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Wholesome nutrition: a suitable diet for the new nutrition science project
Abstract
To show that the practice of wholesome nutrition meets the demands of the concept of the new nutrition science, at present and in the future.
To define 'wholesome nutrition', to describe its origin and to discuss its recommendations; and to cite practical examples showing that wholesome nutrition includes the dimensions and domains that are the basis of the concept of the new nutrition science.
The recommendations of wholesome nutrition are an effective implementation of the concept of the new nutrition science.
... It does not follow that 'anything goes'. The group of 26 people who contributed to the analyses and conclusions that follow (1,(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16) agreed that all specific principles should be governed by the over-arching concepts of ethics, evolution, and ecology, and be informed by history. Most nutrition professionals may well agree. ...
... History also explains why degraded (14) white wheat bread is replacing other starchy staples made from rice, corn, oats, cassava and other grains and roots, throughout the world. This is a legacy of a time when nutrition science was dominated by the UK and the US, under the pressure of war and postwar recovery, a time of confluence between government, industry and nutrition scientists. ...
This commentary is work in progress. It is the product of a series of meetings held throughout the world in which so far a total of about 200 people have participated. Its original main source is as an outcome of a workshop meeting held in Giessen, whose participants are listed in the acknowledgements below. Here are specified the definition, dimensions, purposes and principles of nutrition science. Properly understood, nutrition in theory and practice is concerned with the health and well-being of humans as part of the living and physical world and the biosphere. What is now termed ‘public health nutrition’ is therefore nutrition seen as a whole, of which what is now termed ‘nutrition’, which is to say clinical nutrition, is a sub-set. The specifications here for nutrition are therefore for what is now termed ‘public health nutrition’, which is the master discipline. Modern conventional nutrition science originated in the early 19th century mainly as a biochemical, physiological, pathological and thus a quasi-medical discipline. It gained status as a weapon in the wars for power in Europe and in the empires of the European powers. It displaced the very much broader natural philosophy of dietetics taught and practiced throughout history. It still tends to focus on acceleration of human growth, with the diagnosis and treatment of various human disorders and diseases, and with animals and plants reared and grown for human use. At the time of and as part of the industrial revolution in Europe and the US, what is usually termed ‘modern nutrition science’ was spectacularly successful in growing big strong tall young people fit to work in factories and to fight land wars. Later with the discovery of micronutrients it also had phenomenal success with specific deficiency diseases such as those suffered by sailors, urban workers, people subsisting on ‘store food’, and populations in the European colonies and the US. However, with the commonly identified exception of coronary heart disease, the modern science of nutrition is evidently unable fully to comprehend, or to prevent or control, chronic conditions and diseases in which food is implicated, such as obesity, or diabetes, and other epidemic or pandemic chronic diseases. In this commentary, current conventional nutrition is perceived as a remnant of an ideology originated in Europe towards the end of the last millennium, in which humans are perceived as supreme beings, superior to and separate from the living and physical environment. This all now must end. We all now live in a new age. Nutrition now has a whole new prospect and task. It must now be concerned with personal, population and planetary health and well-being, and engage and integrate with the whole living and physical world and the biosphere. (Updated, expanded and revised version of the paper published in the special New Nutrition Science issue of PHN)
... With professional support of nutritionists, the participants of the study changed their dietary patterns to a low-fat diet, so-called wholesome nutrition. Wholesome nutrition is gaining increasing acceptance as a healthpromoting, sustainable and equitable diet (32) . This form of diet is described by Koerber et al. (21) and is mainly composed of vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products, potatoes, legumes and dairy products as well as a limited consumption of meat, fish and eggs. ...
... In contrast to Western dietary patterns, the wholesome diet contains a higher intake of PUFA and non-hydrogenated unsaturated fats. n-3 Fatty acids are found in high concentrations in certain plant products, for example, linseed and walnut (32) . Fish oils, also rich in n-3 fatty acids, have been found to inhibit the production of IL-1b, IL-6 and TNF-a (37) and decrease alveolar bone resorption in animal experiments (38) . ...
