Biomedical Nutrition Physiology

Aim and Content

The physiology of cell and organism is determined by heredity and the environment. Human nutrition (i.e. what we eat), constitutes a major form of environmental exposure, and the individual nutrient regulate different mechanisms at cellular and organism level. The physiological effects are in general a response to the overall composition of different nutrients in our diet. In addition, food is the main exposure rout to persistent environmental contaminants concentrated up the food chain.

Recent research has demonstrated that the environment can affect gene regulation through several other mechanisms than described with traditional genetics. Nutrients therefore have great importance for the development of life style diseases like obesity, diabetes and atherosclerosis. The progression of such a pathological condition can be observed through changes in cellular signaling and function, with consequences for several physiological properties.

This course will give students a research based introduction to biomedical subjects (biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, physiology) in connection with human nutritional physiology. Focusing on areas like metabolism, signaling pathways and gene regulation one can explain basic mechanisms that involve and are affected by nutrients and their composition in the diet. Students will also learn about the background of lifestyle diseases, genetic diseases, and the effects of contaminants.

The aim of the course is to train the students to independently evaluate the effects of nutrients at a cell biological and physiological level and evaluate this in a broader scientific context relating to health and disease.

The independent assignment should address new relevant issues with regard to nutrition and lifestyle diseases rooted in a research environment at UiB, preferably the group where the student will perform his/hers master project. If the master student has not yet found a supervisor for the master project, any research group at the Department of Biomedicine will do. The project proposal should not be directly linked to the future master's thesis and will be defined by the group leader together with the course coordinator.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the course students should be able to: 

• give a biomedical overview of how physiological properties are affected by nutrients and nutrient composition.
• discuss the relationship between nutrition and physiological responses in relation to biomedical mechanisms.
• critically interpret relevant physiological, cell biological and molecular biological research literature in the field of nutrition and life style diseases.

Course offered (semester)

Spring

Language of Instruction

English

Pre-requirements

Biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, nutrition physiology or equivalent on bachelor level, preferably completed with a degree.

Teaching Methods

Lectures (approx. 10 of 2 hrs) with focus on relevant topics within biomedical nutrition physiology.

Student lead colloquia as preparation for the lectures.

Independent assignment based on research literature according to guidelines. The work will be presented for the other participants in the form of a poster. This is the final exam.

Teaching will be given at NIFES and Department of Biomedicine.

Compulsory Requirements

Attendance at seminars, approved report.

Assessment methods

Oral exam - a poster presentation of submitted materials (home exam)

Grading Scale

Pass/Fail

Course Unit Evaluation

Written evaluation on My Space/Mi side.

Contact Information

Department of Biomedicine

studie@biomed.uib.no

(+47) 55 58 64 39 / 55 58 64 40 / 55 58 60 95

Course coordinator:

Livar Frøyland, http://uib.no/persons/Livar.Froyland