Feeding Behaviour and Nutritional Status of Populations

Principles for the analysis of the nutritional needs of a subject and for the formulation of personalized diets. From nutrition to personalized diet: (i) nutritional aspects of alimentation; (ii) notes of history of nutrition; (iii) tools for the nutritional anamnesis. Primary and tertiary prevention: (i) Definition of prevention in populations and in individuals; (ii) Mediterranean diet, vegetarian diets; hyperproteic diets, and novel alimentary vogues and their relationships with the maintenance of health; (iii) Nutritional needs under special physiological conditions: childhood, adolescence, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, old age, sporting; (iv) Prevention and nutritional treatment of malnutrition in elderly, in the disorders of feeding behavior; and in the neoplastic cachexia; (v) Prevention/diet treatment of some functional disorders of the digestive system: reflux, dyspepsia, meteorism, constipation; (vi) Alimentation, prevention and diet treatment of main risk factors (dyslipidemia, hypertension, metabolic syndrome) and related chronic-degenerative diseases (obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, chronic bronco-pulmonary diseases); (vii) Alimentation, microbiota and inflammation. Alimentari education: (i) Aims, strategies, Action plans of WHO and other authoritative international institutions (AHA, WCRF, etc) for the prevention and control of non-transmissible diseases; (ii) National Plan for the Prevention and nutritional surveillance system of Italy; (iii) The new foods: from the food industry to the 3D foods. Applied dietetics: (i) Use of plicometry, bioimedentiometry and new-generation apps: (i) The adipometer; (ii) elaboration of alimentary plans for various fisio-pathological needs and use of specific programs: pros and cons; (iii) how to propose a "healthy" cooking.
Models for the description of body composition. Five-level model and patterns of body compartmentation. The reference man. Relationships among compartments at different organization levels. Use of regression analysis in the development of predictive equations. Reference methods in body composition assessment. Direct and indirect methods. Laboratory and field methods. Hydrodensitometry, air plethysmography, hydrometry and dilution methods, dual-energy X-ray densitometry (DEXA). Direct methods for Na and K determination. In vivo neutron activation analysis (IVNA). Bioimpedentiometry and bioimpedance vector analysis (BIVA). Computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectrometry (MRS). Anthropometry and plicometry. Methods for the assessment of energy expenditure. Components of energy expenditure: basal metabolism, diet-induced thermogenesis, activity-induced thermogenesis. Direct calorimetry, and indirect calorimetry methods. Non-calorimetric methods. Doubly labelled water methods. Podometry and accelerometry. Metabolic holters. Methods for the assessment of energy intake. 24-h recall, alimentary diary, and food frequency questionnaire. Energy needs and human evolution. Metabolic adaptation to physical activity.