The role of nutrition in onset, progression and treatment of periodontitis has not been thoroughly evaluated. In the present prospective clinical study, we investigated the influence of a nutritional intervention on changes in clinical, microbiological and immunological periodontal variables during a period of 12 months in patients with the metabolic syndrome and chronic periodontitis. Twenty female subjects with the metabolic syndrome and mild to moderate chronic periodontitis participated in a guided nutritional intervention programme. Examinations were assessed before, and at 2 weeks, 3, 6 and 12 months after intervention. Clinical measurements included probing depth, Löe and Silness gingival index and Quigley-Hein plaque index. In gingival crevicular fluid, periodontopathogens, levels of IL-1beta and IL-6 as well as the activity of granulocyte elastase were determined. In stimulated saliva, antioxidative and oxidative variables were measured. After 12 months the following significant changes could be observed: reduction of clinical probing depth (2.40 v. 2.20 mm; P < 0.001), reduction of gingival inflammation (gingival index 1.13 v. 0.9; P < 0.001), reduced concentrations of IL-1beta (4.63 v. 1.10 pg/ml per site; P < 0.001) as well as IL-6 (1.85 v. 0.34 pg/ml per site; P = 0.022) in gingival crevicular fluid. Bacterial counts in gingival crevicular fluid as well as oxidative and antioxidative variables in saliva showed no significant changes. Only salivary catalase showed a tendency to lower values. These findings indicate that in patients with the metabolic syndrome wholesome nutrition might reduce inflammatory variables of periodontal disease and promote periodontal health.
... Las crisis alimentarias, ambientales, económicas, sociales y sanitarias del mundo actual obligan la creación y protección de sistemas alimentarios sustentables, que aporten a la solución de los principales problemas que generan los sistemas convencionales, globalizados y agroindustriales (Cannon y Leitzmann, 2005;Leitzmann, 2005), caracterizados por la promoción de formas extensivas y contaminantes de producción, el recorrido de largas distancias para el abastecimiento de las ciudades, la despersonalización de la comercialización (Jacquiau, 2007;Montagut, 2007) y la concentración del poder. ...
Este trabajo hizo parte de la estrategia «Resignificación de la presencia universitaria en los territorios, como aporte a la construcción de paz en Colombia», promovida por la Vicerrectoría de Extensión de la Universidad de Antioquia en 2021. La Escuela de Nutrición y Dietética participó con el proyecto «Movilización y participación social para la gestión del sistema alimentario en Granada-Antioquia, un aporte a la consolidación de la paz”. La metodología del proyecto se basó en un enfoque pedagógico constructivista y de diálogo de saberes, que fomentó el intercambio y el aprendizaje recíproco, y la estrategia Elige-Ssan (Escuela de Líderes Gestoras y Gestores de Soberanía y Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutricional), los cuales arrojaron importantes reflexiones sobre la seguridad y soberanía alimentaria en el mencionado municipio, y resaltaron la necesidad de involucrar a toda la ciudadanía en estas cuestiones y de valorar el papel del campesinado y lapoblación rural.
... During the same period others in the field have seen the need to link nutrition as a biological science with its environmental aspects and implications. Nutrition ecology, and then the discipline of Vollwert-Ernährung (''wholesome nutrition''), became taught at the University of Giessen (22), and Mark Wahlqvist and others began to develop the concept of ''econutrition'' (23). Comparably integrated approaches to nutrition science and food and nutrition policy had and have also been developed by Nevin Scrimshaw at the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) and then at Massachusetts Institute of Technology; John Waterlow at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; Malden Nesheim, Michael Latham, Cutberto Garza and other leaders at Cornell University; Ibrahim Elmadfa at the University of Vienna; and elsewhere. ...
The New Nutrition Science project is the result of confluent thinking, especially within the past 10 years. It is
a joint Initiative of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences and the World Health Policy Forum. It
gives nutrition science, with its expression in food and nutrition policy, a new conceptual framework, a new
definition, three dimensions and extended principles. The objective of the New Nutrition Science project is to
enable nutrition science to gain all possible relevance in the circumstances of the twenty-first century. It
remains work in progress. As expressed in the Giessen Declaration, the result of a workshop meeting held at
the University of Giessen, the three dimensions of the new nutrition science are biological, social and
environmental. Its concerns are personal, population, and planetary health and welfare. The broad
conceptual framework of the New Nutrition Science project looks forward, and also marks a return to the
days when nutrition science, and its predecessor discipline dietetics, had most salutary impact on public
health. It takes into account the most pressing concerns that face us now, including a continued rising human
population, the persistence of malnutrition, the rise of obesity and diabetes in early life, increased inequality
within and between nations and populations, rapid changes in global and local food supplies, and the
diminution and draining of natural resources. It is only by combining biological, social and environmental
approaches that nutrition science can fulfil its potential to preserve, maintain, develop and sustain life on
earth.
