partially hydrolyzed 100% whey formula with that of standard infant formula in reducing the risk of allergy in healthy infants at high risk for atopic disease showed that pHF compared to standard infant formula reduced the risk of atopic dermatitis. With many studies, with different methods, drawing the same conclusions, the effects of pHF can be generalised.

As for the introduction of solids, Szajewska found no convincing scientific evidence that avoidance or delayed introduction of potentially allergenic foods positively influence the risk of allergy. Likewise, she found insufficient evidence to support routine use of pro- and prebiotics for allergy prevention at this time.

You can read the full review paper here.

Report confirms importance of milk and meat in fighting micronutrient deficiencies

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 Z

A recent evaluation of research published in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin focused on the affects of unfortified milk, fortified milk and other animal-source foods on childhood nutrition has confirmed that the consumption of milk, especially fortified milk, and other animal-source foods improves growth indicators, micronutrient status, and cognitive performance in children, with fortified milk superior to unfortified milk in reducing the prevalence of anemia.

Milk contains vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, folate and calcium and meat is a rich source of heme iron, zinc, riboflavin, and vitamin B12 – all important nutrients for healthy growth and development. However, children in low-income countries often have very limited access to such foods (often just 5-10% of total energy intake), leading to widespread micronutrient deficiencies.

The report concludes that to improve the dietary quality of children in low-income countries and help eradicate extreme poverty and hunger in accordance with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, it is important to identify and implement programs and policy supporting increased intake of milk and other animal-source foods.

Other reports, including many available on the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website, such as the ‘Milk and Milk Products in Human Nutrition’ also confirm the importance of milk in a child’s diet to support healthy growth, particularly in developing countries.

Professor L. Allen also offers further insights into the issue in her talk titled ‘The Effects of Animal Source Foods with Emphasis on Milk in the Diet of Children in Low Income Countries’, which you can view on the NNI website.

Rapid growth and intense needs mean quality matters in infant nutrition

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 Z

Quality and safety aspects of infant nutrition are vitally important for child health, but they often fail to get the attention they need as many in the health care profession focus on the more functional benefits of early nutrition. That is according to Prof. Berthold Koletzko of Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital, University of Munich Medical Centre.

Prof. Koletzko and Prof. Ranaan Shamir chairman of the Institute of Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Diseases, Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Israel, have edited a supplement in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism reviewing ‘Quality and safety aspects of infant nutrition’.
While there is currently a high level of food quality and safety, it is mentioned that this is not a reason to be complacent. The food industry is encouraged to take primary responsibility for ensuring the safety and suitability of their products, conduct thorough science-based reviews of all new and modified products, and to work together with other producers and food-safety authorities, paediatricians and scientists globally to best protect public health.

The concepts, standards and practices that relate to infant food quality and safety were discussed at a recent scientific workshop organized by the Child Health Foundation and the Early Nutrition Academy jointly with the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

For more information, download a copy of the full articles online: ‘Quality and safety aspects of infant nutrition’

NNI facilitates kick-off of International Task Force on Standardized Terminology for Therapeutic Dysphagia Diets & Fluids

Fri, 13 Jul 2012 00:00:00 Z

Patients who suffer from chewing and swallowing disorders, i.e. dysphagia, may have difficulties ingesting normal food and liquids. For these patients, a texture-modified diet may support the patient gain adequate nutrition.

While some regions have developed distinct standardized terminology, no uniform descriptors for prescribed dysphagia diets & fluids are used internationally.

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute is sponsoring an effort to advance standardised terminology definitions for the different modified-consistency of fluids and modified-texture foods provided as therapeutic treatment of dysphagia, through an international task force made up of internationally reputed experts. The goal is to develop professional consensus recommendations on language for texture-modified foods and fluids; to facilitate practical decision-making and action by caregivers; and to optimize dysphagia patient safety and health outcomes.

The Task Force met for the first time at a kick-off meeting in Toronto, Canada in June, 2012.
The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Julie Cichero, Australian Speech Pathologist and Project Officer of the Australian Standards; and Mr. Peter Lam, Dietitian and Project Lead for the Canadian Standards.

Based on discussions, next steps were planned by the 15 participants experienced in: (a) the process of standardization of terminology from a number of countries/ regions; (b) food texture modification and rheology/viscosity; (c) adult and pediatric dysphagia; (d) diverse international cuisines; (e) research expertise (f) multidisciplinary clinical expertise and (f) industry.

