Nurturing a Healthy Generation of Children: Research Gaps and Opportunities. Группа авторов

Nicklaus

Foreword

      Infant and childhood nutrition is the basis of an individual’s health in later life. Multiple lines of evidence – from experimental to epidemiological – are converging to highlight the importance of this early period for metabolic programming, physiological growth, and cognition. This is the cornerstone of the “developmental origin of health and disease” (DOHAD) paradigm, underscoring the significance of infancy and early childhood for setting the foundation for health. Any public health intervention that seeks to improve the general health of a population or combat disease should, therefore, target infants and children in order to reap the greatest benefits.

      Yet, there is little mechanistic evidence to reveal how. Some of the answers can be found in studying diet and eating behavior: food choices and dietary habits go hand in hand with nutrition. Eating is a key skill that develops during early life. Between conception and childhood, the mode of feeding drastically evolves, from amniotic fluid, to breastfeeding, weaning, and independent feeding. Not only does the child learn how to eat, but also what to eat, how much, and in what context. During this time, infants discover the intrinsic properties of foods, along with the variety of tastes, flavors, and textures. These earliest sensations pave the way for food choice, steering an individual towards a lifetime of healthy (or unhealthy) eating patterns.

      The 91st Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop on Nurturing a Healthy Generation of Children: Research Gaps and Opportunities , which took place in Manila (Philippines) in March 2018, highlighted the importance of childhood diets, eating behaviors, and potential impacts on development and health. The first session chaired by Dr. Sophie Nicklaus (INRA, French National Institute for Agricultural Research, France) examined the development of taste in infants, revealing how taste preferences are shaped in utero and throughout weaning, and guide the individual’s later food choices. The theme of the second session, led by Dr. Christiani Jeyakumar Henry (National University of Singapore), focused on what do children really eat in different parts of the world. FITS (Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study) and KNHS (Kids Nutrition and Health Study) provided a glimpse into the diets of children around the world, identifying nutrition gaps and potential areas for intervention. The workshop ended with a final session on the most important meal of the day: breakfast. This session chaired by Prof. Theresa A. Nicklas (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA) concluded the 3 days of the fascinating scientific forum.

      The key learnings from this workshop provide valuable insight for policy makers, researchers, and health care professionals on how diet and feeding behavior during each of these stages can influence health and disease.

      We would like to thank the three chairpersons Sophie Nicklaus, Christiani Jeyakumar Henry, and Theresa A. Nicklas for putting the scientific program together.

      We would also like to thank all speakers and scientific experts in the audience, who contributed to the workshop content and scientific discussions. Finally, we thank Dr. Josephine Yuson-Sunga, her team in the Philippines, and the NNI team in Switzerland for their support and nice hospitality.

      Dr. Natalia Wagemans

      Head of Nestlé Nutrition Institute

      Vevey, Switzerland

Contributors

      Chairpersons & Speakers

      Dr. Imelda Angeles-Agdeppa

      Nutrition Assessment and Monitoring Division, Food and Nutrition Research

      Institute (FNRI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST)

      General Santos Avenue

      Taguig, 1630 Metro Manila

      Philippines

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Prof. Regan Bailey

      Department of Nutrition Science

      Purdue University

      700 W State Street

      West Lafayette, IN 47 907

      USA

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Dr. Alison L. Eldridge

      Nestlé Research

      Route du Jorat 57

      Vers-Chez-les-Blanc

      CH–1000 Lausanne 26

      Switzerland

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Dr. Ciarán G. Forde

      Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), A*STAR

      Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

      National University of Singapore

      14 Medical Drive 07-02, MD 6 Building

      Singapore 117599

      Singapore

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Dr. Lisa Fries

      Nestlé Research

      Route du Jorat 57

      Vers-Chez-les-Blanc

      CH–1000 Lausanne 26

      Switzerland

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Prof. em. Mike Gibney

      Institute of Food and Health

      University College Dublin

      Belfield, Dublin 4

      Ireland

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Prof. Christiani Jeyakumar Henry

      Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), A*STAR

      Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine

      National University of Singapore

      14 Medical Drive 07-02, MD 6 Building

      Singapore 117599

      Singapore

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Dr. Leonidas G. Karagounis

      Nestlé Health Science

      Avenue Nestlé 55

      CH–1800 Vevey

      Switzerland

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Prof. Dr. Norimah A. Karim

      Nutrition Science Programme Faculty of Health Sciences

      Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

      Jalan Raja Muda Abd Aziz

      50300 Kuala Lumpur

      Malaysia

      E-Mail [email protected]

      Prof. Dr. Andrea Maier-Nöth

      CEO of Eat-Health-Pleasure GmbH

      Psychology