... This conceptual approach to nutrition and health represents the theoretical praxis of nutritional ecology, which addresses human health via the complex interaction between diet, somatic maintenance, and physical wellbeing within the constraints of the natural environment (Hockett and Haws 2003;Raubenheimer et al 2009). Using this theoretical basis, human health is determined neither by net caloric intake nor by strict macronutrient ratios, but rather by consuming a diverse diet capable of providing the dozens of essential nutrients necessary to achieve optimal bodily function and health conditions in humans (Hockett and Haws 2003;Ulijaszek 2002;Leitzmann 2005). And because the human body rarely relies upon a single nutrient to perform its vital functions, consuming a diversity of foods in order to obtain these synergistically active dietary compounds represents an important qualitative feature of any guideline for a healthy diet. ...
This study represents a novel and unique approach to the study of breast cancer in developing countries by examining breast cancer risk through an evaluation of the nutritional use of traditional medicinal plants within the context of the Paleolithic diet. To achieve this goal, anthropological and epidemiological data were collected in order to ascertain the risk factors associated with the increasing incidence of breast cancer in Thailand.
The major findings of this dissertation are as follows: (1) a later age at menarche among Thai women, rather than protecting against breast cancer (the pattern typically found in Western populations), produces an increased risk due to the prolongation of the adolescent growth period and a greater exposure to the action of growth-promoting hormones; (2) central fat distribution is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among Thai women, even in the absence of anthropometric markers associated with the threshold for obesity; (3) adherence to the nutritional use of traditional medicinal plants among Thai women contributes to a protective effect against breast cancer, in that
consuming higher rates of medicinal plants results in a reduction in breast cancer risk; and (4) dietary quality, rather than the quantity of dietary components, determines breast cancer risk among Thai women.
... First, we can generally state that the COT concept is applicable in Germany and Switzerland, while for the other investigated countries organic consumers prefer only some of the COT aspects. This may be because the concept of wholesome nutrition, which constitutes the basis for the COT concept, has its origin in Germany and Switzerland (Leitzmann, 2005). Second, on average, the interviewed European organic consumers report a preference for organic products that they characterized as fresh, while for all the other COT aspects, their importance varies between specific countries. ...
Consumers’ preferences for organic food have evolved in recent years, moving from altruistic values to more egoistic buying motivations, such as health promoting or nutritional aspects and sensory properties. Hypothesizing that organic consumers have peculiar preferences for naturalness-related sensory attributes, we developed the concept of the “core organic taste” based on the principles of a wholesome nutrition. This article investigates to what extent the “core organic taste” is relevant across different European countries and its potential relevance for food marketing. A sample of 1,798 organic food consumers was interviewed during 2010–2011 in six European countries. Explorative factor analysis, correlation analysis, ANOVA, and post hoc tests were applied to analyze the data. Results show that the “core organic taste” is not applicable for all countries. Indeed, for most countries only single elements seem to be relevant. However, for Germany and Switzerland the “core organic taste”—representing the first “taste style”—has proven its potential value and points at the need for more research in this field. Depending on the country, product developers and marketers could potentially use different elements of the “core organic taste” to better meet organic consumers’ wishes and expectations. Finally, recommendations and suggestions for practitioners and academia are provided.
... Cette observation corrobore celles de Illich (1975) sur les effets pervers du développement technologique dans les sociétés modernes. 9 Pour un aperçu historique, on pourra consulter entre autres Zwart (2000) et Leitzmann (2005). Cette conception n'est pas nouvelle. ...
La recherche d’une alimentation « saine et équilibrée » ne peut se faire sans considérations allocentriques, à l’égard d’autrui ou d’autres formes de vie. Pourtant, la satisfaction de besoins individuels (réels ou fabriqués, à l’échelle d’une personne ou de groupes restreints) tend à prédominer. Le paradigme dominant en sciences alimentaires et nutrition-nelles étant fondamentalement anthropocentré, orienté vers les besoins/intérêts individuels, il apporte peu de réponses aux questions complexes de dégradation de l’environnement et d’utilisation équitable des ressources nourricières. Nous introduisons cette problématique puis nous proposons une mise en perspective des positions épistémologiques pouvant aider à promouvoir une alimentation qui contribuerait davantage au « développement durable » (satisfaction de besoins élargis). Nous soulignons l’intérêt heuristique du paradigme écosystémique pour envisager une évolution dans ce sens. L’alimentation étant un facteur structurant majeur de l’organisation sociale, une évolution vers plus de viabilité et d’équité au plan mondial nécessitera sans doute des adaptations d’ordre alimentaire et nutritionnel.
