Nutrition and Health: Micronutrients and Malnutrition

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There is an overload of information about nutrition and health, but what is the truth and what can you do to improve the health of your patients? Learn more about nutrition and how our diet profoundly impacts our current and future health. This course addresses the relationship between nutrition and human health, with a focus on health problems related to malnutrition.

In this course, Professor Sander Kersten from Wageningen University & Research will explain about the micronutrient (vitamins, minerals, and trace elements) content of foods. You will learn about their role in the body and their impact on our health. Moreover, this course will discuss how suboptimal nutrition may affect human health, with particular attention to malnutrition and global hunger. You will learn about strategies to improve and combat these problems of malnutrition. Finally, the course will make you familiar with nutritional research and research methodologies.

For whom?

This MOOC is especially useful for health care professionals and people working in the food industry with a non-nutrition background. You will develop a critical mind set by learning to better weigh and interpret information about food, nutrition and health. to improve overall health

This course, is part of the Food, Nutrition and Health Professional Certificate Program of Wageningen University & Research. Did you already complete Nutrition and Health: Macronutrients and Overnutrition? That is the first course in the Food, Nutrition and Health Professional Certificate Program. To explore other learning opportunities about nutrition, have a look at the courses

• Food Risks
• Human Microbiome
• Nutrition and Cancer
• Nutrition, Heart Disease and Diabetes

What you will learn

• Introduction to the field of food and nutrition
• Composition of foods
• Basic chemistry of vitamins and minerals
• The role of vitamins and minerals in the body
• The Impact of malnutrition on global disease burden
• Nutritional strategies to improve nutritional status and combat malnutrition
• How to better weigh and interpret the information about nutrition and health

Skills you learn

• Health Impact Assessments
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Malnutrition
• Cancer

Syllabus

Module 1: Basic Principles of micronutrients
Start the course by learning about the general principles that apply to vitamins
and minerals.

Module 2: Water, minerals, trace elements
In this module you will look at the health effects of water, and will cover the various
dietary minerals.

Module 3: Fat soluble vitamins and health
Learn about the fat soluble vitamins: vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E.

Module 4: Water soluble vitamins and health
For this module, you'll shift your focus to a few of the water soluble vitamins: vitamin C, folate and vitamin B12.

Module 5: The global burden of micronutrient malnutrition
Discuss the prevalence and trends of micronutrient deficiencies
and their geographical distribution. We will also talk about the double burden of
malnutrition.

Module 6: Global solutions to micronutrient deficiencies
This module will outline the available strategies to alleviate micronutrient
malnutrition.

Module 7: Insight in the future of Nutritional Science (verified learners only)
In this module you will get to see some of the exciting research that is currently being
done in the field of Nutritional Science.

Auto Summary

Dive into the intricate world of nutrition and health with this engaging course focusing on micronutrients and malnutrition. Guided by Professor Sander Kersten from Wageningen University & Research, this course delves into the vital roles that vitamins, minerals, and trace elements play in our diet and their profound impact on our health. Designed for health care professionals and those in the food industry with non-nutrition backgrounds, this course helps you develop a critical mindset to better weigh and interpret nutritional information. You'll explore the complexities of malnutrition and global hunger, and learn strategies to combat these issues, enhancing your ability to improve patient health through informed dietary choices. This 12-week course is part of the Food, Nutrition and Health Professional Certificate Program offered by Wageningen University & Research, and is available on edX. It builds on foundational knowledge from the "Nutrition and Health: Macronutrients and Overnutrition" course and offers further learning opportunities in areas such as food risks, the human microbiome, nutrition and cancer, and heart disease and diabetes. Opt for a professional subscription to gain comprehensive insights and elevate your understanding of nutritional science, making a significant impact on your professional practice and overall health awareness.