New mini assessment helps identify geriatric malnutrition

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 Z

Protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) is common and often undiagnosed in older adults. If left untreated it carries both clinical and financial risks, including decreased quality of life, functional decline, inability to live independently and increased health care costs. However, malnutrition can be avoided, or reversed, with the use of a systematic and standardized approach to nutrition screening.

One such approach is the internationally recommended Mini Nutritional Assessment® (MNA). The tool is simple, noninvasive, inexpensive and the most well-validated nutrition screening tool for adults 65 and older.

Designed to be incorporated into existing processes and procedures, the newest MNA-short form (MNA-SF) can quickly and easily identify older adults who are at risk of (or already suffer from) malnutrition. It can be downloaded free of charge, along with a complete user guide, from http://www.mna-elderly.com/.

New NNI websites provide localized insights and resources

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 Z

NNI has launched three new websites giving health and nutrition professionals in Germany, Russia and South East Asia access to valuable localized nutrition related research and resources.

These can be accessed by selecting the relevant site from the language/country selector found at the top right of the main NNI website.

NNI member climbs to the top of the world

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 Z

Congratulations to NNI member Joerg who, after months of hard training and preparation and a tough 5 day ascent from base camp, reached the summit of Mount Everest on 26 May.

“On the Ridge to the Summit I could watch a spectacular sunrise over Tibet and the Himalayas that fuels you with the energy you need to climb the last part to the summit. This makes you forget all the hardship of the ascent to Mt. Everest” said Joerg.

Interested in high sport performance and its nutritional impact? Find relevant NNI resources on our NNI YouTube channel and on the Sports Nutrition section of the NNI website

User Survey 2012 – Help us improve the NNI online!

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 Z

We have just launched the 2012 Nestlé Nutrition Institute User Survey to our current newsletter subscribers. The purpose of this survey is to help us understand how you are currently interacting with NNI online and more importantly, how we can improve our services to you.

The survey is open to all current NNI registered users and we would really love to hear about what you feel works well currently, what doesn’t, and any feedback or ideas you may have for new features or content that the NNI could provide to enhance the value of the NNI website.

You can find the survey via the link below, please take some time to fill it in and help us to further advance the provision of quality, nutrition science education online.

Thank you for your time.

Give Feedback

ALA-NNI dysphagia grant supports innovative Parkinsonian dysphagia study

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 Z

The ALA-Nestlé Nutrition Institute Dysphagia Research Grant has been established to promote the advancement of dysphagia intervention and education through collaborative interdisciplinary research.

This year, the $10 000 award has been given to Dr. Cara Stepp to support her innovative research into the ‘Voluntary Control of Anterior Neck Musculature in Parkinsonian Dysphagia’. Her study was selected for its practical implications for improving rehabilitation strategies for patients with Parkinson’s disease who are at high risk of swallowing impairments.

During her research, Dr. Stepp will characterise voluntary control of the anterior neck musculature of Parkinson’s patients with dysphagia and correlate this with their swallowing function and quality of life. Muscle control will be tested using a novel surface electromyographic (sEMG) biofeedback video game. Following her study, Dr. Stepp will submit a paper for publication in The Laryngoscope.

This award is given by the Nestlé Nutrition Institute in partnership with the American Laryngological Voice and Research Education Foundation (ALVRE), American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), and Centralized Otolaryngology Research Effort (CORE) Study Section.

Research abstracts from Experimental Biology 2012 now available

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 Z

Research abstracts from Experimental Biology 2012, supported or produced by Nestlé, are now available for download from the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website here.

Experimental Biology is one of the most significant annual events for scientists and researchers in the fields of: anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, nutrition, and pharmacology and this year’s event attracted more than 13,000 scientists from around the world.

The Nestlé abstracts available are:

Ways of educating, informing and networking with health professionals about nutritional sciences: The Nestlé Nutrition Institute
A look at the beneficial work of the Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI) and its role in providing new nutrition related learning opportunities for Health Care Professionals and advancing the understanding of key nutrition related subjects. Research on NNI programs has shown that the activities are relevant for health professionals, considered a trusted source of information and used widely.