... Pero los avances en ciencia y tecnología no serán suficientes para resolver los problemas gigantescos de preservar los recursos naturales y humanos y así pro porcionar las respuestas relacionadas con las ediciones globales tales como la infl uencia económica/política en suministro de alimentos y la nutrición adecuada (11 ). La sustentabilidad de la nutrición va a depender de la cooperación de las estrategias empleadas en todos los países, para lograr con esto que los alimentos estén distribuidos de manera equitativa en todo el planeta, en este sentido ha aparecido la denominada ecología de la nutrición que se define como "el conjunto de los sistemas de la nutrición que recomiendan una nutrición sana como la manera más conveniente y sostenible de comer y beber, lo que conlleva a promover una dieta saludable, equitativa y sostenible" (14) . ...
The role of the family, media advertising and school influence on the eating habits of children was reviewed. The exposure of children to these behavioral factors has modified the consumption patterns in children, resulting in an increase in the prevalence of obesity. This underlines the importance of health education as a preventive and promotional tool in the change of behaviors related to the adoption of healthy eating habits, emphasizing the development of nutritional programs applied in schools with the cooperation of parents and teachers to modify unhealthy behaviors and to acquire healthy life styles.
... Pero los avances en ciencia y tecnología no serán suficientes para resolver los problemas gigantescos de preservar los recursos naturales y humanos y así pro porcionar las respuestas relacionadas con las ediciones globales tales como la infl uencia económica/política en suministro de alimentos y la nutrición adecuada (11 ). La sustentabilidad de la nutrición va a depender de la cooperación de las estrategias empleadas en todos los países, para lograr con esto que los alimentos estén distribuidos de manera equitativa en todo el planeta, en este sentido ha aparecido la denominada ecología de la nutrición que se define como "el conjunto de los sistemas de la nutrición que recomiendan una nutrición sana como la manera más conveniente y sostenible de comer y beber, lo que conlleva a promover una dieta saludable, equitativa y sostenible" (14) . ...
The evolution of the nutrition concept is described until arriving to the concept of three-dimensionality, analyzing it from at the world level, in Latin America and México. Nutrition used to be considered an exclusively biological process; nevertheless, now it involves social and ecological aspects. The convergence between the health concept and nutrition from the biosocial conception of the individual is analyzed, emphasizing the importance of education as a promotional tool, which includes not only includes the informative aspect but also the modification of behavior to change the individual's lifestyle.
... Combining ecological footprint and nutritional analysis could assist in the implementation of this Strategy. Finally, reducing the environmental impact of the average Cardiff diet may only require residents to make marginal changes to the type of food and drink they consume and therefore could make a sustainable diet more achievable compared to some diets suggested to date, e.g., Duchin (2005) and Leitzmann (2005). ...
This paper uses the ecological footprint to measure the environmental impact of food and drink consumption at a sub-national level. The case study area selected is Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The paper begins by explaining what an ecological footprint is and how it is measured. We describe how an ecological footprint was calculated for Cardiff, with specific emphasis on the food and drink component. The main part of this paper focuses on Cardiff's ecological footprint results for food and drink and how we might begin to make residents' consumption more sustainable. We present and analyse the results of several scenarios developed to reduce the environmental impact of Cardiff's food and drink consumption. These scenarios focus on changing the type of food and drink that the average Cardiff resident consumes at home. Here we also analyse the results from a nutritional and economic perspective. Finally, in the Conclusions section we discuss the value of using the ecological footprint to measure the environmental impact of consumption at a sub-national level. We also discuss how this combined analysis can provide a more comprehensive account of food and drink consumption at the sub-national level, and better inform policy decisions on sustainable food and drink consumption.
The word “sarcopenia” derives from the
Greek “sarx” meaning flesh and “penia”
meaning scarcity. It was first used by the
nutritionist Rosenberg in 1988 in the article
“Epidemiological and Methodological
Problems in Determining the Nutritional
Status of the Elderly.” He stated, “...probably
there is no more dramatic decrease
than the decrease in muscle mass through
the decades of life.” Something interesting
he also mentions in the article is that the
greatest declines in muscle mass occur
between the ages of 65 and 80. He emphasized
that in these age groups, there is the
most variation in the data, hypothesizing
that these differences could possibly be
due to gender, lifestyle, and whether older
adults are in institutions or at home.
