Nutrition and prevention of cronic diseases
Keywords |
Classification |
Keyword |
OFICIAL |
Medicine |
Instance: 2019/2020 - 1S (of 09-09-2019 to 09-02-2020)
Cycles of Study/Courses
Teaching language
Suitable for English-speaking students
Objectives
The curricular unit aims to enable students to acquire knowledge about the role of diet in the prevention of chronic diseases.
It is the objective of UC to provide tools for better critical thinking about the diversity and complexity of dietary factors that influence the health of individuals and populations. It uses an evidence-based approach to analyze the food and nutritional determinants of health and disease and the best intervention options to promote and preserve health.
Learning outcomes and competences
Students should know how to identify the main dietary determinants of chronic diseases, namely those with major impact on global mortality and morbidity (cardiovascular diseases and cancer) and to understand their effect on the reduction of disease occurrence; Students should identify and understand the principles and methods to evaluate the relation between dietary exposures and chronic diseases.
They should acquire critical capacities for a better understanding of the process of defining recommendations and interventions in the field of nutrition, based on scientific evidence.Working method
Presencial
Program
Nutrition and prevention of cardiovascular diseases (coronary heart disease, stroke), hypertension, diabetes and obesity. Nutrition and cancer prevention. Nutrition and osteoporosis. Nutrition: from birth to the chronic disease. Nutrition and inflammation. Food interactions and interactions between foods and genetic and behavioural factors. Methodological approaches to evaluate the relation between nutrition and chronic diseases. From evidence to dietary recommendations.
Mandatory literature
Watson RR and Preedy VR eds.; Nutrition and Heart disease: causation and prevention, Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2004
World Cancer Research Fund/ American Institute for Cancer Research. ; Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: a Global Perspective; Third report (Update expert report), 2018. Available at: https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer
Comments from the literature
Scientific papers with relevance for the syllabus will be also included
Teaching methods and learning activities
As this curricular unit has 3 ECTs, it is estimated a total of 81 hours of work by students; out of these 27h are of contact, with the following distribution:
3 theoretical-practical sessions of 120 min
10 theoretical-practical sessions of 90 min
4 seminars of 90 min
Learning assessment will be done by a written work in group (4 students at maximum), corresponding to 50% of the final classification. The remaining 50% will be obtained through a written sumative form of assessment. The Unit will take place with a minimum of 10 students and a maximum of 50.
keywords
Health sciences
Evaluation Type
Distributed evaluation without final exam
Assessment Components
Designation |
Weight (%) |
Teste |
50,00 |
Trabalho escrito |
50,00 |
Total: |
100,00 |
Amount of time allocated to each course unit
Designation |
Time (hours) |
Elaboração de projeto |
25,00 |
Estudo autónomo |
29,00 |
Frequência das aulas |
27,00 |
Total: |
81,00 |
Eligibility for exams
75% of participation in the presencial sessions
Calculation formula of final grade
Learning assessment will be done by a written work in group (4 students at maximum), corresponding to 50% of the final classification. The remaining 50% will be obtained through a written sumative form of assessment.
Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)
The components of assessment will be the same in the case of student-workers. The group work can be exceptionaly done individually. The summative assessment form it will be performed presentialy.Classification improvement
The improvement of classification will be relative to the component of the individual written summative test, remaining fixed the classification of the group work.Observations
The Unit will take place with a minimum of 10 students and a maximum of 50.