Partial substitution of fructan fibers with acacia gum (AG) altered fermentation profile in an in vitro batch system fermentation
Fructan fibers, added to enteral formulas for their prebiotic benefits and production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA), can lead to excess gas and gastrointestinal intolerance. In a study supported by Nestlé Health Science, it was found that partial substitution of fructan fibers with AG produced less gas early on while maintaining production of SCFAs. These results may help predict health benefits and gastrointestinal tolerance in vivo.

A blend of acacia gum, fructan-type fibers, and outer pea fiber exhibits lower gas production compared to other fiber blends in vitro
Fiber sources differ in a number of physicochemical properties, and certain combinations may yield more desirable physiological effects. Nestlé Health Science sponsored research into reducing the negative side-affects related to certain fibers, found that a 50:50 blend of fermentable and nonfermentable fibers resulted in less gas while achieving similar SCFA production as other blends. These results may help predict health benefits and tolerance in vivo.

Effects of maternal milk lactoferrin supplementation on neurodevelopment and neuroprotection
Lactoferrin (Lf), an iron-binding glycoprotein containing terminal sialic acid residues, is secreted in milk. Lf is synthesized in the brains of both humans suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia, and in the mouse model of Parkinson’s disease, suggesting that Lf may play a role in neurodegenerative diseases. After investigating the neuroprotective effects of Lf in rats following prenatal exposure to dexamethasone (DEX) by 1H-MRS and hippocampal gene expression profiling, it was found that maternal milk Lf supplementation has a protective effect for neurodevelopment delayed IUGR in the rat model.

To learn more about the above studies, their methods and conclusions, download the full abstracts available on the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website here. Abstracts from the entire meeting are published in the FASEB journal. You can directly access them via this link: http://www.fasebj.org/content/vol26/1_MeetingAbstracts

Research abstracts from the 2012 Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting now available

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 Z

Research abstracts from the Nestlé supported sessions at this year’s Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting are now available for free download from the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website here.

Over four days, the PAS Annual Meeting shares the latest original pediatric research by world renowned experts with pediatricians, research scientists, health care providers, and policy makers from all corners of the globe.

The PAS research abstracts available cover the following topics:

Lower Weight Gain in Infants of Obese Mothers Who Receive a Low Protein Formula
This is the first study to indicate that in infants of overweight and obese mothers, a low protein intake from infant formula (IF) is safe and leads to slower weight gain than a higher protein IF.

Growth of Infant Fed with Low Protein Acidified Formulae Containing Probiotics
This study further tested the effects of acidified Infant Formula (IF) and found that feeding infants with acidified formulas for a duration of one year is safe. Likewise, given the observed lower antibiotic consumption, acidified formula may be beneficial to infants by reducing the incidence of diarrhea and episodes of fever.

Postnatal Growth in Preterm Infants Fed Probiotics: PREMAPRO Study
A study to evaluate postnatal growth in preterm infants supplemented with different probiotics has concluded that preterm infants supplemented with bifidobacteria, whatever the strain, did not exhibit better postnatal growth.

Safety of Different Probiotics in Preterm Infants: PREMAPRO Study
Although oral supplementation with probiotics has been shown to be beneficial in preterm infants, safety is still questioned in these subjects. In a study to further investigate the safety of probiotic supplementation it was found that using bifidobacteria as a supplement in preterm infants was well tolerated and no adverse effect was related to probiotics.

To learn more about the above studies, their methods and conclusions, download the full abstracts available on the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website here. You can access all abstracts from the annual PAS meeting following this link: http://www.abstracts2view.com/pas/

NNI sponsors IBEC, the premier sports nutrition event

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 Z

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute is sponsoring the 2012 International Biochemistry of Exercise Conference (IBEC). The event is the premier research meeting devoted to exercise physiology and biochemistry in health and disease, making it one of the most important events in sports nutrition.

The meeting, which will take place in Stockholm in June, will highlight important themes in the wide field of biochemistry of exercise, presenting the latest evidence.

This year the biochemical basis of fatigue symposium will have a special focus on exercise biochemistry and physiology in memory of Eric Hultman, following his sad demise in March 2011.

Over five decades, Eric made significant contributions in the area of muscle metabolism and fatigue through his seminal and active research. During this impactful session, speakers will be taking the science beyond Eric’s foundations to highlight major recent advances and controversies relating to this field.

Following the event, review papers will be published by The Journal of Physiology and made available to NNI members via the NNI website.

