The period of life from conception to a child’s second birthday is key to affecting future development and health.
On 31st January 2017, Danone Research & Innovation held an International Scientific Symposium chaired by Professor Folkert Kuipers, University of Groningen, the Netherlands, to bring together leading experts to discuss the specific role of nutrition during the critical first 1000 days.
Presentations and discussions included:
• The long-lasting consequences for mother and child of maternal obesity and ongoing research in this field
• Studies demonstrating how over- and undernutrition are high risk factors in developing diabetes in later life
• The impact of rapid postnatal weight gain on cardio-metabolic outcomes
• Early nutrition programming metabolic health in later life
• The importance of lower but adequate levels of high quality protein in formula
• Adapting infant formula lipids to change their physical structure and composition according to human milk lipid droplets and their membrane
• How animal models enable the study of early programming to potentially improve lifelong maternal and children’s health
This symposium was followed by the inauguration of Eline van der Beek, Research Director Early Life Development at Danone Research & Innovation in Utrecht, the Netherlands, click here to learn more.
As Special Professor of ‘Nutritional Programming’ at the Department of Paediatrics, University Medical Centre Groningen, the Netherlands, she reminded the audience that the quality of nutrition matters and deserves more attention both for pregnant mothers and their infants throughout the first 1000 days. Optimal growth and body composition development will help to secure the best start in life in terms of health and for reducing the risk disease later in life.
