On Monday 30th October, the European Milk Forum, together with the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, hosted a scientific symposium for nutrition and health professionals on the ‘Dairy Matrix’.
Chaired by Prof Barbara Livingstone from Ulster University, the symposium examined the impact of the dairy matrix and a new approach to evaluating the health effects of food.
More than 150 delegates heard how the unique combination of nutrients and bioactive factors in milk and dairy foods interact with each other in the dairy matrix to produce the overall effect on health.
Research on the food matrix is important in informing public health policy and points to a new approach to evaluating the health effects of food based on the whole food rather than the individual nutrients it contains.
Speakers and topics at the symposium were:
Prof Ian Givens, Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health, University of Reading - The food matrix: is it time to rethink how we evaluate the health effects of food?
Dr Michelle McKinley, Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast - Muscle, bones and body fat: dairy matrix effects on body composition
Prof Arne Astrup, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen - Metabolic health: the impact of the dairy matrix
Nutrition and health professionals can view the presentations here
The symposium is part of the EMF Milk, Nutritious by Nature programme www.milknutritiousbynature.eu
Pictured L to R: Prof Barbara Livingstone, Prof Arne Astrup, Dr Michelle McKinley, Prof Ian Givens & Dr Carole Lowis, Dairy Council NI