The 20th IUNS International Congress of Nutrition is being held in Spain for the first time, under the title ‘Joining Cultures through Nutrition’
Granada is hosting the IUNS 20th International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) from September 15th to 20th, the leading, most prestigious international event in the nutrition sector.
The Spanish nutritional situation is similar to that of other developed countries in the Mediterranean area. Particularly striking is the high rate of obesity in all population groups, especially children and adolescents, partly due to a diet that increasingly differs from the Mediterranean diet, with more fast and poorly structured meals within the family. In addition, the population of Spain and southern European countries lead an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.
During the congress, large cohort studies (studies following population groups) will be presented, evaluating what types of food are healthiest and which ones, when consumed inadequately, can determine the presence of certain diseases.
The congress will also discuss the importance of physical activity as a key part of the life cycle, take a closer look at the interaction between genes and nutrients and how bioactive substances present in foods such as polyphenols in oils, fermented beverages (wine, beer) fruit and vegetables, have major physiological effects
Under the title ‘Joining Cultures through Nutrition’, the 20th International Congress of Nutrition is being held in Spain for the first time. Over 4,000 specialists from this field will be attending from 15 to 20 September in Granada.
This event, the leading, most prestigious international event in the nutrition sector, is promoted by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS) and organised by the Spanish Nutrition Society (SEN).
According to Professor Ángel Gil, President of the IUNS-ICN Congress, «This event represents the most important nutrition congress in the world. It is held every four years: it’s the equivalent of the nutrition and food Olympics. The logo for the Congress is a pomegranate, seeds that spread out over a map of the world like countries, Spain being at the centre. It also represents «Granada» (the word for pomegranate in Spanish), the city where the congress is to be held.»
«The congress has been designed to consider and assess advances in research and nutrition and related sciences. The ultimate goal is research into nutrition related sciences and its application to human health,» indicated Prof. Alfredo Martínez, Chairman of the IUNS-ICN Scientific Committee.
