New Innovations in Food Allergy Testing and Patient Care

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Recorded June 16, 2021

Continuing Education Hours: IAFNS is a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provider with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). CDR Credentialed Practitioners will receive 1.5 Continuing Professional Education Unit (CPEU) for completion of this recorded webinar until June 16, 2024.

Description: Scientists estimate that food allergies affect at least 32 million Americans, including approximately 6 million children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that food allergies in children have increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011, with an even higher increase for peanut allergies. Recent years have seen significant advances in understanding of responses to food allergens such as the development of dose-response models that hold promise for developing more informative labels on food packaging. This session will highlight new research and innovations to enhance food allergen risk assessment and management. These include novel, safe methods for accurate diagnosis of food allergies and severity, and new initiatives for optimizing large-scale research trials and enhancing patient care.

The Current US Food Allergen Regulatory Landscape

Stefano Luccioli, MD

Senior Medical Advisor, Office of Food Additive Safety, FDA CFSAN

The FARE Clinical Network: Advancing New Treatments and Preventive Therapies for Food Allergy Patients

Bruce Roberts, PhD

Chief Research Strategy and Innovation Officer, Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)

Opening the Allergy Black Box: The Path to Risk-Free Challenge Testing

Paul Kearney, PhD

CEO, Data Incites and Strategic Advisor, AllerGenis

Discussion and Q&A

Performance Indicators

  • 4.2.7 Integrates relevant information with previous learning, experience, professional knowledge, and current practice models.
  • 6.2.5 Applies research/evidence-based findings to improve practice, service delivery, and health and nutrition of customers.
  • 6.2.2 Demonstrates knowledge of research instruments and tools (e.g., surveys, interview tools) to support research initiatives.

The Role of Food in Maintaining Health and Managing Disease

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Recorded June 16, 2021

Continuing Education Hours: IAFNS is a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) provider with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). CDR Credentialed Practitioners will receive 2.0 Continuing Professional Education Unit (CPEU) for completion of this recorded webinar until June 16, 2024.

Description: Current dietary guidance targets the “generally healthy population” yet, more than half of the North American population suffers from some form of diet-related chronic disease. There has been an upsurge in efforts to emphasize the role of food and nutrition in health maintenance and disease management at the retail, healthcare, federal, insurance, and dietary guidance levels. This session will explore the various angles of this concept and where there may be existing or needed alignment, as well as touch on current and future developments to ensure it is a viable option for health maintenance and disease management.

Keynote Address

Barbara Schneeman, PhD

Emeritus Professor, University of California, Davis (formerly FDA)

Perspectives Roundtable –

Moderator: Barbara Schneeman, PhD

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation Perspective

Allison Yoder, MA, RDN, LD

Nutrition in Food Retail Program Development Fellow, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation

Personalized Nutrition – the Research and Academic Perspective

Sharon Donovan, PhD, RD

Professor and Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health; Director of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Medical Practitioner Perspective

Jamy Ard, MD

Professor, Epidemiology and Prevention

Wake Forest University

Retail Grocery Perspective

Bridget Wojciak, RDN, LD

Director of Nutrition & Dietetics, The Kroger Co.

Panel Exchange and Q&A

Performance Indicators

  • 4.1.2 Interprets and integrates evidence-based research and literature in decision-making.
  • 12.1.1 Promotes nutrition programs and resources to address issues of food security nutritional health and overall health and wellness.
  • 8.1.2 Applies knowledge of food and nutrition as well as the biological, physical and social sciences in practice.

Food And Nutrition Science Research at the University of Manitoba

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Recorded October 13, 2021

Description: In this session, researchers from the University of Manitoba will present and discuss the benefits of functional foods.  Speakers will cover the production of bioactive peptides through enzymatic hydrolysis of food proteins, including antihypertensive, antioxidant, anticholinesterase and antiproliferative peptides. In addition to addressing the optimized enzymatic release of peptides, the structure-function properties of biopeptides elucidated using in vitro, in vivo and chemometric approaches will be covered. Further, this session will address critical questions relating to the extent to which phytochemicals in grains and other plant-derived functional foods can confer health benefits. This will include a more detailed discussion of the fundamental biochemistry of phytochemicals particularly phenolic and carotenoid constituents, including their structural identification and antioxidant actions at the cellular level.  The session will expand on the biological activity of biopeptides and therefore, the potential physiological and ultimately, health impact of functional foods that contain them.

