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CRITICAL ISSUES IN NUTRITION SCIENCES
AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL
John A. Milner
Approximately 250 administrative units throughout the
United States offer educational opportunities in
nutrition. Many of these programs are part of a
comprehensive university, and thus have as their primary
mission the creation, perpetuation, expansion, and
transmission of nutrition knowledge. However, these
administrative units vary widely in their organizational
programs, services, challenges, and opportunities.
Academic excellence in nutrition requires the effective
coordination of teaching, research, and public service
not only for the development of future leaders in the
nutrition sciences but also for the acquisition of
knowledge aimed at improvement of the quality of life.
It is recognized that inappropriate nutrition is a
primary factor in unattained genetic potential, reduced
productivity, and increased susceptibility to disease.
Public recognition of the importance of nutrition to
public health has led to an unprecedented interest in
this discipline by scientists, legislators, health
professionals, and consumers. Our ability to capitalize
on this increased recognition will surely determine the
fate of nutrition as a science. For nutritionists to
continue to make contributions to improving the quality
of life, several critical issues must be addressed. Each
of these is briefly discussed below. Recognition of
these issues offers exciting challenges and opportunities
for those actively involved in this discipline.
Likewise, exciting possibilities exist for universities
that are willing to ass-me a leadership role.
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IMAGE AND IDENTITY
Science is the systematized knowledge obtained from
observations, examination, and experimentation performed
to determine the nature or principles of specific
processes. Thus, nutrition science is one that examines
the sum of the biological processes that occur prior to
and following the intake of food as they relate to
growth, development, and the maintenance of health.
Therefore, nutrition is not a pure science but draws
extensively on root disciplines. The application of
advances made within these root disciplines has been at
least partially responsible for the awareness of the
science of nutrition. This coupling with root
disciplines, however, has also been at least partially
responsible for the image and identity problems faced by
those involved in nutrition. Nutritionists are
invariably not easily pigeonholed into neat compartments
within the hierarchical system that occurs on many
university campuses. For nutritionists to make
significant advances, they must interact not only with
other nutritionists but also with individuals within root
disciplines. This reliance on other disciplines can lead
to nutritionists asking: "Where should I reside and what
is my primary focus?" The problem of identity faced by
nutritionists is by no means unique to this area, but it
is probably magnified by the expectations imposed on them
by the general population. Furthermore, at least part of
the image problem possibly comes from the inability of
nutritionists to sell or market nutrition, at least under
most circumstances.
_
For nutritionists to truly make
progress, they must be the first to communicate to the
public the impact that nutrition can, and does, have on
health and the quality of life. Too often, when
nutritionists address issues, they are placed on the
defensive rather than the offensive.
.,
PERSONNEL NEEDS
To ensure that the next generation of nutrition
scientists includes creative minds, recruitment must take
place at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels.
It is surprising that a degree in nutrition sciences is
not touted as an appropriate undergraduate program for
entry into any of the health-related professional
schools. Since nutrition can have an impact on the
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ultimate outcome of patient care, greater emphasis on
nutrition as an undergraduate program appears to be
appropriate.
Nutritionists must continue to focus on critical issues
using state-of-the-art technologies. By continuing to be
at the forefront of nutrition and the associated root
discipline, the profession can be competitive in
attracting quality undergraduate and graduate students.
This continuation is not only critical for addressing
issues of immediate concern but also for the development
of future leaders in nutrition.
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH
Strong linkages with various administrative units on a
university campus are essential for meeting the mission
and goals of a strong nutrition program. By highlighting
critical issues faced by consumers, nutrition programs
within a university can serve as a focal point for a
coordinated campaign.
-
The responsibility for initiating, developing, and
administering educational programs in nutrition is
traditionally delegated to departments or other academic
units within or across colleges. At the University of
Illinois, an interdepartmental and intercollege graduate
program in nutritional sciences, the Division of
Nutritional Sciences, has been established. At present,
42 faculty are joined together through a common
allegiance to the science of nutrition, but they reside
within a home department in one of six colleges on the
campus. The objective is to join forces with other units
throughout the university to focus on nutrition issues,
assist in the education of future leaders in nutrition,
and address issues in nutrition through interdisciplinary
research. By allowing faculty and students to remain
closely aligned to a nutrition sciences interdisciplinary
program, it should prevent unnecessary duplication of
efforts in the nutrition sciences and allow for the
maximum use of resources. While such interdisciplinary
and multidisciplinary programs are often touted as having
clear advantages, ~- ~ ~
their creation Is the exception rather
than the general rule in most universities. This
reluctance to develop such administrative units possibly
reflects the inability of university administrations to
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recognize nutrition as an integrated science and to deal
with administrative units other than departments that are
committed to the mission and goals of an individual
college.
