Panel to answer intriguing, and sometimes bizarre, questions about food at Saturday's Cambridge Science Festival event.
Panel to answer intriguing, and sometimes bizarre, questions about food at Saturday's Cambridge Science Festival event.
Do super-foods exist? How can diet help to reduce the likelihood of cancer? Is it possible to raise children healthily on a macrobiotic diet? Why do we crave chocolate?
This Saturday, 17 March, there will be a chance to put these and other questions to a group of eminent nutritionists at a panel discussion titled The Truth About Food, held at the Michaelhouse Centre at 5pm.
The panel, which will comprise four senior scientists from the Cambridge based MRC Human Nutrition Research. The researchers – Dr Susan Jebb, Dr Toni Steer, Dr Alison Stephen and Dr Gail Goldberg - acted as consultants to the recent BBC Two series The Truth About Food, which included episodes such as How to be Healthy, How to be Sexy and How to Feed your Kids.
As a punchy, science based series it sought to dispel some of our favourite myths about food. For examples, it debunks claims that sugar leads to hyperactivity and that a slow metabolic rate results in weight gain – just two of the many theories that don't stand up to rigorous testing.
Tonight's panel brings together a formidable array of knowledge. Dr Jebb has a particular interest in the role of diet in the prevention and treatment of obesity. She works extensively with government, industry, health professionals and consumer groups.
Dr Toni Steer's recent work has focused on translating nutrition science into understandable and useful messages for legislators, the food industry and other groups. With Dr Jebb, she has co-authored a survey of parental attitudes and beliefs in relation to food and activity.
The research interests of Dr Alison Stephen are gastrointestinal function – particularly the roles of dietary fibre and starch. An expert in nutrition and bone health, Dr Gail Goldberg has scientific responsibility for studies conducted in the UK, Gambia and China to identify factors that determine calcium handling and bone growth.
The Truth About Food panel discussion takes place at the Michaelhouse Centre, Trinity Street, at 5pm. It will be followed at 7pm by a second session, Science and Religion, in which a panel of academics will give brief presentations, followed by a discussion.
For full details of Cambridge Science Festival programme go to the link at the above right or phone 01223 766766.
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