Carbs and Obesity, Changing the Food Pyramid, Boosting Immunity are Focus of Colorado State Conference June 10-11

Note to Editors: Media representatives are invited to attend the annual Lillian Fountain Smith Conference June 10-11 at the Fort Collins Marriott, 350 E. Horsetooth Road. To arrange interviews or attendance, contact Jennifer Dimas at (970) 491-1543.

The carbohydrate craze, changing the food pyramid and nutritional strategies for boosting immunity and preventing infection in the elderly are all topics of a leading national nutrition conference hosted by Colorado State University.

The 26th annual Lillian Fountain Smith Conference will be held 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. June 10 and 8 a.m.-1:15 p.m. June 11 at the Fort Collins Marriott, 350 E. Horsetooth Road.

The first session on June 10 will focus on "Carbohydrates – Friend or Foe." Featured sessions will include research on whether carbohydrates cause obesity and if the high intake of sucrose and fructose among many Americans are truly a cause for concern. The second session that day will focus on "Rebuilding the Food Guide Pyramid." Featured sessions include constructing a scientific foundation for rebuilding the food guide pyramid and addressing today’s health issues using the food pyramid.

Session three on June 11 will focus on "Immunity and Aging Issues." Sessions will focus on nutritional strategies to boost immunity and prevent infection in older adults, the role of exercise in immune functions in the elderly and the role of food safety in protecting the health of older adults.

The annual Lillian Fountain Smith Nutrition Education Conference has developed an outstanding reputation among health professionals in the United States, said Chris Melby, chair of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University.

"The topics and speakers scheduled for this year’s conference will undoubtedly stimulate important discussions as well as help clarify a number of controversial issues regarding nutrition and human health," Melby said. "Our department is excited to again sponsor a conference of this caliber as we seek to illuminate the importance of food and nutrition in health promotion and disease prevention."  

The conference is specifically designed for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, dieticians, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and other health educators. A goal of the conference is to provide participants with the most current, objective and authoritative information available in important and emerging areas of human nutrition.

Lillian Fountain Smith was a 1918 graduate in home economics at Colorado State University. Recognizing the importance of nutrition in her own life and the lives of her family members, Smith chose to assist the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State in improving and extending its nutrition outreach activities.

The annual Lillian Fountain Smith Conference is sponsored by the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition in the College of Applied Human Sciences at Colorado State.

To attend the conference, contact Pam Blue at 970-491-7435 or e-mail  blue@cahs.colostate.edu . More information can be found at http://www.cahs.colostate.edu/fshn/lfsc.

A full schedule follows.

Thursday, June 10

8:00 a.m. –      

Registration, Fort Collins Marriott Hotel

8:50 a.m. –      

Opening of Conference, Nancy Hartley, dean of the College of Applied Human Sciences, Colorado State University

9:00 a.m. –      

SESSION 1 – Carbohydrates – Friend or Foe?

Moderator – Mary Harris, associate professor of food science and human nutrition, Colorado State University

Carbohydrates: The new cause of obesity?

Chris Melby, professor and head of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University

10:15 a.m. –     

Sucrose and Fructose: Cause for Concern or Much to do about Nothing?

Professor Michael Pagliassotti, food science and human nutrition,

Colorado State University

11:15 a.m. –

Panel Discussion

1:15 p.m. – SESSION 2 – Rebuilding the Food Guide Pyramid

Moderator – Professor Jennifer Anderson, food science and human nutrition, Colorado State University

Constructing a Scientific Foundation

Patricia Britten, nutritionist, Center of Nutrition Policy & Promotion, U.S. Department of Agriculture

2:05 p.m. –

Discussion

3:00 p.m. –

Addressing Today’s Health Issues Using the Food Guide Pyramid

Susan Krebs-Smith, chief, Risk Factor Monitoring and Methods Branch National Cancer Institute

3:50 p.m. –

Discussion

4:00 p.m. –

Adjourn

Friday, June 11

8:00 a.m. –

Registration

8:30 a.m. –      

SESSION 3 – Immunity and Aging Issues

Moderator – Professor Patricia Kendall, food science and human nutrition, Colorado State University

Nutritional Strategies to Boost Immunity and Prevent Infection in Older Adults

Kevin High, associate professor, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

9:40 a.m. –      

The Role of Exercise in Modulating Immune Function in the Elderly

Robert Mazzeo, associate professor, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado

11:20 a.m. –     

The Role of Food Safety in Protecting the Health of Older Adults

Lydia Medeiros, associate professor, Department of Human Nutrition

Ohio State University

12:15 p.m. –      

Panel Discussion

1:15 p.m. –     

Adjourn

-30-