FAB Research Event: Feeding Healthy Minds – Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Children’s Brain Development

29 Oct 2013 – FAB EVENT – Feeding Healthy Minds – Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Children’s Brain Development

Organised by Food and Behaviour Research
Start Date: October 29 2013
End Date: October 29 2013
Duration: 9.30am to 4.30pm
Location: 35-43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE
Venue: The Royal College of Surgeons
*BOOK AND PAY NOW AT THE EARLY BIRD RATES*

We are enormously proud to be hosting this opportunity for you to hear from some of the world’s leading experts on the role of nutrition in brain development and function, and its importance for mothers and infants.

Hear the latest evidence on how the diets that mothers eat before and during pregnancy can have a lifelong impact on their children’s health and development – and find out what kinds of diets are likely to promote the best, and the worst, outcomes.

The programme for the day has been designed for a multi-disciplinary audience of professionals, policy makers, researchers from academia and industry, and others concerned with the health, education and welfare of mothers, babies and young children. It will give all participants the chance to hear about and discuss the latest evidence and insights into the modern maternal diet and its lasting legacy.

For discussion:

Is it true that pregnant mothers whose diets are high in fat and sugar will have already programmed their babies to crave high fat, high sugar foods by the time they are weaned?
What are the likely consequences for their children’s behavioural and cognitive development if mothers consume a typical modern, western-type diet during pregnancy?
Which nutrients and dietary fats are particularly important in early life, and why?
Which ones are lacking from many mothers’ and infants’ diets – and what are the likely consequences for both the mothers’ mental health and their children’s future cognitive development and wellbeing?
What are the best ways to ensure an adequate intake, for mothers and for young infants?
Improving mothers’ and children’s food choices – what can be done, and who should be doing it?
This event will provide you with opportunities not only to learn from the latest research findings, but also to ask your own questions and get answers that may influence some of the decisions you have to make every day.

Speakers and Presentations:

Early Life Nutrition and Mental Health: An Overview
Dr Alex Richardson (Founder/Trustee of FAB Research; Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford; Author of ‘They Are What You Feed Them’)

The Essentiality of Omega-3 DHA for Human Brain Development: The Marine Food Chain and the Implications
for Maternal Nutrition
Professor Michael A Crawford (Imperial College, London; Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition)

Dietary Needs for Omega-3 During Pregnancy and Infancy
Professor Sheila Innis (Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics & Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Foods, Nutrition and Health, Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia)

Omega-3 and the Brain: Fish and Seafood Intakes During Pregnancy and Child Development Outcomes
Captain Joseph Hibbeln MD (Acting Chief of Section of Nutritional Neurosciences, Laboratory of Membrane Biophysics and Biochemistry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA)

Breastfeeding and Children’s Intelligence: Omega-3 and Gene-Nutrient Interactions
Dr Pauline Emmett (Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Child and Adolescent Health in Bristol. Former head of Nutrition Research for the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) based in Bristol)

Effect of inadequate iodine status in pregnant women on cognitive outcomes in their children. Findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)
Dr Sarah Bath (Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey)

Translating Research into Practice for Families and Children – A Dietitian’s Perspective
David Rex (Dietitian, Health & Social Care – Children’s Services, Highland Council, Inverness)

If you have any enquiries, please phone us on 01463 667318 and we will be happy to help.

Contact Information: Fiona O’Fee or Ruth Whitfield admin@fabresearch.org 01463 667318

Changing Diets, Changing Minds – The Importance of Nutrition For Behaviour, Learning and Mood: Putting Research Into Practice

Start Date: June 06 2013 
End Date: June 06 2013 
Duration: 9.30am to 4.30pm 
Location: Inverness IV2 3BL 
Venue: Lecture Theatre, The Green House, Beechwood Business Park 

It gives us great pleasure to announce an opportunity to hear from Professor Michael A Crawford of Imperial College, London – an internationally acclaimed expert on the role of nutrition in brain development and function.  At this special one-day event, he will be joined by Dr Alex Richardson and Dr Bernard Gesch, senior researchers at the University of Oxford and leading experts in the links between diet and behaviour, and Mr David Rex, specialist child health dietitian at Highland Council.

The programme for the day has been designed for a multi-disciplinary audience of professionals, policy makers, researchers from academia and industry, and other interested groups and individuals.  It will give all participants the chance to hear about and discuss the links between nutrition and mood, behaviour and learning in children and adults – both in the general population, and in special groups such as those with developmental or mental health conditions.

Find out how our food choices, and those of the people we care or provide for, could be affecting our wellbeing and performance – at home, at school or in the workplace.

