Update from the Scottish Section

Dr Derek Ball, Secretary

The Scottish Section committee has been working hard to ensure that the Spring conference planned for 4-5 April 2022 will go ahead as a hybrid event that offers delegates the opportunity attend either on a face-to-face basis or as an online virtual participant. The topic of the meeting, “Nutrition, immune function and infectious disease”, addresses the current health pandemic related to infectious disease and the health and nutritional factors that might contribute to disease risk.

The conference organisers (myself and Dr Alex Mavoeredi) have drawn together an international panel of speakers. The conference is divided into three areas designed to address nutritional status and infectious disease propensity; nutrition, physical activity and immune function; dietary supplements and their efficacy in reducing infectious disease risk and concluding with aspects related to the effects of nutritional interventions in acute infections or long-term conditions such as myalgic encephalomyelitis. The program includes the opportunity for original communications as either an oral or poster format. The organisers are planning to have a breakfast symposium on day two that is supported by industry. Finally, our student committee members are preparing for a student led event on day one of the conference.

As previously communicated through the Society’s Gazette the members of the Scottish Section Committee continue to change. We have two members that are coming to the end of their tenure in early 2022 and consequently we are looking to our colleagues in Scotland to consider volunteering to serve on the committee. At the same time, we welcome Professor Alex Johnstone (Rowett Institute, Aberdeen) who has been co-opted onto the committee. Our two new student members of the committee, Mr Matevz Arcon (Aberdeen University) and Catriona Thomson (Glasgow University) have made a busy start to their time on the committee by organising an online webinar “Sport Nutrition – a focus on the female athlete” that discussed a career in nutrition involving working with professional female athletes and provided some insight into the latest research exploring the sex differences in sports nutrition.