In den Jahren von 2008 bis 2012 finanzierte die Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) innerhalb ihres Promotionsstipendienprogramms einen Schwerpunkt Umweltethik. Wie der vorliegende Band belegt, reichten die Forschungsgegenstände der beteiligten Stipendiat:innen weit über die philosophische Teildisziplin Umweltethik hinaus – von der Handlungs- und Nachhaltigkeitstheorie bis in die Ökonomik, Soziologie und Literaturwissenschaft. Im April 2012 fand an der Universität Greifswald die von den Stipendiat:innen organisierte Abschlusstagung statt, aus der die Beiträge zu diesem Band hervorgingen. Bei der Begegnung im Stipendienschwerpunkt konnten manche Beteiligte erstmals feststellen, dass benachbarte geistes- und gesellschaftswissenschaftliche Umwelt-Fächer einen ähnlichen Weg wie ihr eigenes gegangen waren. Schon in der Teilgruppe der Umweltethiker:innen gingen die Ansichten darüber auseinander, was in den Gegenstandsbereich ihres Fachs falle und wo es im Verhältnis zu den Naturwissenschaften, empirischen Sozialwissenschaften und Geisteswissenschaften zu verorten sei. Der vorliegende Sammelband gewährt damit u.a. einen Einblick in die Suchbewegungen und Verständigungsbemühungen, die die Entwicklung der Environmental Humanities bis heute begleiten.
The third of my Out of the Box items on the New Nutrition. The items here are the first, fourth, fifth and sixth in the column.
Introducción:
la nutrición humana trasciende aspectos biológicos y está integrada por aspectos sociales, políticos, históricos, ambientales, económicos y culturales; entre ellos hay un interés creciente por los relacionados con la ecología. Dado lo anterior, el objetivo de esta reflexión es reconocer las perspectivas del pensamiento ecológico que han influenciado el campo alimentario y nutricional.
Reflexión:
las exploraciones sobre el tema permitieron evidenciar perspectivas que podrían agruparse en ambientales, sociales y socio-ambientales; en el marco de la primera podría inscribirse el concepto econutrición y en la última la nutrición ecológica.
Conclusiones:
estos términos refieren diferentes dimensiones, siendo la econutrición un término para vincular nutrición y medio ambiente, mientras la nutrición ecológica relaciona dimensiones sociales, económicas, ambientales y de salud, en la cual se inscribe la nutrición humana; así, esta reflexión ofrece una orientación conceptual que puede ser útil para la formulación de investigación aplicada, la formación y la formulación de políticas alimentarias y nutricionales.
This column continues the story of the New Nutrition Science project. 'New maps for old' - Why a new conceptual framework for nutrition science? A sufficient reason is that the world now is transformed from
that mapped by 19th and early 20th century theories and principles, including those that changed nutrition from,being part of a philosophy of life into a biochemical science. 'Homage to Barcelona' - At the Barcelona first World Public Health Nutrition congress being held in September, 39 more specific principles will be proposed. Thus for example: ‘Food systems that are biodiverse are superior to those that reduce biodiversity’. And: ‘Traditional cooking, rooted in the home, supplies good nutrition, agreeable social life and autonomy’. Other suggestions emphasise the value to population health and well-being, and to planetary welfare, of regional and local food systems and culture.'Local is nourishing' - Homage to Catalonia. 'Biology writ large' - A summary of the Giessen Declaration and the thinking behind it. 'Getting the message' - supporters include John Waterlow. Marion Nestle, and Derek Yach. 'Confluence of thinking' - Towards the end of the 20th century an increasing number of professionals working in nutrition science, food and nutrition policy, and allied fields, have become concerned to emphasise the broader personal and social aspects and implications of their work. (Out of the Box)
(Letter in response to letter from Arne Oshaug). Change happens as a result of irresistible pressure of
circumstances, like that now exerted in this age of linked global revolutionary electronic, genomic, political, economic and environmental developments. Such pressure accelerates formulation of new ideas and theories that become agreed and adopted as they are found to be more accurate, interesting, useful, relevant and appropriate.The new maps and new explorations needed for us, our children and their children, to live well in this new world, are being prepared by those willing to pool resources, with receptive minds and generous spirits. The New Nutrition Science project is not a closed shop, but an open door. Welcome in.
