Prof. Sidiga Washi Attended the European Nutrimenthe International Conference

Prof. Sidiga Washi was in Granada, Spain between 13-20 September to present at the European Nutrimenthe International Conference on ‘Effect of diet on the mental performance on Children” which was organized by the Nutrimenthe EU Project and the Early Nutrition Academy (ENA) where she presented a poster on ‘Prevalence of Iron deficiency among school children age 6-11 years”. She has also attended and presented two oral presentations and chaired a session at the 20^th  International Congress of Nutrition which was held under the theme “Joining cultures through Nutrition”. The Congress was designed to enable the exchange of ideas and knowledge via latest research presentations by professionals in the different fields of nutrition and for facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations focusing on nutrition and health. The Congress was organized by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS). The congress was attended by over 4500 professionals from over 110 countries. Over 250 oral communication and about 3840 electronic posters were presented by experts in the areas of Food & Nutrition. The Congress was interactive and full of experience sharing and networking. Prof Washi has presented part of the results of the COPE intervention study   on Methods to assess Obesity among School children in Alain carried by a team from the Department of Nutrition and Health as well as a paper on Building Research Capacity in Nutrition in the Middle East and North Africa: the Challenge for the Middle East and North Africa Nutrition Association (MENANA) .

Dr. Wissam Ibrahim and Dr. Hosam Habib also attended the 20th International Congress of Nutrition.  They presented some of the latest research work on dates and date seeds produced by the functional food research group in the Department of Nutrition and Health at the College of Food and Agriculture. The research focus is on studying the antioxidant and other nutritional properties of dates and dates byproducts and utilizing it in the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals. This area of research is of strategic importance for the UAE University and the Country at large. As in many other countries in the world, the UAE is concerned with the increasing prevalence of diabetes, obesity, a high risk of cardiovascular diseases, and frequently diagnosed cancer. Diet is recognized as one of the main contributors to these diseases, and the consumption of antioxidant-rich or fiber-rich food products has been shown to help in preventing these pathologies.