Health benefits of calcium, dairy products focus of talks
U of G hosts a mini-symposium dedicated to promoting nutrition education March 21 at 7 p.m. in the OVC Lifetime Learning Centre. Free and open to the public, the annual Campbell Lecture focuses on bringing nutrition experts to Guelph and promotes interaction and discussion among those with an interest in food and nutrition.
The study of food, nutrition and human health is receiving increasing attention on campus with interdisciplinary research efforts involving the departments of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition (FRAN), Food Science and Human Health and Nutritional Sciences (HHNS), as well as the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Advanced Foods and Materials Network, says lecture co-organizer Prof. Lindsay Robinson, HHNS. “This event provides an on-campus forum to bring together students and faculty from these various sectors.”
This year's symposium will explore current and emerging trends in calcium and dairy product consumption in North America, the role of dairy products in preventing chronic health conditions, the challenges and opportunities for consumer education and the impact on the dairy industry.
“The health benefits of calcium and dairy products are currently receiving global attention in the scientific community, consumer sector and dairy industry,” says co-organizer Prof. Andrea Buchholz, FRAN. “There is growing interest in the many health benefits of milk and other dairy foods that extend beyond their long-established role in building strong bones and osteoporosis prevention.”
There's increasing recognition of calcium's role in preventing a variety of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and colon cancer, she adds, and there's evidence that dairy products play a role in reducing obesity and achieving a healthy body weight.
Guest speakers are Robert Heaney, a professor at the Osteoporosis Research Center at Nebraska's Creighton University, and Helen Bishop MacDonald, chair of Dietitians of Canada and a nutrition consultant for Nutrisphere.
Heaney, an internationally recognized expert in the field of human calcium nutrition and bone biology, will speak on “Dairy: Calcium and Beyond.” Bishop MacDonald, known nationally and internationally as a leading nutrition educator on the health benefits of milk and dairy products, will present “From Chalk to Cheese: Educating Consumers About Calcium and Nutrition.”
