Chaired by Professor Alan Shenkin, honorary president of the BNF and emeritus professor of clinical chemistry at the University of Liverpool, the event aims to celebrate important discoveries and developments in nutritional science over the past 25 years, and speculate about what the future may hold.
The conference will cover a number of topics, including dietary fats, nutrition for an ageing population and advances in nutrition data collection.
Among the expert speakers there will be Professor Christine Williams (University of Reading), Professor John Mathers (Newcastle University) and Professor Alison Lennox (University of Surrey).
One session will look at ‘The Changing Face of Nutrition’ and set the scene around the dramatic changes that have occurred over the past 25 years in relation to government policy, the food supply, schools and communications.
Another, titled ‘The Role of Nutrition Surveys’ will focus on how nutrition surveys, particularly the National Diet and Nutrition Surveys, have supported science and policy over the period, with reference to strengths and limitations of the surveys and major developments in methods used.
A summary will be provided of the main changes and trends in nutrient intakes and status of the UK population over the past 25 years, and a perspective on the future of the surveys.
A third talk on ‘Healthy Ageing’ will look at the consequences of life expectancy increasing by two years every decade and the forecast that as many as a third of children born now will live to 100.
This talk will discuss reasons for increased life expectancy, and what we have learned over the past 25 years about the ageing process, epigenetics and the role of early nutrition and nutrition along the life course.
It will also touch on the impact of obesity, and how knowledge has developed about the importance and role of the gut microbiome. Areas of ongoing and future research will be flagged.
Another talk on ‘Cardiovascular Health and Diet’ will examine our understanding of how the relationship between many aspects of diet and cardiovascular health has developed. It will also address the question of whether recent research means that guidelines need to change and what research suggests the future might hold.
Finally, the seminar will look at ‘What Does the Future Hold?’ through a public health nutrition lens. It will consider what we have learned from the past and how we can apply this to encourage dietary behaviour change going forward, particularly for those who currently have relatively poor diets.
It will also explore what the future might hold for nutrition as we grapple with decisions about what to grow and produce to ensure sustainability of the food supply in the face of likely climate change and a growing, more prosperous global population, expected to reach over nine billion by 2050.
The event will be a half-day conference on the afternoon of 26 April at the Royal Society in London. Tea and coffee will be available from 12.30pm and the event will end by 5pm.
For more information visit: www.nutrition.org.uk.