Early Nutrition and its Later Consequences: New Opportunities

The possibility that nutrition in early life could influence propensity to adult disease is of great concern to public health. Extensive research carried out in pregnant women, in breastfeeding women and in infants strongly suggests that nutrition in early life has major effects on long-term health and well-being. Health problems such as hypertension, tendency to diabetes, obesity, blood lipids, vascular disease, bone health, behaviour and learning and longevity may be ‘imprinted’ during early life. This process is defined as ‘programming’ whereby a nutritional stimulus operating at a critical, sensitive period of pre and postnatal life imprints permanent effects on the structure, physiology and metabolism. For this reason, academics and industry set-up the EC supported Scientific Workshop -Early Nutrition and its Later Consequences: New Opportunities. The prime objective of the Workshop was to generate a sound exchange of the latest scientific developments within the field of early nutrition to look for opportunities for new preventive health concepts. Further, a closer look was taken at the development of food applications which could provide (future) mothers and infants with improved nutrition that will ultimately lead to better future health. The Workshop was organised by the Dept. of Pediatrics, University of Munich, Germany in collaboration with the Danone Institutes and the Infant Nutrition Cluster, a collaboration of three large research projects funded by the EU. Many of the contributors have important roles to play in a new EC supported integrated project: Early nutrition programming of adult health (EARNEST) which will take place between 2005 and 2010 and will involve more than 40 research centres. Further Workshops on the same theme are planned as part of this project.