Diet and health - scientific evidence, recommendations and sustainability, 10 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.

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

• explain and apply central concepts within nutritional epidemiology, account for different types of studies and methods for compiling and evaluating the scientific evidence underlying the relationship between diet and health.
• apply basic statistics analysis and interpret the results.
• explain the principles behind nutrient recommendations and food-based dietary guidelines, respectively, how these two differ, and apply central concepts regarding nutrient recommendations.
• account for aspects of sustainability from a global nutrition perspective, also taking the UN's sustainability into account.
• 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 science, environment and recommendations.
• reflect on his/her own learning process and strengthen his/her skills in communicating in and in front of a group.
• identify his/her need for further knowledge and continued knowledge development in the area of ​​this course.

The course deals with central concepts in nutritional epidemiology, different types of studies as well as methods for evaluating scientific evidence within the nutrition area, such as systematic reviews, meta-analyses and different systems for grading the data. Basic biostatistics is also included. The principles behind nutritional recommendations and food-based dietary guidelines are discussed and how these two differ from each other. The course deals with the concept of sustainability från a global nutrition perspective, where also the UN's sustainable development goals are discussed. Based on this, the course go into environmental aspects of different diets and food groups and methods for how environmental impact can be investigated. The interaction between the three areas of 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 and reflecting on his/her own learning process.

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

The examination consists of a group work (graded Pass/Fail), written exam (graded Pass/Fail), and a written individual report (graded Pass with distinction/Pass/Fail). To pass the course, all assignments must fulfil the criteria for Pass. Final grade is based on the written report. The grading criteria for all examinations are provided in Canvas.

In the case a student fail an assignment, the individual assignment can be complemented to get a Pass on that individual assignment. The assignment can be resubmitted a maximum of five more times. After six failed assignments, no further examination opportunities will be given for that assignment. If the student has not submitted complementation at given deadline, grade Fail is given. 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:
Group work and some seminars are compulsory. The examiner 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 examiner's instructions, the student's study results cannot be finalized. Absence from a compulsory activity may result in that the student cannot compensate absence until the next time the course is given.

If there are special reasons, or need for adaptions 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 activities, etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities must not be altered, removed or lowered.

The course language is English.