For more information about the event, visit our event page

New e-learning module available: Nutritional strategies for premature babies

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 Z

Preterm babies and infants with a very low birth weight are vulnerable to a variety of problems due to developmental immaturity of their gastrointestinal (GI) tract and their extraordinarily high nutritional needs.

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute has supported the development of a new free e-learning module, which gives healthcare professionals a better understanding of the affects of low birth weight and GI tract immaturity. It also helps them build the knowledge to ensure the preterm infants in their care gain adequate nutrition, promoting their healthy long-term growth and neurodevelopment.

The course is recommended for pediatricians, nurses, pediatric nurse practitioners, registered dietitians, and other healthcare professionals involved in the care of children.

Those completing the online course are eligible for a Continuing Medical Education credit.

Learn more or get started

Announcing the launch of the Nestle Nutrition Institute on Twitter

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 Z

We are always looking for new ways to communicate with our member and with other stakeholders within the nutrition community. Therefore it gives us great pleasure to announce that this week we launched the NNI Twitter profile (@NNInstitute)

We hope that as well as providing you with another convenient way of staying in touch with the very latest news and nutrition science that the NNI has to offer, it will also further extend the NNI’s online engagement and offer new ways of interacting with you, our members.

Starting with Experimental Biology 2012 in San Diego, we will be using Twitter to bring you the very latest news and happenings from the global nutrition conferences that NNI attends throughout the year. So if you are attending EB2012, please follow us to stay in touch with the NNI during the conference, and if you are unable to attend, follow us anyway to be part of this great event.

We look forward to seeing you on Twitter @NNInstitute

Sports nutrition expert interviews – exclusive YouTube content

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 00:00:00 Z

Over the next few weeks we will be releasing a series of short interviews with leading sports nutrition experts via the NNI YouTube channel. The interviews were recorded during the Sports Nutrition Conference held in Mallorca in December, and cover a wide range of topics, including:

Andrew Jones discussing beetroot juice and its potential as a sports supplement
Louise Burke on pH buffers such as bicarbonate in high intensity exercise
Luc van Loon explaining why it is important for athletes to consume the right protein post-exercise
Martin Gibala discussing nutritional strategies for high intensity interval training
Martin Gleeson on nutrition to support immune status during exercise
Asker Jeukendrup explaining the role of carbohydrates in exercise nutrition
John Hawley explaining how nutrition can be used to manipulate adaptation to intense exercise
Kevin Tipton talks about strategies to help prevent muscle loss during injury

Come and visit the NNI channel on YouTube and please feel free to join the debate by sharing your comments on these topics. Remember to subscribe to our channel so that you can access the latest exclusive videos as they are released.

Study shows probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis can boost immune response in Formula-Fed Infants

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 Z

Although it is known that breastfeeding is best, there are times when a mother is not able to adequately feed her baby, or does not wish to breastfeed. In such circumstances, having a formula able to provide positive immune-related effects as well as the needed nutrition can have long-term health benefits.

A recent study aimed at investigating the effect of infant starter formula containing the probiotic strain Bifidobacterium lactis on intestinal immunity and inflammation has revealed that the inclusion of this probiotic can have a positive effect on the immune function of non-exclusively breastfed infants.

The randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trial studied two groups of healthy formula fed infants in parallel with a breastfed comparison group.

The study showed that the negative immune-related effects of not breastfeeding and cesarean delivery can be mitigated by including Bifidobacterium lactis in infant formula; providing infants with a safe, dietary, immune-modulating bacterial introduction.

While the study has some interesting implications for the future of infant formula, breast milk remains the ideal source of nutrition for infants, as it is also a source of secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA), as well as bacteria, which enhance both passive and active infant immunity – benefits that are not provided by the routine use of infant formula.

NNI has supported the publication of the study’s results. For further details, download a full copy of the study’s findings.

Want to know more about clinical trials to investigate the role of prebiotics and probiotics in supporting the intestinal microbiome and their consequences on health? Watch Prof. K.A. Tappenden’s presentation on the subject, available in the Online Conferences section of the NNI website.

Beginning with the pioneering work of Elli Metchnikov and ending with today’s clinical evidence and practical tips on how to select the right prebiotic and probiotic to maximize the clinical benefits for the patient, Tappenden tells the story of probiotics in the treatment of diverse disorders.