For discussion:

• How does what we eat affect the way we feel, think and behave?
• What’s the truth about sugar and fat? Could some of our favourite foods really be toxic and addictive?
• Does nutrition really make a difference to children’s behaviour and learning?  If so, what are the implications for conditions like ADHD, dyslexia or autism?
• What’s the evidence that dietary interventions could reduce antisocial behaviour?
• Can diet help in the prevention and management of mental health conditions like depression, psychosis and dementia?
• Improving food choices – what can be done, and who should be doing it?

Find out from our panel of experts what the real truth is about the food we consume, and what it’s doing to our brains as well as our bodies.  Join in the discussion about the impact of modern day diets, their implications for the public health crisis, and what can be done to improve outcomes for both current and future generations.

This event will provide you with opportunities not only to learn about the latest research findings, but also to ask your own questions and get answers that may influence some of the decisions you have to make every day.

This event will also be available by interactive webinar.

SPEAKERS:

‘Dietary fats and human brain development: implications for the nutrition of mothers and infants’
Prof Michael Crawford (Imperial College, London; Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition)

‘The Importance of Diet for Children’s Behaviour and Learning’ and ‘The Role of Nutrition in Mental Health and Wellbeing’
Dr Alex Richardson (Founder Director, FAB Research; Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford; Author of ‘They Are What You Feed Them’)

‘Nutrition and Antisocial Behaviour – Is there a Causal Link?’
Dr Bernard Gesch (Research Scientist, University of Oxford)

‘Practical dietary approaches to ADHD, autistic spectrum disorders and related conditions: What works in practice?’ and ‘Improving children’s food choices: theory and best practice’
David Rex (Dietitian, Health & Social Care – Children’s Services, Highland Council; lead public health role, food & health in schools, nurseries and children’s residential units; and provides specialist Dietetic advice for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

An essential event for:

Local Government Policy Makers | Education and Health Professionals | Researchers from Academia and Industry | Professionals working in Social Services and the Justice System | Caterers and Food Producers | School Meal Stakeholder Groups | Charities, Support Groups and Voluntary Organisations | Parents, Carers and other Interested Individuals

Standard (Public Sector, Health, Education, Local Authority) – £79
Concessionary (Students, Support Groups, Charities) – £49
FAB Research Associate Members – £29
Interactive Webinar – £49* (free to FAB Associate Members)**

*Includes access to the webinar on the day and for one month post-event via the FAB Audio/Video Library. For continuing access, consider a subscription to FAB Research – see below.

**Subscribe to FAB Research as an Associate Member today and enjoy free access not only to this webinar, but also to our library of eventcasts and other resources, including footage of our recent event with US Pediatric Obesity specialist, Professor Robert Lustig MD in London, March 2013. Join up here FAB Research Associate Membership.

Contact Information: Fiona O’Fee  admin@fabresearch.org  01463 667318

A Roundup of the latest from Food and Behaviour Research

What’s in the News?

Amino Acid Supplements may offer autism promise

Intake of common nutritional supplements containing amino acids could help to combat a unique form of autism, according to new research published in the journal Science. 

Source:  Nutraingredients – 7 Sept 2012 – Read this article here.

See abstract and link to paper here:  Novarino et al 2012 – Mutations in BCKD-kinase Lead to a Potentially Treatable Form of Autism with Epilepsy

Increased intake of Omega-3 fatty acids improves children’s reading and behaviour

A new study by the University of Oxford has shown that daily supplements of omega-3 fatty acids (Docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA) improved the reading and behaviour of underperforming children in mainstream primary schools. The researchers worked with children aged between seven and nine who had underperformed in standardised reading tests.

Source:  FAB Research – 6 Sept 2012 – Read the full article here.

See abstract and link to freely-available paper here: Richardson et al 2012 – Docosahexaenoic Acid for Reading, Cognition and Behavior in Children Aged 7–9 Years: A Randomized, Controlled Trial (The DOLAB Study)

Researchers uncover how green tea compound boosts brain power

The green tea compound epigallocatechin-3 (EGCG) provides benefits to memory and special learning by boosting the production of important neural cells, say researchers from China. Source:  Nutraingredients – 6 Sept 2012 – Read this article here.

Sugar junkies take note: a calorific diet isn’t just bad for your body, it may also trigger Alzheimer’s disease

Suzanne De La Monte’s rats were disoriented and confused. Navigating their way around a circular water maze – a common memory test for rodents – they quickly forgot where they were, and couldn’t figure out how to locate the hidden, submerged safety platform. Instead, they splashed around aimlessly. “They were demented. They couldn’t learn or remember,” says de la Monte, a neuropathologist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Source:  SOTT.net  (New Scientist) – 3 Sept 2012 – Read the full article here.

Obesity bad for the brain by hastening cognitive decline

Being overweight is not just bad for waistlines but for brains too, say researchers who have linked obesity to declining mental performance. Experts are not sure why this might be, but say metabolic changes such as high blood sugar and raised cholesterol are likely to be involved.

