The course gives an introduction to selected topics relevant to human nutrition science. Topics covered include dietary recommendations and nutrient requirements for adults, under- and overnutrition, special dietary patterns including throughout the life stages, the microbiome, fatty acids in nutrition, and nutri-(epi)genomics.
Learning objective
The course gives a brief introduction into different specialities within human nutrition. The learning objectives of this course are to improve student understanding of:
1) dietary recommendations and nutrient requirements at different stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy and lactation, childhood and adolescence, adults and elderly, and for sports persons; 2) the influence of undernutrition and overnutrition, as well as specific dietary patterns (e.g. vegetarianism, veganism, fasting, weight loss diets) on health; 3) the metabolism of specific nutrients (e.g. vitamins, minerals and fatty acids) and their effect on health; 4) nutri-(epi)genomics and the interactions between genes and the environment with respect to nutrition and health; 5) the microbiome and its modulation by nutritional factors.
Lecture notes
The teaching slides used in the lectures will be made available each week on Moodle.
Literature
Any reading recommendations will be given per lecture.
Prerequisites / Notice
This course builds upon the knowledge gained in the module Introduction to Nutritional Science, given in the Autumn Semester (752-6001-00 L). Prior attendance of Introduction to Nutritional Science is not a prerequisite for this module, but students are expected to have fundamental knowledge of basic nutrition and physiology.
Competencies
Subject-specific Competencies
Concepts and Theories
assessed
Techniques and Technologies
assessed
Method-specific Competencies
Analytical Competencies
fostered
Personal Competencies
Critical Thinking
fostered
Performance assessment
Performance assessment information (valid until the course unit is held again)
Performance assessment as a semester course