Maternal and Child Nutrition

Catalog description

Role of nutrition in female fertility, during pregnancy and lactation, as well as during infancy and early childhood. NUTR 511 Maternal and Child Nutrition (3) This course is designed to provide an understanding of the nutritional recommendations during preconception, pregnancy, lactation, early infancy, and childhood. In this course, students will acquire a broad understanding of the role and regulation of nutrient metabolism and effects of genetic variation on nutritional needs during these unique physiological periods. These concepts will be discussed from molecular, clinical and applied perspectives that will guide further graduate-level inquiry. Lectures and readings will explicate 1) how nutrient metabolism affects pregnancy outcomes, lactation sufficiency and infant development; 2) how nutrition affects common early childhood conditions, such as obesity, allergy and autism; 3) how fetal/postnatal nutrition affects long-term health; and 4) the role of genetics in nutritional requirements during these times in the lifecycle. Students will gain an appreciation for the contribution of nutrition during the fetal/postnatal periods on long-term health and the incidence of disease through understanding the role of nutrients in a translational framework.