'What is truth' - No scientific proposal is finally true. There is no such thing as absolute truth.'What are facts?' Always, ideas come first. 'What is the cure?' Truth implying finality is an illusion. 'What's in the label?' - The issue is not what's on the product but what's in it. 'What a good idea' - Preview of the special New Nutrition Science special issue. 'Was bedeutet ein Name?' - The supremacy of the English language has implications.
Objective: To specify the principles, definition and dimensions of the new nutrition science.
Purpose: To identify nutrition, with its application in food and nutrition policy, as a science with great width and breadth of vision and scope, in order that it can fully contribute to the preservation, maintenance, development and sustenance of life on Earth.
Method: A brief overview shows that current conventional nutrition is defined as a biological science, although its governing and guiding principles are implicit only, and no generally agreed definition is evident. Following are agreements on the principles, definition and dimensions of the new nutrition science, made by the authors as participants at a workshop on this theme held on 5–8 April 2005 at the Schloss Rauischholzhausen, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany.
Result: Nutrition science as here specified will retain its current ‘classical’ identity as a biological science, within a broader and integrated conceptual framework, and will also be confirmed as a social and environmental science. As such it will be concerned with personal and population health, and with planetary health –the welfare and future of the whole physical and living world of which humans are a part.
(Introductory paper from the New Nutrition Science special issue of PHN)
Objective: To show that nutrition science, with its application to food and nutrition policy, now needs a new conceptual framework. This will incorporate nutrition in its current definition as principally a biological science, now including nutritional aspects of genomics. It will also create new governing and guiding principles; specify a new definition; and add social and environmental dimensions and domains.
Method: A narrative review of nutrition science, its successes and achievements, and its dilemmas, paradoxes, shortcomings, dissonances and challenges. Reference is made to 16 associated papers. Equal use is made of continuous text and of boxed texts that extend the review and give salient examples.
Results: Recent and current interrelated electronic and genomic discoveries and linked sequential demographic, nutritional and epidemiological shifts, in the context of associated and interlinked global social, cultural, environmental, economic, political and other developments, altogether amount to a world in revolution, requiring all disciplines including that of nutrition science to make comparably radical
responses.
Conclusion: Nutrition in principle and practice should be a biological and also an environmental and social science. This new broad integrated structure brings much recent and current progressive work into the centre of nutrition science, and in some ways is a renewal of the period when nutrition science had its greatest impact. It amounts to a map charting well-known and also new worlds. The new nutrition science is concerned with personal and population health, and also with planetary health – the welfare and future of the whole physical and living world of which humans are a part. In this way the discipline will make a greater contribution to the preservation, maintenance, development and sustenance of life on Earth, appropriate
for the twenty-first century.
(Comprehensive introduction. From the New Nutrition Science special issue of PHN)
Obesity and corporate responsibilty - Volume 9 Issue 1 - Svein O Kolset
Objective:
Following the agreed principles, definition and dimensions of the new nutrition science, to elaborate its overall guiding principles, to propose some domains of its biological, social and environmental dimensions, and to propose a series of principles to govern and guide these dimensions and domains. This paper, part of The New Nutrition Science project, is initial work in progress towards a comprehensive typology of the science, and is designed to stimulate further work.
Method:
A review that takes into account the discussions of the Giessen workshop on the new nutrition science, and in particular the workshop agreement as expressed in The Giessen Declaration. Three outlines of the evolutionary, historical and ecological general principles to guide the new nutrition science are given in boxed texts. The suggested specific principles, taken mostly from 14 associated papers and workshop discussion, are an informal supplement to the Declaration. They are presented as further work in progress, to be developed, revised and agreed at future meetings designed to develop the new nutrition science.
Conclusion:
An essential aspect of the theory and the practice of the new nutrition science--in common with any scientific discipline and indeed any ordered human activity--is a specification of its dimensions and their domains, with definitions; and also considered and agreed principles to govern and guide its work.
To examine the present methods used to define nutritional needs, and to analyse the intrinsic limitations of the reductionist chemical, biological and medical approaches to assess requirements. To establish the necessity to incorporate the complexities emerging from a broader understanding of the biological sciences as well as to include environmental and social dimensions in addressing nutritional needs.
Examples of the limitations of current approaches and the implications of these in defining potential solutions and policy options to address present nutritional problems are presented and discussed.
