Apollo Hospitals hosted the 14th Apollo International Clinical Nutrition Update.

Good nutrition is vital for good health. Good nutrition is the fuel that drives healthy growth and development and can help prevent disease throughout life, opined Shri Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Hon’ble Cabinet Minister, Food Supplies & Consumer Welfare and Cooperation Department, Government of Odisha.

Addressing the inaugural programme of the 14th Apollo International Clinical Nutrition Update (AICNU), Chief Guest of the programme Shri Nayak, said that good nutrition drives economic prosperity, as a strong and healthy workforce is the engine of development.

Addressing on the occasion, Dr. Anupam Sibal, Group Director Medical Services of Apollo Hospitals Group said that despite overwhelming evidence of the importance of a healthy diet from the day we are born – starting with initiation of breastfeeding in the first hour of life – the nutrition agenda remains unfinished.

Undernutrition still accounts for about 11% of the global burden of disease and contributes to about one third of all child deaths globally. In addition, rates of overweight and obesity worldwide are growing.

These conditions are risk factors for non-communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes – all of which are life threatening and are very difficult to treat in places with limited resources and already overburdened health systems, added Dr. Sibal.

We are in the midst of a “nutrition transition”, from a situation in which undernutrition was the only nutrition concern for the country, to one in which over nutrition and obesity and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases are becoming equally important, said Dr. Sibal and further added that a lot that can and should be done to address the double burden of malnutrition based on the currently active exploration for multi-sectoral approaches to address food and nutrition security.

Addressing the gathering through video conference, Ms. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals Group said that this conference will establish sector wide understanding of current nutrition situation in the public as well as hospital sector and have positive outcomes on society.

The Apollo International Clinical Nutrition Update is an annual event which addresses aspects of patient care at hospitals and also that of hospital-based nutritional intervention. It started in 2009 and has now become a much sought-after event annually. This year, the fourteenth in the series marks its presence with an academic feast. The theme of this year’s programme is “EAR of Clinical Dietetics-Evidence, Academic & Research”.

In the Scientific Programme of this Update, Doctors and Dieticians addressed medical and nutritional requirements of different clinical conditions. Multiple clinical sessions on Obesity Neurosciences, Oncology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Nephrology, and sessions on challenges faced by Women, Integrative Medicine and Position papers were presented.

Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr. Hariprasad, President, Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr. Alok Srivastava, COO & DMS, Apollo Hospitals, Bhubaneswar, Chief Dietitian Dr. Daphnee, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, Dr. Priyanka Rohtagi, Chief Dietitian, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, Dr. Anita Jatana, Chief Dietitian, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi, Dr. Sunita Sahoo, Chief Dietitian, Apollo Hospitals, Bhubaneswar spoke on the occasion. More than 500 leading experts across the globe attended this focused congress.