Obesity has already been tipped as a risk factor for dementia. 

Source:  BBC News – 21 Aug 2012 – Read this article here.

See abstract and link to paper here:  Singh-Manoux et al 2012 – Obesity phenotypes in midlife and cognition in early old age: The Whitehall II cohort study

Kids’ Diet Can Impact IQ

A new Australian study suggests that a healthy diet during childhood may influence a child’s intelligence quotient (IQ).  Researchers compared kids who were fed healthy diets in early age to those who had a dietary intake that included more junk food.

Source:  PsycheCentral – 8 Aug 2012 – Read this article here.

See abstract and link to paper here:  Smithers et al 2012 – Dietary patterns at 6, 15 and 24 months of age are associated with IQ at 8 years of age

Upcoming Events

19-20 Sept 2012 – Chicago, US – The Social Determinants of Urban Mental Health: Paving the Way Forward

Organised by:  The Adler School of Professional Psychology, Institute of Social Inclusion, Chicago

Today, more than half of all global humanity lives in urban areas. That figure is projected to grow to more than 60 percent by 2050. Although cities possess conditions that promote good mental health, they also possess conditions – poverty, conflict, and social isolation – that are harmful to mental health. In fact, research demonstrates that city living is linked to increased risk for mental health problems.  More information here.

10 Oct 2012 – Human nutrition through the ‘seven ages’ – Royal Society of Medicine, London

Organised by: The Royal Society of Medicine
This event will follow the varying nutritional needs, stage by stage through the lifecycle: preconception to infancy, childhood and puberty, performance and adulthood into later life.  Note the basic differences between demands of body and brain. Look for ways of generating lifecycle health.  More information here.

18 Oct 2012 – Mental Illness In The 21st Century – Truro, Cornwall

Organised by: The Chy Sawel Project  – A registered charity
Chy-Sawel is a Charity. This will be their 6th Conference, an event they now aim to hold annually.

Mental illness, in its many guises, is the country’s major medical problem – past and current research shows that an holistic, nutrition-based treatment approach is the way forward – a theme our speakers will emphasize. We are dedicated primarily to making this information available to all but with an ultimate goal of opening our own Treatment Centre”.

More information here.

The Bookstore

Please save our Amazon web-links in your ‘Favourites’ or ‘Bookmarks’.  Using these for any and all of your on-line shopping from Amazon will help to support FAB Research *at no cost to you*.  If just 10% of the visitors to our website were to use our links for their book purchases only over the coming year (let alone their other shopping), the revenue would allow FAB Research to run two additional conferences each year for parents, teachers and health professionals – so please bookmark those links NOW!  You’ll find these at the FAB Research Bookstore.

Food Rules – An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan

For thousands of years, humans have eaten well and stayed healthy without nutritional scientists or even knowing what an antioxidant is.  So which of the modern world’s hundreds of rules do we actually need?  Eat Food.  Not Too Much.  Mostly Plants.  Check it out here.

Devil In The Milk. Illness, health and politics – A1 and A2 Milk by Keith Woodford

This groundbreaking book is the first to be published internationally that examines the link between one of the proteins in the milk we drink and a range of serious illnesses, including heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, autism and schizophrenia. These health problems are linked to a tiny protein fragment that is formed when we digest A1 beta-casein, a milk protein produced by many cows in New Zealand, Australia and other western countries.  More information here.
They Are What You Feed Them by Dr Alex Richardson

As popular as ever since first published in 2006, Dr Alex Richardson exposes the truth about what children eat – or fail to eat – and the impact of this on their behaviour, learning and mood.  She explains why common culprit foods can be so damaging – and so irresistible – and shows how to bring the best choices into your child’s diet. A few simple changes can be all it takes to make the world of difference.  Purchase your copy here.

This E-News Alert gives only a few highlights from the hundreds of online resources available at http://www.fabresearch.org.  These include News articles, Research papers, Books, Handouts, Fact Sheets, Events and links to other websites.  Please use the search box (or the filters we’ve provided) to find what’s most useful to you.  Our website is updated regularly with new information for everyone interested in how nutrition and diet can affect behaviour, learning and mood.

 

Best wishes

Fiona O’Fee | Business Administrator

E-mail:  fiona@fabresearch.org

Food and Behaviour Research

The Green House | Beechwood Business Park | Inverness | IV2 3BL

Tel:  01463 667318 

Web:  www.fabresearch.org

Scottish Registered Charity No:  SC 034604

Food and Behaviour Research (FAB Research)

 

Food and Behaviour Research (FAB Research)

FAB Research is a charitable organisation dedicated both to advancing scientific research into the links between nutrition and human behaviour and to making the findings from such research available to the widest possible audience.

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