Watch Tappenden’s talk – ‘Prebiotics and Probiotics in Clinical Practice’

NNI sponsors the Fomon Young Physician Award

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 Z

NNI sponsors the Fomon Young Physician Award

Each year the Samuel J. Fomon Young Physician Award is given to a physician, expected to complete their medical postdoctoral training within the next ten years, for outstanding work in the general area of pediatric nutrition, and infant nutrition, infant growth or body composition in particular.

As the award honors Dr Fomon, a pioneer in pediatric nutrition research, research that impacts infant feeding is of particular interest.

The 2012 award is sponsored by the Nestlé Nutrition Institute and will be presented during Experimental Biology 2012, taking place in April in San Diego.

The 2011 award was presented to Renan Orellana, Baylor College of Medicine.

We look forward to sharing details of the 2012 winner after the presentation in April.

For details on EBC 2012 visit our event page here

NNI symposium highlighted the impact of nutrition on the outcomes of critically ill patients

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 Z

Last month the NNI held a breakfast symposium during Clinical Nutrition Week 2012 in Orlando, USA. As one of the premier events in the calendar of healthcare professionals practicing in clinical nutrition, this was an important opportunity to share new thinking and advance awareness of the impact that nutrition can have on the outcomes of critically ill patients.

Five presenters took to the podium during the event and webinars will be available on the NNI website soon. In the meantime, here are the key points from each presentation:

Dr. Steven McClave: ‘When does Nutrition Change Therapy Outcomes?’

Increased calorie deficit creates increases in negative outcomes such as increased sepsis, ARDS, LOS and even mortality
Volume-based feeding as a goal can limit this loss of calories each day by making up the difference
Enteral nutrition to replace calories lost is still preferable to parenteral nutrition

Dr. Jose Saavedra: ‘Spectrum of Intestinal Dysfunction in the ICU’

An empty GI tract creates an increase in gut permeability and causes increased inflammation
The key to stopping the vicious cycle is to stop unnecessary NPO (patients not allowed anything in their GI tract)!

Dr. Robert Martindale: ‘Case Presentation and Nutrition Therapy’

Appropriate enteral feeding improves patient outcomes—we must advocate for nutritional therapy
Dietitians and nutrition professionals need to round with physicians—that way all appropriate information can be shared when orders are being changed

Dr. Kevin Miller: ‘CAN WE FEED - A Mnemonic Merging Nutrition Support and Critical Care’

A multi-disciplinary approach to increase EN in Critical Care Units is needed
The mnemonic CAN-WE-FEED can be used to help recognise those patients appropriate for nutrition support – taking into account how sick the patient is, nutrition screening, access and type of formula used for success (considering a small peptide formula for malabsorption patients)

Beth Taylor, MS, RD, CNSD, FCCM: ‘Advanced Practice Role of RD in the ICU setting’

Dietitians can be part of money-saving programs to improve patient outcomes
Tube placement, blood sugar management and physical/nutritional assessment can all be in the realm of responsibility of the advanced practicing dietitian

A vast library of nutrition related studies, articles, and webinars is freely available on the Nestlé Nutrition Institute website in the ‘Resources’ section: www.nestlenutrition-institute.org/resources

Unhealthy eating habits can start as early as 12 months, latest FITS results show

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 Z

The latest findings from the landmark ‘Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study’ (FITS) has shown that children as young as 12 months are beginning to develop some unhealthy dietary patterns that may contribute to childhood obesity.

Encouragingly, the report also highlights how simple changes can make significant improvements to children’s diets, promote the development of healthy eating habits and give long-term health benefits.

The study, first initiated in 2002, is the largest and most comprehensive dietary intake survey of parents and caregivers of young children and provides information and insights on the diets and eating habits of infants, toddlers and preschoolers living in the United States. In its latest findings, the study found that young children do not consume enough vegetables or whole grains and consume far too many calories from solid fats and added sugar.

The study found that nearly a third of calories consumed by pre-schoolers in America come from snacks, highlighting the importance of ensuring that these ‘mini-meals’ are healthy and nutritious.

The study’s other recommendations for helping children develop healthy eating habits include:

Giving parents and caregivers better nutrition guidance to help children develop healthy eating habits from an early age.
Considering snacks as mini-meals and ensuring they contain foods that contribute to good health such as fruit, vegetables, low-fat yogurt and dairy and whole grain foods.
Offer water instead of sugar-sweetened drinks.
From age 2, children should drink 1 percent or skimmed milk.
Limit foods high in saturated fat, such as cheese and high-fat meats like hot dogs and bacon.
Offer plenty of foods lower in saturated fat such as fruits and vegetables, lean meats, low fat dairy foods.
Give children healthier fats from foods like avocado and fish, and foods made with canola, safflower and olive oils.