The chemical and biological sciences have provided a strong base for nutrition and have been essential in establishing nutrition as a science with public health relevance. However, these approaches are clearly insufficient to address the main challenges that confront nutrition science now in the twenty-first century. There is a pressing need to include the social, economic and human rights aspects in order to define future policies that will secure the right to safe and nutritious food for all.
(This statement by all the participants in the Giessen workshop precedes the longer commentary with a similar title also available here on ResearchGate). To specify the principles, definition and dimensions of the new nutrition science. To identify nutrition, with its application in food and nutrition policy, as a science with great width and breadth of vision and scope, in order that it can fully contribute to the preservation, maintenance, development and sustenance of life on Earth.
A brief overview shows that current conventional nutrition is defined as a biological science, although its governing and guiding principles are implicit only, and no generally agreed definition is evident. Following are agreements on the principles, definition and dimensions of the new nutrition science, made by the authors as participants at a workshop on this theme held on 5-8 April 2005 at the Schloss Rauischholzhausen, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, Germany. Nutrition science as here specified will retain its current 'classical' identity as a biological science, within a broader and integrated conceptual framework, and will also be confirmed as a social and environmental science. As such it will be concerned with personal and population health, and with planetary health--the welfare and future of the whole physical and living world of which humans are a part.
(This is the main paper). To show that nutrition science, with its application to food and nutrition policy, now needs a new conceptual framework. This will incorporate nutrition in its current definition as principally a biological science, now including nutritional aspects of genomics. It will also create new governing and guiding principles; specify a new definition; and add social and environmental dimensions and domains.
A narrative review of nutrition science, its successes and achievements, and its dilemmas, paradoxes, shortcomings, dissonances and challenges. Reference is made to 16 associated papers. Equal use is made of continuous text and of boxed texts that extend the review and give salient examples.
Recent and current interrelated electronic and genomic discoveries and linked sequential demographic, nutritional and epidemiological shifts, in the context of associated and interlinked global social, cultural, environmental, economic, political and other developments, altogether amount to a world in revolution, requiring all disciplines including that of nutrition science to make comparably radical responses.
Nutrition in principle and practice should be a biological and also an environmental and social science. This new broad integrated structure brings much recent and current progressive work into the centre of nutrition science, and in some ways is a renewal of the period when nutrition science had its greatest impact. It amounts to a map charting well-known and also new worlds. The new nutrition science is concerned with personal and population health, and also with planetary health--the welfare and future of the whole physical and living world of which humans are a part. In this way the discipline will make a greater contribution to the preservation, maintenance, development and sustenance of life on Earth, appropriate for the twenty-first century.
Fermented foods are those whose production involves the action of micro-organisms or enzymes which cause desirable biochemical changes and significant modification to the food. Their production and consumption date back many thousands of years, with early evidence of the alcoholic fermentations of barley to beer and grapes to wine. Food fermentation represents one of the oldest known uses of biotechnology. This traditional biotechnology has evolved from ‘natural’ processes in which nutrient availability and environmental conditions selected particular microorganisms, through the use of starter cultures, strain improvement and most recently, gene technology. Lactic acid bacteria, moulds of Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and of Mucorales, and yeasts, often of Saccharomyces spp. are most important. Fermented foods are found in diets throughout the world, with dairy, beverage and cereal products dominating. Fermented foods and beverages represent a significant proportion of all diets worldwide, typically about one-third of food intake, providing a major contribution nutritionally and to flavour and interest in our food consumption.
Nutrition ecology is an interdisciplinary scientific discipline that encompasses the entire nutrition system, with special consideration of the effects of nutrition on health, the environment, society, and the economy. Nutrition ecology involves all components of the food chain, including production, harvesting, preservation, storage, transport, processing, packaging, trade, distribution, preparation, composition, and consumption of food, as well as disposal of waste materials. Nutrition ecology has numerous origins, some of which go back to antiquity. The introduction of industrialized agriculture and mass animal production gave rise to various negative influences on the environment and health. Food quality is determined in part by the quality of the environment. The environment, in turn, is influenced by food consumption habits. Research shows that vegetarian diets are well suited to protect the environment, to reduce pollution, and to minimize global climate changes. To maximize the ecologic and health benefits of vegetarian diets, food should be regionally produced, seasonally consumed, and organically grown. Vegetarian diets built on these conditions are scientifically based, socially acceptable, economically feasible, culturally desired, sufficiently practicable, and quite sustainable.
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