Scientists gather for nutrition conference

Leading national and international scientists will explore Frontiers in Nutrition at the annual conference of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand this week.

The conference runs from 22 to 23 November at The University of Auckland.

Chair of the organising committee and Professor of Nutrition at the Liggins Institute, David Cameron-Smith, says speakers will present cutting-edge information on the impact of vitamins, minerals, nutraceuticals, functional foods, lipids and proteins on our health.

Presenters will evaluate the current state of health of New Zealanders along with the latest scientific knowledge on appetite and food behaviours and the importance of nutrition for a healthy start to life, for healthy ageing and elite performance.

International keynote speakers include:

• Professor Catherine Fields, Professor of Nutrition at the Alberta Institute for Human Nutrition and Alberta Diabetes Institute, Canada: The role of specific food components on immune development.
• Professor Andrew Sinclair, Professor of Nutrition at the School of Medicine, Deakin University - Australia: Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA): The iceberg of long chain omega 3 fatty acids.
• Professor Manohar Garg, Chair in Nutritional Biochemistry and Director of the Nutraceuticals Research Unit, University of Newcastle, Australia: Fatty diets and inflammation: what matters - quantity and/or quality?
• Professor Sally Poppitt, the Fonterra Chair in Human Nutrition at The University of Auckland, will deliver the Muriel Bell lecture: Yesterday, today and tomorrow in obesity research – is there light at the end of the tunnel?
• Liggins Institute Professor of Maternal and Fetal Health, and Director of the National Research Centre for Growth and Development, Philip Baker will speak on Nutrition in Pregnancy – from teenagers to the Arctic.

Further information is available at www.nutritionsociety2012.co.nz