Diet and Health - Scientific Basis, Recommendations and Sustainability, 7.5 credits

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in biomedicine, cellular and molecular biology, pharmaceutics, medicine, nutrition or the equivalent. And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• account for global health issues related to nutrition and physical (in)activity.
• explain the process of how associations between diet and health is evaluated on the basis of current scientific evidence.
• describe the principles behind nutrient recommendations and dietary guidelines and explain why the latter may vary nationally.
• discuss, motivate and suggest dietary changes to achieve a healthy and environmentally sustainable diet, based on scientific evidence.
• write a scientific text in the area of nutrition, environment and recommendations, based on scientific evidence.
• reflect on his/her own learning process and increase his/her skills in communication in and in front of a group.

This course deals with how different types of studies contribute to the scientific basis and development of nutritional science and how different kinds of health claims relate to this basis. The principles behind nutrient recommendations and dietary guidelines are explained and discussed and also national variations in the latter. This course also deals with environmental aspects of different food groups and measures of how environmental impact can be investigated. The interaction between the three areas, environment, nutrition and health, is addressed from an individual to a global perspective. In this course, the student also receives training in writing a scientific text, communicating and discussing scientific information, as well as reflecting on his/her own learning process.

The course consists of seminars, group work, lectures, exercises and discussions and individual assignments. A practical assessment of the student's own dietary intake is included.

The examination consists of a written take-home exam (graded Pass with distinction/Pass/Fail) and an oral presentation (graded Pass/Fail). The grading criteria for all examinations are given in the study guide.

In case of failed results, the assignment may be submitted a maximum of five more times. If the student has completed six failed examinations, no further examination opportunities will be given for that assignment.

A student who has failed two examinations for a course or part of a course, is entitled to have another examiner appointed unless special reasons speak against it.

Compulsory participation:
Assignments and seminars are mandatory. The course director assesses if and, in that case, how absence from compulsory parts can be compensated. Before the student has participated in all compulsory parts or compensated absence according with the course director's instructions, the student's results will not be registered in LADOK.

If there are special reasons, or need for adjustment for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to depart from the syllabus's regulations on examination form, number of examination opportunities, possibility of complementation of or exemption from compulsory parts of the course, etc. Content and learning goals as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities must not be altered, removed or lowered.

The course will be offered for the last time in the autumn term of 2021 and will thereafter be cancelled. Examination according to this syllabus will be offered for the last time June 2, 2024, for students who have not completed the course with passing grade. 

The course language is English.

A course evaluation will be conducted according to guidelines decided by the Committee for Higher Education at KI.

Oral evaluation will be carried out during the course.