Contents

Programme format and assessment

Lectures; weekly tutorials; interactive seminars; laboratory, statistics and computing practicals; research project (MSc only); attendance at research seminars encouraged.

PROGRAMME MODULES:

* Nutrition Research Skills (Core Module)
At the end of the module the student should: - be familiar with techniques used to assess nutritional status of individuals and populations; - be familiar with methods used to analyse the composition of foods; - be able to plan, conduct and report on investigations in the laboratory in a responsible and safe manner; - be able to record, collate, analyse and interpret data using appropriate quantitative and statistical methods.

* Principles of Nutrition (Core Module)
At the end of the module the student should have: - detailed knowledge of the sources and functions of the essential nutrients and other major dietary components, - detailed knowledge of the effects of deficiencies and excesses of the essential nutrients, - understanding of the factors that determine the chemical composition, production and supply of food, - increased knowledge of the methods used for acquiring and interpreting nutritional, biological and epidemiological information, - improved ability to analyse, synthesise and summarise information critically, - improved ability to recognise the moral, ethical and social implications of scientific investigations and human intervention in the food chain.

* Public Health Nutrition (Core Module)
At the end of the module the student should: - understand the factors that determine nutritional needs throughout the life-cycle, - understand the role of nutrition in the aetiology of health problems of widespread importance in industrialised and non-industrialised countries, - be able to critically appraise food and nutrition policies and direct and indirect interventions implemented to address public nutrition problems in developed and developing countries, - understand the role of cultural, social and psychological factors in shaping the eating habits of an individual and the influences which may contribute to changing eating patterns, - have increased knowledge of the methods used for acquiring and interpreting nutritional, biological and epidemiological information, - have improved ability to analyse, synthesise and summarise information critically, - have improved ability to recognise the moral, ethical and social implications of scientific investigations and human intervention in the food chain - have improved written and oral communication skills and information retrieval skills

* Clinical Nutrition
At the end of the module the student should: - understand the framework of therapeutic options for the management of specific diseases and know where diet fits in, - be able to critically evaluate the evidence concerning the role of diet in the causation of specific diseases, - understand the effects of specific diseases on the nutritional status of patients, - have improved ability to analyse, synthesise and summarise information critically, - have improved ability to recognise the moral, ethical and social implications of scientific investigations and human intervention in the food chain - have improved written communication skills and information retrieval skills.

* Research project - Nutrition
Applied to MSc only. This comprises a major piece of research carried out in collaboration with a member of staff. The aim is to introduce students to the design, execution and analysis of individual research. The project is presented as a written research report. Students are encouraged to suggest a topic for research, or they may choose a project from a list which is circulated during the second term. Research usually begins in May (after the written exams), and the report is submitted early in August.

Examples of recent projects include: - Energy expenditure in humans: response to aspartame and emotions - Thiamin status in patients with AIDS - Prevalence of anaemia and iron deficiency in N.W. province of Cameroon - The effects of dietary calcium and physical activity on bone mass of women age 35-40 - Effects of trans fatty acids on plasma high density lipoprotein concentrations Influence of vitamin C on iron bioavailability - Assessment of body image and obesity among school children - The nutritional evaluation of genetically modified foods - The antioxidant properties of soy isoflavones - Growth and diet in poor inner city children