Georgian Nutrition Society holds a landmark conference on Nutrition and Health

Dr Manana Stanley, President of the Georgian Nutrition Society.

As part of its mission to educate the Georgian population on the medical importance of nutrition and the role it plays in the development of some noncommunicable diseases, the Georgian Nutrition Society (GNS) held a landmark conference on nutrition and health in Tbilisi, Georgia, 19-20 May 2022.

Over the past two decades, major changes in eating habits and lifestyles have led to major health challenges in Georgia. There has been a significant increase in diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer, many of which are linked to unhealthy eating habits.

The Nutrition Society kindly agreed to support the conference and provided eminent speakers to present their vision on the newest developments in nutritional science and its role in tackling various health problems.

Amongst these were Professor John Mathers, Newcastle University, who opened Symposium two with a discussion around dietary patterns that may improve brain health during ageing; and Professor Philip Calder, University of Southampton, who highlighting the relevance of diets, food and nutrients in inflammatory processes associated with chronic disease.

Emphasising the medical importance of nutrition and exploring the role of diet on incidence of non- communicable diseases, the Society’s honorary programmes officer Professor Bernard Corfe, Newcastle University, delivered a powerful lecture on the Dietary risk factors in high-prevalence cancer. This was followed by the President of The Nutrition Society, Professor Julie Lovegrove, University of Reading, who discussed the role of dietary fats in cardiovascular disease risk.

There is a great deal that Georgia has, and can learn further from its partner society, The Nutrition Society and the GNS hopes to make the conference an annual event to contribute to the understanding of the evident but complex relationship between the food we eat and our health.

Georgian scientists also presented their views on the challenges public health faces in relation to modern nutrition and their vision for the future development of nutrition and nutritional science in Georgia. Academics, government ministers, clinicians, public health leads, representatives of farming industries and food companies were invited to take part in several workshops across the two days, focussing on opportunities for developing and raising the profile of nutrition in Georgia. These provided a platform to engage with government and encourage the development of nutrition courses in Georgia, particularly as there is a real interest among the younger generation to learn more about nutrition and nutritional science.

Given the current lack of university nutrition courses in the region, Professor Philip Calder, University of Southampton and President of the Federation of European Nutrition Societies (FENS), hosted a workshop to discuss the benefits of being internationally involved and shared expertise in helping The GNS become more integrated into FENS and other international networks to support Georgia in reaching its ambition to take a leading role in the region in teaching nutrition.