Today the man in the street is concerned about the food he eats but often has little knowledge of nutrition beyond the day's headlines. This series of articles, based on a new review carried out by EUFIC, will introduce key nutritional concepts and offer a perspective on current dietary issues. This article looks at the key parameters of nutrition. Future stories will explain the importance of the main nutrient groups and analyse anaemia. The series will conclude with nutritional guidelines for leading longer, healthier lives.

Nutrition is the science of food in relation to health. It has evolved from interest in clinical diseases caused by single nutrient deficiencies such as scurvy (lack of vitamin C), to emphasis on more complex conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. Nowadays the focus on nutrition is based on a new definition of health as "prevention of disease" in which nutrition plays a key role.

What should I eat?

Unlike other industries where technology is the key element, the driving force in the food industry is human factors - what people want to eat. Yet most people are unsure whether certain foods are good or bad for them.

To sort out this confusion it helps to keep in mind three key points about the science of nutrition. The first is that studying nutrition's effects on the complicated functional systems of the human body is difficult. The second is that most consequences of diet are built up over many years, much longer than the average length of most studies. Consequently, results must be extrapolated to life-long situations, and this, of course, increases the risk of errors. Finally, many so-called western diseases are so complex that there is unlikely to be a single factor responsible for their development or any simple cure.

Getting the message across

Confusion also arises from a communication gap between scientists and the public. This is illustrated in the diagram. Indeed, one of the goals of this newsletter is to help bridge this gap, to assist the media, opinion leaders, educational authorities, consumer organisations and through them the general public, to better understand current nutritional research.

Even without a deeper study of nutrition, there are a few simple rules that can help determine whether or not to change eating habits when faced with a new nutritional "find". The most fundamental is not to jump to conclusions, to be sure of the facts. Before changing lifelong eating habits, wait for confirmation of reports or opinions and heed the experts in a broad range of scientific fields.

FOOD TODAY 11/1997