Spring Conference 2019: Inter-individual differences in the nutrition response: from research to recommendations

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in maintaining health and preventing disease. However, it is now clear that the effects of nutrition on health differ in individuals of different ethnicities, genetics and sex. This is likely due to differences between individuals in food intake regulation and also the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of nutrients. Identifying the main factors that affect the nutritional response to diverse populations will contribute in developing new and innovative methodologies that optimise the delivery of health benefits of nutrition in these populations.

Characterisation of inter-individual variation is a prerequisite to understanding the aetiological basis of observed variability in responses to nutrition. The need to identify appropriate dietary interventions and advice to prevent non-communicable diseases is a significant challenge for nutrition research which may require fundamental changes in the way we design and report on nutrition research.

The conference will address the challenges presented by inter-individual variation in responses to nutrition and in conducting nutritional research. It will bring together experts who are striving to understand inter-individual variation in responses to nutrition and impacts on health, to develop new ways of conducting research in nutrition and the development of appropriate dietary interventions to maintain health and prevent disease in diverse populations.