For A Healthier Future

Updated on: Thursday, September 08, 2011

The International College of Nutrition Calcutta Chapter in academic partnership with Nestle Nutrition Institute organised a one day workshop on combating child under-nutrition to commemorate National Nutrition Week. The workshop was held at the Indian Science Congress Auditorium on the theme ‘Nutrition is the Stepping Stone for our Future Generation’.

“On the steps of nutrition lies the emancipation of the next generation-this is our vision and conviction. Malnutrition is a multifaceted, multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional issue. Our country is facing both under-nutrition and obesity related chronic non-communicable diseases, leading to morbidity and mortality”, said Sudip Bandhopadhyay, minister of state for health, government of India, in his address at the National Nutrition Week workshop.

Speakers at the workshop underlined the urgent need to promote good infant and young child feeding practices, especially exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. The programme was presided over by Dr Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee, chairperson, International College of Nutrition, Calcutta Chapter.
Paromita Das Dutta, secretary, ICN said “The celebration of National Nutrition Week started as an initiative to address different aspects of food, nutrition, health, hygiene, sanitation and various forms of malnutrition, their consequences and means to prevent them in 1982. In our endeavor to spread awareness, we have been organising this event since 1999.”

“Nutrition is the focal point of health and well-being. It is directly related to human resource development, productivity and ultimately a great contributor to the national growth,” said Dr G N V Brahmam, scientist and head, division of community studies, National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad.

Eminent experts like Dr Subhankar Chowdhury, professor and head, department of endocrinology, IPGMER and SSKM Hospital; Dr Arup Das Biswas, head of cardiology department, IPGMER and SSKM Hospital and director of Institute of Cardiology; Dr Arnab Ghosh, assistant professor, department of anthropology, Visva Bharati University and Sanghamitra Chakraborty, head, department of nutrition & dietetics, Medica Superspeciality Hospital, participated in a panel discussion on metabolic syndrome and the issue of coexistence of malnutrition and obesity which is becoming an epidemic in the country.

One of the key highlights of the workshop was the inter-college lecture and poster competition to encourage the undergraduate students on nutrition topics.

For A Healthier Future

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