Webinar program:

Welcome and Introduction

Blood pressure-reducing effect of wheat bread formulated with leaf polyphenol extract

  • Dr. Rotimi Aluko, Professor, University of Manitoba

Phytochemicals in cereals as important components for grain-based functional foods: Phenolics as exemplary compounds

  • Dr. Trust Beta, Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1), University of Manitoba

Bioaccessible Phenolic Compounds in Canadian Hull-less Barley Varieties

  • Pamela Drawbridge, PhD student, University of Manitoba

Reducing Sodium Intake – a Food Supply Approach

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Recorded August 31, 2021

Description: Over the past 8 iterations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, sodium intake has exceeded recommended amounts. Elevated intake is the result of many factors, to include quantity in the food supply and food choice or eating behavior. To mitigate one of the most difficult challenges, behavior change, there has been a renewed focus on the food supply factor.  In fact, substantial progress has been made to reduce sodium in processed and packaged foods, although challenges remain due to the complex roles of sodium in food safety, technical function, and taste. This session will provide an overview of the tools available to reduce sodium in foods that maintain safety, function, and taste, to include examples from the marketplace. Challenges with specific food products will be examined. Finally, speakers will focus on one of the most used tools, potassium chloride, and relay data from a recently published modeling study that explored the full potential of this tool for sodium reduction and the effect this could have on sodium and potassium intakes in the US population.

Webinar program:

Welcome from IAFNS

Naomi Fukagawa, MD PhD, USDA-ARS - Moderator

Current Status of Sodium Reduction in Foods - What Has Been Done, and How Much is Possible?

  • Janice Johnson, PhD, Cargill

Tools for Sodium Reduction in Foods – The Fundamentals

  • Soo-Yeun Lee, PhD, University of Illinois

Use of Potassium-Based Sodium Replacers - What Happens to Nutrient Intake?

  • Mary Murphy, MS, RD, Exponent

 

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. The multiple roles of sodium in foods and the complexities of reducing this ingredient in different food categories.
  2. The tools available for sodium reduction, including the potential for potassium chloride use in the food supply to affect intakes of sodium and potassium.
  3. Progress in sodium reduction and what is needed to achieve more.

Can We Agree? Dietary Guidance Related To Low- And No-Calorie Sweeteners In The US And Canada

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Recorded August 26, 2021

Description:

The 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee reviewed the evidence related to low- and no-calorie sweetener (LNCSs) use and weight, recommending that LNCSs be considered as an option for weight management (with limited evidence). The Dietary Guidelines that followed state that LNCSs “may reduce calorie intake in the short-term and aid in weight management”. At the same time, the most recent Canadian Food Guide recommends that foods and beverages that are unsweetened should be recommended (regardless of sweetening with or without calories). The World Health Organization is also set to release the latest guidance on use of LNCSs sometime in 2021. This session will offer clarity on the evidence review processes and rationale for dietary recommendations specific to LNCSs, across the US and Canada, and considering other global approaches. The panel will discuss evidence-review processes and final recommendations, identify evidence gaps, and describe the translation from evidence to policies that aim to protect the health of the target populations. Discussion will include translation of guidance for practitioners that counsel individuals with different goals that may include sugar reduction as a strategy.

Webinar program:                                                                     

Welcome from IAFNS

  • Johanna Dwyer, DSc, RD, Tufts University - Moderator

The DGAC Perspective

  • Beth Mayer-Davis, PhD RD, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

A Canadian Perspective

  • Mary L'Abbe, PhD, University of Toronto

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain the evidence evaluation processes that are used by the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and Health Canada, and the respective rationales for selecting that process.
  2. Describe the evidence base for use of low-calorie sweeteners and translation into dietary guidance as well as evidence that would be useful for future reviews.
  3. Explain the recommendations for LCS use and the underlying rationale, as defined in the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report and translated in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and compare/contrast these with recommendations from other global authorities.

Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners

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Recorded July 15, 2021

Description: Low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCSs) are a key tool for reduction of added sugars intake – which can be critical for individuals that have a health condition (e.g., diabetes) requiring attention to dietary carbohydrate.  As part of the approval process for a new food ingredient, regulatory agencies set an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI). Interpretation of LCS intakes in nutrition studies using the ADI affects the perception of LCS as a beneficial tool. In alignment with this perception, consumers, nutrition practitioners, and clinicians make decisions about using or advising use of LNCSs. There has been a rise in the number of publications that evaluate the safety of LNCSs for consumption which reference the ADI. Misinterpretation of the ADI can erode confidence in the safety and efficacy of LNCSs as a dietary tool, negatively impacting health management, despite that regulatory approvals already account for the ADI. There is an opportunity for explicitly detailing the derivation and appropriate application of the ADI to the nutrition community. This webinar will help researchers and clinicians to better understand what is meant by an ADI and to address patient and consumer concerns about LNCSs and their value as dietary management tools.

