From today (31 March 2021) those interested in attending the Symposium can register for what will surely prove to be the dairy sector’s leading event on nutrition.

Non-communicable diseases contribute significantly to poor health worldwide and are an underlying risk for severe covid outcomes – yet they can be modified or reduced by following a healthy balanced diet or dietary guidelines. As an opportunity to learn about the latest science on the benefits of dairy, the IDF Nutrition Symposium will be of vital interest to nutritionists, dietitians, health regulators and policy makers, and other health professionals with an interest in nutrition.

IDF Director General, Caroline Emond: “IDF work on nutrition focuses on exploring the huge potential the milk and dairy foods for tackling all forms of malnutrition and the contribution of the dairy sector to nutrition and food security. This Symposium will promote greater understanding of the nutritional value of dairy and the role it plays in healthy diets produced in a sustainable way, whilst also increasing understanding of the evidence which determines the impact of dairy products on nutrition and health.”

The IDF International Symposium on Nutrition and Health will explore the role of dairy in dietary guidelines and its impact on health outcomes such as cardiometabolic diseases and musculoskeletal health. It will examine the important role of animal source foods and nutrition in healthy sustainable diets, and the effect of nutrition on the microbiome and immune system.

Chair of the Organizing Committee, Erica Hocking, Deputy Chair of IDF Standing Committee on Nutrition and Health, and Senior Nutrition Scientist at Dairy UK: “Milk and dairy products play an essential role in a healthy and varied diet. They are nutrient-rich and provide high quality protein and micronutrients in an easily absorbed form that can benefit both nutritionally vulnerable people as well as healthy people. The Symposium presents a valuable opportunity to find out more about the place of dairy in sustainable dietary guidelines around the globe.”

Confirmed speakers and topics include:

• The Impact of Diet and Nutrition on Non-Communicable Diseases – Dr Francesco Branca (World Health Organisation)
• Dairy and Body Weight – Dr Anestis Dougkas (Institut Paul Bocuse, France)
• Dairy and Type 2 Diabetes – Asst Prof. Sabita Soedamah-Muthu (Tiburg University, The Netherlands)
• Dairy and Bone Health – Osteoporosis – Asst Prof. Kelsey Mangano (UMass Lowell, US)
• Dairy and Muscle Health – Sarcopenia – Prof Luc van Loon (Maastricht, The Netherlands)
• Dairy and Health: A Summary of Key Messages – Dr Rodrigo Valenzuela (University of Chile)
• The Importance of Nutritional Adequacy, Food Price and Nutrient Density in a Healthy Sustainable Eating Pattern – Prof. Adam Drewnowski (University of Washington, US)
• Eating for Bone Health – Can it be Healthy and Sustainable? – Prof. Connie Weaver, US
• The Role of The Gut Microbiome in Covid Infection – Asst Prof. Olaf Larsen (VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Fermented Dairy and the Gut Microbiome – Prof. Lorenzo Morelli (University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy)
• Nutrition and Antiviral Immunity – Prof. Philip Calder (Southampton University, UK)
• Dairy and Inflammation – Prof. Thom Huppertz, (Wageningen University, The Netherlands)

Many more to be added soon!

Attending the event is free, and details on how to reserve your place along with full details of the programme can be found on the IDF website.