“We are all responsible for the health of future generations, and it is much easier to establish good habits when children are young than to try to correct poor habits later,” said Dr. Jose Saavedra, M.D., FAAP, Medical Director, Nestlé Nutrition. “Parents need consistent messages about how to feed young children in a healthy way. If we can help educate parents on the big impact of relatively simple dietary changes, we may be able to help prevent obesity and chronic disease in our children.”

Full details of the Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study’ (FITS) and its latest findings can be downloaded free from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website

A symposium on early nutrition and later growth in Paris, France, is supported by an unrestricted, educational grant of the NNI

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 Z

The quality of nutrition in the first 1000 days of life can have long-term impacts. The importance of nutrition in this early period of life cannot be underestimated as both animal and human data show that nutrition may influence the levels of risk of non-communicable disease.

At the upcoming ‘International Conference on Nutrition & Growth’ to be held in Paris in March, an unrestricted NNI grant is supporting a symposium looking at the link between early nutrition and later growth. During the meeting, world-renowned experts will talk about some pressing issues including:

Prof. B. Koletzko: Early nutrition, child growth and later risks of obesity
Dr. N. D. Embleton: Early nutrition and later growth – the premature infant perspective
Prof. D. Turck: Breast feeding and Growth
Prof. F. Haschke: Early Infant feeing and long-term growth. A challenge for science, industry and regulatory issues

The Symposium will take place on 1 March from 16:00-17:30 at the Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel.

More information about the 2012 International Conference on Nutrition and Growth

Dietary prevention and management of allergies in childhood – An outlook into the future

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 Z

Pediatric food allergy is becoming a concern in various parts of the world. At a recent satellite symposium held during the XXII World Allergy Congress in Cancún, México, distinguished speakers discussed the diagnosis and treatment of severe cases of food allergy and reviewed recommendations on the dietary management of food and cow’s milk allergy in children.

The experts also introduced oral tolerance induction as an approach to treat food allergy.

Click here to read the full press release

Discover how nutrition can improve the outcome of the critically ill at NNI symposium

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 Z

The Nestlé Nutrition Institute will be discussing how nutrition can improve the outcomes of critically ill patients at an informative breakfast symposium during this year’s Clinical Nutrition Week in Orlando, Florida, USA from 21 to 24 January.

During the meeting, four distinguished speakers will explore the subject, moderated by Robert Martindale MD, PhD, a respected specialist in gastrointestinal and laparoscopic surgery. The speakers will be:

Stephen McClave, MD

Keith Miller, MD

Jose Saavedra, MD

Beth Taylor, MS, RD

The symposium will take place on Sunday 22 January in the Pacific Hall C of the Dolphin & Swan Hotel. Discussions will start at 6:00am and a breakfast buffet will be available from 5:30am.

Entrance to the symposium is free of charge, but space is limited.

Visit our website for further details about both Clinical Nutrition Week 2012 and the the NNI satellite symposium.

Selected short NNI webinars now also on YouTube

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 Z

By creating a dedicated channel for its short webinars on YouTube, NNI has made it even more convenient to discover the latest thinking on a wide range of key nutrition related subjects.

By visiting the NNInstitute YouTube channel, you can access a selection of our short webinars and experience our scientific lectures anytime and anywhere; from your computer, smart phone or tablet.

The new channel supplements the full range of about 400 webinars available on the NNI website, which allows site members to watch NNI lectures and meetings at their own convenience and learn directly from some of the world’s leading clinical and scientific experts in the field of nutrition.

The NNI is continually adding to its range of webinars on both its website and the NNI channel.

Subscribe via YouTube for easy access to the latest NNI resources

NNI celebrates 30 years of quality nutritional debate

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 Z

To help improve global nutrition, since 1981, Nestlé has organised more than 70 international workshops for scientific and medical professionals. Over the last 30 years, we are proud to have brought together some of the world’s most respected minds to debate and discuss a wide-range of critical topics, helping to advance understanding around nutrition related subjects and enhance lives.

Each workshop provides a forum for the highest levels of review and debate around key nutrition topics, including pediatric, adult, clinical and sports nutrition.