Webinar program:

Welcome from IAFNS

The "ADI" for Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners: Origin, Interpretation, and Application

  • Dr. Daniele Wikoff, PhD, ToxStrategies

The LNCS ADI: Understanding Limits in Practice

  • Dr. Deepa Handu, PhD RDN, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Q & A

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe derivation of an acceptable daily intake (ADI) value and understand the underlying rationale and degree of protection conferred to consumers.
  2. Critically review and interpret nutrition research studies that apply the ADI as a health-based benchmark.
  3. Discuss science-based information on sweetener safety to patients and clients about the safety of LNCSs whether considered “natural”, “artificial”, or other.

12th Vahouny Fiber Symposium

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Recorded December 14 and 15, 2020

Description: The 12th Vahouny Fiber Symposium was held on-line in a virtual format in December 2020.  The live event was attended by participants from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies. As the first Vahouny Symposium to have been held in a virtual format, the structure purposefully included questions and answers after each presenter, and panel discussions.  Three invited sessions comprised the bulk of the conference program: one on substantiating the physiological benefit of fiber, one on applying carbohydrate knowledge through a database, and one on evaluating the tolerance of nondigestible carbohydrates.

Conference program:

Section 1: Substantiating human physiological benefits for isolated and synthetic nondigestible carbohydrates

Section 2: Advancing Science: Applying Carbohydrate Knowledge

Session 3: Standardized protocol (PICO) for evaluating digestive tolerance of nondigestible carbohydrates among the general population

Learning outcomes:

After these presentations focused on dietary fiber, the viewer will be able to:

  • Interpret data to make recommendations and to inform decisions.
  • Apply research/evidence-based findings to improve practice, service delivery, and health and nutrition of customers.
  • Interpret and apply evidence-based comparative standards for determining nutritional needs.
  • Apply knowledge of food and nutrition as well as the biological, physical and social sciences in practice

Video Links

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Use of Low-Calorie Sweeteners and Weight: Facts and Myth

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Recorded February 10, 2021

Description: Myths about LCS and effects on appetite and weight have been pervasive for years. Because of the continuing proliferation of studies that yield opposing conclusions, practitioners may err on the side of caution and recommend avoidance of sweeteners. However, given that intake of added sugars continues to be excessive and that humans have an innate desire for sweet, clarity on the evidence is needed to support fact-based recommendations for LCS use for weight-related objectives. In this session, speakers will review their recent systematic review work on questions about the relationship between intake of LCS and weight, and how these results fit into the context of the broader evidence, as well as implications for use of LCS as a tool in weight management.

Webinar program:

Welcome and Introduction

  • Richard Mattes, PhD RDN, Purdue University - Moderator

Effects of nonnutritive sweeteners on body weight and BMI in diverse clinical contexts: Systematic review and meta‐analysis

  • Hugo Laviada-Molina, MD, Marist University of Merida, Mexico

The effects of low-calorie sweeteners on energy intake and body weight: a systematic review and meta-analyses of sustained intervention studies

  • Katherine Appleton, PhD RD, Bournemouth University, United Kingdom

Learning outcomes:

After this presentation, the viewer will be able to:

  • Provide recommendations on the use of LCS as a tool for weight loss and maintenance.
  • Describe the evidence base related to LCS and weight-related outcomes.
  • Describe the importance of comparators used in clinicals studies (i.e. vs. nothing, water, caloric sugars).
  • Describe purported mechanisms underlying relationships between LCS consumption and weight outcomes.

Something Changed, but What Does it Mean? Effects of Low-Calorie Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiome

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Recorded September 25, 2020.

Webinar program:

Moderator: Marie Latulippe, MS, RDN, IAFNS

The current state of knowledge on gut microbiome and diet: an overview

  • Cindy Davis, PhD, National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements

What the evidence tells us about the effect of low-calorie sweeteners on the gut microbiome

  • Alexandra Lobach, PhD, Intertek

Learning outcomes:

After this presentation, the viewer will be able to:

  1. Understand the current state of knowledge with respect to defining a “healthy gut microbiome.”
  2. Interpret statements about foods/ingredients and effect on the gut microbiome in light of the currently available methods, including strengths and limitations.
  3. Provide evidence-based recommendation about sweetener use in response to client questions about effects on the gut microbiome.