Overview

The course provides an in-depth understanding of topics valuable to a well-rounded understanding of nutrition and presents recent developments in the field of nutrition. In addition, students will enhance their ability to write a critical evaluation of topics in nutrition.

Outline

The major part of this reading course will be from Nutritional health: Strategies for disease prevention, edited by Ted Wilson and Norman J. Temple. Topics covered include:

• health promotion
• calcium, antioxidants, n-3 fatty acids, and soy isoflavones in chronic disease
• the role of diet in cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension herbs
• the role of maternal and fetal nutrition in disease in later life
• nutritional epidemiology
• designer foods and genetic engineering
• nutrition information using the Internet.

Students will also read several research articles, complete four assignments, and write a final examination. In order to complete the assignments students require access to either the Internet or a research library, preferably both.

Evaluation

To receive credit for NUTR 406 you must:

• Submit all four assignments;
• Obtain at least 55 percent on the examination ;
• Obtain an overall course mark of at least
  “C-” (60 percent).

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

Ted Wilson and Norman J. Temple, eds. 2001. Nutritional health: Strategies for disease prevention. Humana Press.

Other materials

The course materials also include a student manual/study guide and a reading file.