Through our recently improved website, our vast workshop book library spanning 30 years of nutrition information and research, including webinars of our workshops held since 2005, are freely available to anyone in the medical or scientific community. With a further three workshops planned for 2012, we look forward to bringing you even more insights into some of the most critical nutrition issues of today.

Visit the Online Conferences section of our website to learn more about our regular workshops.

New logo signals NNI’s improved digital presence

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 Z

To make Nestlé Nutrition Institute’s (NNI) information and research more accessible to the health and nutrition community, we have extended our online presence. A change that is reflected in the site’s new look and feel and crowned by NNI’s dynamic new logo.

Through the new site, health professionals and nutritional can quickly access the latest scientific information and online educational opportunities spanning a broader range of nutrition topics; from pediatrics to geriatrics, sports nutrition to weight management and, critically, disease states.

Our new homepage makes it easier to access this information and gives you instant access to the latest news. With more functionality to be added soon, including a useful ‘My Favourite’ section, the site will continue to build into an invaluable library for professionals looking for nutrition related information, knowledge and tools.

NNI, a non-profit making organization that is operated separately from the Nestlé business, will continue to work with medical communities globally and offer the high-standard of tailor-made nutrition information, education and networking it has become known for.

NNI e-learning qualifies for Continuous Medical Education credits

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 Z

The long-hours and shifts of most medical professionals can make classroom-based learning difficult. However, e-learning is becoming an effective alternative, helping more professionals to keep up with the latest medical advances and treatments and maintain the highest levels of patient care.
With this in mind, NNI has sponsored e-learning programs in the field of pediatric nutrition, nutrition in the critically ill obese, through the provision of unrestricted grants. All of which are available through its recently enhanced website.

One such program is ‘Pediatric Nutrition in Practice’, an intensive learning experience based on the acclaimed book of the same name. The quality of the programme has recently earned it 20 European continuous medical education (CME) credits by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME).* Credits that are also recognised by the American Medical Association (AMA) and count towards the Physician's Recognition Award (PRA).

The Pediatric Nutrition in Practice e-learning program is grouped into nine modules, each containing 5–7 chapters. Each module contains objectives, course material, a progress check to support exam preparation and a list of key terms and references. These materials can also be used for self-learning or to explore options for accreditation for continuous medical education (CME) in your country. The course takes around 120 minutes and can be completed at the learner’s convenience, making it easier to fit into a busy schedule.

The training has been developed to address the learning needs of paediatricians, nutritionists, hepatologists and medics in training, who can take the corresponding exams to test their new knowledge and receive credit points for Continued Medical Education, as well as other medical staff involved in pediatric nutrition.

Explore the new e-learning options on the NNI website

*The EACCME is an institution of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS).

Experts endorse strategies for early nutritional intervention in newborns

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 Z

During a recent Nestlé Nutrition Institute Satellite Symposium, leading international experts explored nutritional strategies for the management of very low birth weight neonates. Their discussions highlighted the need for early intervention.

The three prevalent messages from the event were:

The need for more evidence: There is sufficient evidence supporting prophylactic supplementation of probiotics to reduce necrotising enterocolitis (NEC).

Standard treatments are not enough: Individualised nutrition is required to ensure that optimised post-natal growth and development targets are met.

Early high protein intake can lead risks later: The use of low protein formulas in non-breast-fed infants can lead to a reduction of chronic disease and obesity in adulthood.

To read more about the discussions and outcomes from the symposium, please read the full press release.

Nestlé Nutrition Institute organizes a Satellite Symposium at the XXIII World Allergy Congress

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 Z

To correspond with the XXII World Allergy Congress, held in Cancun Mexico from 4-8 December, the NNI is organising a satellite symposium on 'Dietary prevention and management of allergies in childhood – an outlook for the future'.

The NNI symposium will take place on Tuesday 6 December from 10:45 – 12:15 at the Cancun Convention Centre, where leading experts will present the following topics:

• Oral tolerance induction: Are we any closer to a cure for food allergy? (Professor Mimi Tang, Australia)
• Severe food allergy: Treatment and management (Dr Ralf G. Heine, Australia)
• Nutrition in allergic children: Recommendations and guidelines (Professor Christophe Dupont, France)

Following the event, speaker presentations and a summary of discussions will be available on our website.

Via our website, you can find further details for both WAO’s biennial scientific meeting and NNI’s satellite symposium.