Building nutrition knowledge
Our commitment: Build and share nutrition knowledge from the first 1000 days through to healthy ageing
As we believe food is the largest single influence on our health, we seek a deeper understanding of the dietary intake, lifestyle and health status of infants, children and older adults. The findings from our large-scale research projects help define our product developments, consumer communication and educational programmes, and inform dialogue with the scientific and medical communities.
Our objectives in 2016
Ongoing: Offer nutrition education services and programmes for healthcare professionals addressing global under and over‑nutrition problems.
By 2016: Launch large-scale research projects in at least 10 countries, including the United States, Mexico, China and Russia, to expand understanding of children’s nutrition and inform our own product and service development.
By 2016: Further develop and integrate the molecular nutrition capabilities and clinical strategies of the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS) and the Nestlé Clinical Development Unit (CDU) to better define health globally for the management of disease using nutritional solutions.
Our progress to date
We have launched major research initiatives in nine markets through two major studies, the results of which are made available to healthcare providers and policy-makers:
- The Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS) deepens our understanding of the eating patterns and nutritional intake of infants and toddlers from birth to four years old; and
- The Kids Nutrition and Health Study (KNHS) focuses on the food and nutrient intake of children aged 4–12, when many dietary and activity habits are formed, as well as on their relationship to lifestyle and behaviour patterns.
In 2016, we continued to analyse results from the United States, Mexico and China, and led new studies in Russia, Australia and the Philippines. Initial findings suggest that more children are skipping meals, fibre and vegetable consumption is lower than recommended levels, and deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D are common.
We also completed the analysis of a pilot study in São Paulo, Brazil, and conducted a preparatory literature review in the Middle East with the American University of Beirut. We are currently preparing three new data collection studies.
Our research network includes the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences (NIHS), which specialises in metabolic, gastrointestinal and brain health, and healthy ageing. Its research into the interaction between diet, lifestyle, inherited genetic factors and individual metabolism among certain groups – including the elderly, mothers, infants and young children – and in specific countries will shape our product innovation work and related services.
The Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI) is the world’s largest private publisher of nutritional information, sharing science‑based data and research findings with healthcare professionals, scientists and nutrition communities. Approximately 302 000 registered members from 194 countries now have access to a global website and 13 country-specific sites, helping us meet our 2017 objective a year early.
Our objectives towards 2020
By 2017: Through a global website and 13 country-specific sites in 10 languages, the Nestlé Nutrition Institute’s (NNI) online professional education will be available in over 50 countries.
By 2020: Build knowledge on the associations between nutrition or lifestyle, and biomarkers of health in mothers and children through the EpiGen collaboration.
By 2020: Build further knowledge on dietary intake, eating behaviours and lifestyle in infants and children.
By 2020: Develop a deeper understanding of dietary intake, preferences and lifestyle habits during ageing.
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