It must be recognized that research serves as the
cornerstone of the science of nutrition, which plays an
essential role in medical practice, disease prevention,
public health education, and the use of agricultural
products. By virtue of the groups that can be influenced
by nutrition research, an interdisciplinary approach
appears to be extremely logical. Because of its
complexity, nutrition research requires sophisticated
designs and analytic capabilities that, again, are often
best addressed in an interdisciplinary and multidisci-
plinary environment. In the future, nutrition objectives
will surely require scientists to use extensive
interdisciplinary approaches.
Figure 1 depicts the potential partnerships that can be
developed between a nutrition sciences program and the
various educational units that typically exist in a
/
/ / : . Nutritional Sciences ~\
/ ' 2 ' ' _ .' ; .; ~ A ~><
/ ''''I'''' as' ' '''\ \
/ ~ / Critical lesues \ \ \
/ i/ Oict and Health \ \ \
/ ~ Satety~Enviro:\
~ Adequate ~Colisumer~mental ~
\ \S u P P I I ~ F ~ c t o r s; _
\ ~Sensory
\ ~Paycilologica
\ : ~ \ Feetore
~. ,.
\ \ . . .. - . . ~/
\ \ Nutritional Sciences .' /
\ VeterlnarY Sciences
FIGURE 1 Relationship between nutrition sciences and
other administrative units typically found in a
comprehensive university in meeting consumer needs.
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comprehensive university in order to address common
concerns. It is the belief of many that making nutrition
a campus-wide program, rather than limiting its scope to
a single college, enhances the opportunities available to
nutritionists and reduces possible image and identity
problems. By focusing on the science of nutrition and
not necessarily emphasizing the application of this
knowledge, interdisciplinary programs are less likely to
engage in turf battles with departments. An environment
in which all participants in the program win must be
established for an interdisciplinary nutrition program to
survive. Faculty and students with commitments to either
human or animal nutrition can work side by side on
ventures of common interest.
By focusing attention on consumers, a variety of
academic units can benefit from an interdisciplinary
approach to nutrition (Figure 1~. Many factors are known
to influence the dietary habits of individuals. While
diet and health are clearly involved, other conside-
rations such as adequate food supply, sensory and
psychological factors, and safety and environmental
concerns may also regulate dietary habits.
We all recognize that money is needed for the conduct
of research and that these costs are increasing at an
unbelievable rate. Historically, research in
agricultural production, food science, and nutrition has
been rewarding and cost-effective. Although various
studies have shown that there are higher returns
following investment in research and development, the
food and agriculture research and development systems
typically funds research at levels lower than those of
virtually all other industries. The lower level of
support may reflect the less well defined benefits of
nutrition research. By capitalizing on the social and
psychological factors regulating food intake and
capitalizing on nutrition as a key factor in the quality
of life, we may be able to enhance the present resources
for nutrition research.
STRONG ACADEMIC INTERRELATIONSHIPS
Until recently, many nutritionists were only able to
explain the metabolic derangement associated with
inappropriate nutrient intake. However, dramatic
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advances in biotechnology promise to afford nutrition
scientists the means of seeking the underlying mechanisms
by which nutritional factors modulate growth and
resistance to disease. Extensive evidence shows that
inappropriate nutrition often leads to dramatic changes
in specific cellular proteins and is therefore a primary
factor in determining the genetic potential of an
organism. To facilitate excellence in nutrition science
programs, a strong educational and research bond with
units offering expertise in cellular and molecular
biology must be established and fostered.
The current public attention on health maintenance has
stimulated interest in both diet and exercise. Mounting
evidence supports a synergism between both of these
factors in health maintenance. At least some dietary
recommendations appear to be designed to overcome the
adverse effects of a sedentary life-style. Although
dietary manipulations will likely never compensate
totally for inactivity, better understanding of the
dynamic relationship between these factors is needed
before general and widespread recommendations can be made
to the public. Thus, again, a strong tie with
kinesiology or related units must be developed and
fostered.
Unfortunately, some of the underlying factors that
control food preference are still not understood. It is
evident that food selection is regulated by a variety of
stimuli that are related to the individual's
psychological, economical, sociocultural, and physiologic
state, as well as to the chemical, physical, and sensory
factors of the food to be consumed. Greater under-
standing of the complex process of food selection will
come from the effective blending of expertise in the
social, psychological, biological, and chemical sciences.
With the demands on the nation's and world's food
resources that are now occurring, and that will likely be
magnified in the future, it is imperative that we join
forces to enhance our understanding of food selection.
Since nutrition has both applied and fundamental
components, nutritionists must continue to develop strong
ties with the health professional community. The
recognized association between inappropriate nutrition
and health maintenance serves to emphasize the importance
of fostering this linkage.
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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The modern-day nutritionist is facing many exciting
opportunities and challenges, and this paper describes
many of the challenges and opportunities that exist at
the University of Illinois. Nevertheless, similar
opportunities and challenges are available in many, if
not most, universities where nutrition science is taught.
Nutritionists must take advantage of the opportunities
and address the challenges for continued progress to be
made in the discipline. With the increased awareness of
nutrition as a mayor contributor to health, the time to
act is now.
.
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Representative terms from entire chapter:
administrative units
