ILSI Europe sessions beat records of participation at FENS 2019

With 6 scientific sessions and almost 18 speakers, ILSI Europe was one of the biggest contributors at the 13th European Nutrition Conference (FENS) held in Dublin, Ireland on 15 – 18 October 2019.

ILSI Europe’s President and FENS Co-Chair Prof. Philip Calder welcomed the gathering, organized by the Nutrition Society and hosted this year by the Nutrition Society Irish Section.

Figure 1: Prof Philip Calder, ILSI Europe president and FENS Co-Chair, presenting at our Session ‘An update on beneficial Health Impact of Specific Fatty Acids’

The congress, the premier European meeting within nutritional science, is held once every four years. Under this year’s theme the ‘European perspectives on malnutrition in an obese world’, ILSI Europe contributed by addressing topics such as dietary fatty acids, consumer choices’ drivers and microbiome.

ILSI Europe sessions beat records of attendance:  600 out of the 1,700 of the conference delegates participated in our scientific symposiums, which started on Monday  with a pre- FENS workshop on ‘The Potential for Incorporating Data on Occurrence and Consumer Loyalty into Dietary Exposure Models’, supported by the Dietary Intake and Exposure Task Force and chaired by Prof. Mike Gibney (UCD) .

Our particular gratitude to all our speakers, who contributed to make our sessions a complete success.

ILSI Europe was also present at the exhibitors area with a booth, which was visited by Nutrition scientists and researchers, health professionals from across Europe and ILSI Europe members.

Figure 2: ILSI Europe staff at FENS

ILSI Europe’s sessions at FENS:

An update on ILSI’s Europe activities on Glycaemic Exposure: from population without diabetes to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Supported by the:

 Summary

The session brought together experts presenting ILSI Europe’s latest activities related to glycaemic exposure during pregnancy, in population with or without diabetes.

Related materials

  • Usual Dietary Treatment of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Assessed after Control Diet in Randomized Controlled Trials: Subanalysis of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Read
  • Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Diet: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Examining the Impact of Modified Dietary Interventions on Maternal Glucose Control and Neonatal Birth WeightRead full

 

From early-life events to the ageing brain: Impact of nutrition on health determinants

Supported by the

Summary

The session provided an overview of ILSI Europe’s activities related to the impact of nutrition on health during the lifespan, emphasising a key role for nutrition in influencing health and well-being already early in life and also through microbiota-mediated effects.

Related material:

  • Poor cognitive ageing: Vulnerabilities, mechanisms and the impact of nutritional interventionsRead
  • Nutrition for the Ageing Brain: Towards Evidence for an Optimal Diet. Read
  • Health Relevance of the Modification of Low Grade Inflammation in Ageing (inflammageing) and the Role of Nutrition. Read

New methodologies for food intake and dietary exposure assessment

Organising Task Force:

Summary: 

Speakers reviewed the new technologies available to assess the exposure of consumers to different food chemicals, and outline the current efforts to identify different markers for glycaemia and how are they potentially influenced by dietary intake of different diets and exposure of different dietary chemicals.

Related material:

  • Evaluation of New Technology-Based Tools for Dietary Intake Assessment – An ILSI Europe Dietary Intake and Exposure Task Force Evaluation. Read

An Update on the Beneficial Health Impact of Specific Dietary Fatty Acids

Organising Task Force:

Summary:

The session brought together experts presenting ILSI Europe’s activities and latest results on the beneficial impact of specific dietary fatty acids on human health. Speakers provided an overview of the health impact of specific saturated fatty acids.

Related material:

  • A Systematic Review of the Effects of Increasing Arachidonic Acid Intake on PUFA Status, Metabolism and Health-Related Outcomes in HumanRead

Understanding Consumer Choice Drivers to Achieve Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security

Organising Task Force:

Summary

The session aimed at addressing how consumer behavior influences the trends of spreading obesity epidemic and the stemming detrimental effects on human health. It also showcased the evidence of potential of nudging as an effective measure to counteract these trends in both long and short term.

Related material

  • Systematic Review of the Evidence for Sustained Efficacy of Dietary Interventions for Reducing Appetite or Energy IntakeRead

Unlocking the potential of the microbiome

 Organising Task Force:

 Summary:

The session explored the role gut and oral microbiome play in human health and chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The three talks provided insights into the impact of diet on intestinal microbiome and its metabolism as well as discuss the possibilities nutritional interventions offer for shaping gut microbiome beneficially.

Related material:

  • Resistance and Resilience to Experimental Gingivitis: a Systematic Scoping Review. Read