UK Nutrition Research Partnership 'Hot Topic' workshop: Vitamin D-A multi-disciplinary approach to (1) elucidate its role in human health and (2) develop strategies to improve vitamin D status in the UK population.

Vitamin D is truly unique-not a 'vital' amine in the true sense of the word, but rather a prohormone, which is produced in the skin during exposure to sunlight (UVB radiation at 290-315 nm) and which can also be obtained from food and from supplements. A high prevalence of low vitamin D status has been reported across the world in a wide range of population groups, and this includes communities living in low latitude areas despite the abundance of sunlight. It is accepted that vitamin D status is reflected by the level of the circulating metabolite 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), which is produced by hepatic hydroxylation of vitamin D, derived either from the skin from UV exposure or the gut from oral intake.

UK Nutrition Research Partnership (NRP) workshop: Forum on advancing dietary intake assessment.

The development of better and more robust measures of dietary intake in free living situations was identified as a priority for advancing nutrition research by the Office of Strategic Coordination for Health Research (OSCHR) Review of Nutrition and Human Health Research in 2017. The UK Nutrition Research Partnership (NRP) sponsored a workshop on Dietary Intake Assessment methodology alongside its series of 'Hot Topic' workshops designed to accelerate progress in nutrition research by bringing together people from a range of different disciplines. The workshop on Dietary Intake Assessment methodology took place via Zoom over two half-days in January 2021 and included 50 scientists from a wide range of disciplines.

The ultra-processed foods hypothesis: a product processed well beyond the basic ingredients in the package.

The NOVA classification of food items has become increasingly popular and is being used in several observational studies as well as in nutritional guidelines and recommendations. We propose that there is a need for this classification and its use in the formulation of public health policies to be critically discussed and re-appraised. The terms 'processing' and 'ultra-processing', which are crucial to the NOVA classification, are ill-defined, as no scientific, measurable or precise reference parameters exist for them.

Expert consensus on low-calorie sweeteners: facts, research gaps and suggested actions.

A consensus workshop on low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) was held in November 2018 where seventeen experts (the panel) discussed three themes identified as key to the science and policy of LCS: (1) weight management and glucose control; (2) consumption, safety and perception; (3) nutrition policy. The aims were to identify the reliable facts on LCS, suggest research gaps and propose future actions. The panel agreed that the safety of LCS is demonstrated by a substantial body of evidence reviewed by regulatory experts and current levels of consumption, even for high users, are within agreed safety margins.

The role of nutritional labelling and signposting from a European perspective.

The past half-century has been characterised by major technological developments and massive societal change, which have profoundly changed how food is produced, processed, sold and consumed. These days we are faced with a huge choice of pre-packaged foods when we shop in modern supermarkets and we can buy seasonal food all year round, in and out of season. For decades now, the need to guide choice has been recognised, and retailers and many manufacturers have provided increasing amounts of on-pack information and signposting, and more recently UK retailers have led the way in championing front-of-pack information provision, to supplement the standard back-of-pack nutrient composition table.

Trans fatty acids in a range of UK processed foods.

A survey to determine the trans fatty acid content of a range of processed foods was carried out in response to recent reformulation work by the food industry to lower the artificial trans fatty acid content of processed products. Sixty two composite samples, made up of between 5 and 12 sub-samples, were collected in 2010 and were analysed for fatty acids, and a range of nutrients. The foods analysed included pizza, garlic bread, breakfast cereals, quiche, fat spreads, a range of fish and meat products, chips, savoury snacks, confectionery and ice cream.

Sustainable diets: harnessing the nutrition agenda.

There has been rapid growth in the global population over the last century and estimates for 2050 are a global population of over 9billion. These mouths need to be fed and the nutritional quality of the food received will be a key determinant of future health. Alongside this expansion in the world's population, rapid economic growth in China, India and South America is increasing demand for protein-rich foods, especially meat and dairy products, causing concern about the impact this may have on green house gas emissions.

Food reformulation: the challenges to the food industry.

The role of the food industry (retailers, manufacturers and food service) in helping consumers eat healthily and sustainably has been receiving considerable attention in recent years. This paper focuses on the challenges facing the food industry and the role of food reformulation in meeting these challenges, through the lens of a public health nutritionist. Attention has been heightened by the Government's Responsibility Deal, launched in early 2011 by the Department of Health (England), by the UK's engagement with the global food security and food supply sustainability agendas and by the Government Office of Science's Foresight report.

Translating complex science into life-course health promoting strategies.

These days, we are bombarded with nutrition information from diverse sources and of varying quality. There has been a dramatic increase in communication channels, including more television channels with airtime to fill, and the emergence of the Internet and 'new media' such as social networking sites. Part of this culture is to deliver ever changing and novel angles.

Peanut sensitisation and allergy: influence of early life exposure to peanuts.

The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the influence of early life exposure (maternal and childhood) to peanuts and the subsequent development of sensitisation or allergy to peanuts during childhood. Studies were identified using electronic databases and bibliography searches. Studies that assessed the impact of non-avoidance compared with avoidance or reduced quantities of peanuts or peanut products on either sensitisation or allergy to peanuts, or both outcomes, were eligible.

LIPGENE: an integrated approach to tackling the metabolic syndrome.

The prevalence of obesity, overweight and type 2 diabetes are increasing in all regions of Europe. Obesity is already commonplace, affecting 10-20% of men and 10-25% of women, and by 2010 approximately 31 million of the population will require treatment for diabetes and its related complications, including the 'metabolic syndrome' (a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors). Associated health and social welfare costs are expected to rise to economically unsustainable levels in Europe as a direct result of these trends.

Scene setting: who is the voice of nutrition in Britain?

Currently the public is being inundated daily with information about diet and health, which is often conflicting and frequently not based on good quality evidence. This situation is fuelled by the ready access to information of variable quality via the internet, which has short circuited the previous checks and balances applied by researchers and the peer review process, whereby scientific findings were batted around and refined within the confines of the scientific research community, occasionally emerging to be incorporated into the advice given by health professionals. This situation, coupled with concern about the growing trend whereby detailed nutrition advice is sold to the public by self-styled 'experts' with no formal degree-level training in the subject, prompted a conference that highlighted the importance of ensuring that nutrition advice is evidence-based, using a series of topical overviews.