Nutritional science (also nutrition science, sometimes short ''nutrition'', dated trophology) is the

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

that studies the physiological process of

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...

(primarily human nutrition), interpreting the

nutrients A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excr ...

and other substances in

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...

in relation to maintenance, growth,

reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. Reproduction is a fundamental feature of all known life; each individual or ...

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organ ...

and

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

of an

organism In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells ( cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and fu ...

History

Before nutritional science emerged as an independent study disciplines, mainly

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

s worked in this area. The chemical composition of food was examined.

Macronutrient A nutrient is a substance used by an organism to survive, grow, and reproduce. The requirement for dietary nutrient intake applies to animals, plants, fungi, and protists. Nutrients can be incorporated into cells for metabolic purposes or excr ...

s, especially

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

, fat and

carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or m ...

, have been the focus components of the study of (human) nutrition since the 19th century. Until the discovery of

vitamin A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrie ...

s and vital substances, the quality of nutrition was measured exclusively by the intake of nutritional energy. The early years of the 20th century were summarized by Kenneth John Carpenter in his ''Short History of Nutritional Science'' as "the vitamin era". The first vitamin was isolated and chemically defined in 1926 (

thiamine Thiamine, also known as thiamin and vitamin B1, is a vitamin, an essential micronutrient, that cannot be made in the body. It is found in food and commercially synthesized to be a dietary supplement or medication. Phosphorylated forms of thi ...

). The isolation of

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) ...

followed in 1932 and its effects on health, the protection against

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease, disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, ch ...

, was scientifically documented for the first time.Dariush Mozaffarian, Irwin Rosenberg Ricardo Uauy (13 June 2018): History of modern nutrition science—implications for current research, dietary guidelines, and food policy. In: BMJ 2018; 361 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k2392 At the instigation of the British physiologist John Yudkin at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

, the degrees Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in nutritional science were established in the 1950s.Davies, Louise (24 July 1995)
"Obituary: John Yudkin"
''The Independent''. Nutritional science as a separate discipline was institutionalized in Germany in November 1956 when Hans-Diedrich Cremer was appointed to the chair for human nutrition in Giessen. The Institute for Nutritional Science was initially located at the Academy for Medical Research and Further Education, which was transferred to the Faculty of Human Medicine when the

Justus Liebig University University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von L ...

was reopened. Over time, seven other universities with similar institutions followed in Germany.Gertrud Rehner (1 June 2007):
50 Jahre Institut für Ernährungswissenschaft in Gießen – Ein Rückblick
'. In: Der Präsident der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen (Hrsg.): ''Spiegel der Forschung'', pp. 26–30 (German only) From the 1950s to 1970s, a focus of nutritional science was on dietary fat and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or do ...

. From the 1970s to the 1990s, attention was put on diet-related chronic diseases and supplementation.

Distinction

Nutritional science is often combined with

food science Food science is the basic science and applied science of food; its scope starts at overlap with agricultural science and nutritional science and leads through the scientific aspects of food safety and food processing, informing the development ...

(''nutrition and food science''). ''Trophology'' is a term used globally for nutritional science in other languages, in English the term is dated. Today, it is partly still used for the approach of food combining that advocates specific combinations (or advises against certain combinations) of food. '' Ecotrophology'' is a branch of nutritional science concerned with everyday practice and elements from household management that is primarily studied in Germany.

Academic studies and education

Nutritional science as a subject is taught at universities around the world. At the beginning of the programs, the basic subjects of biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics are part of the curriculum. Later, a focus is on

inorganic chemistry Inorganic chemistry deals with synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subjects of organic chemistry. The distinction between the two disci ...

, functional biology,

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar work ...

. At most universities, students can specialize in certain areas, this involves subjects such as special food chemistry, nutritional

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...

, food law and nutritional medicine. Students who are more interested in the economic aspect usually specialize in the field of food economics. Laboratory exercises are also on the curriculum at most universities.

Notable nutritional scientists

* John Yudkin (1910–1995), who established the first degree in nutritional science in any European university * Hans Adalbert Schweigart (1900–1972), the creator of the term ''vital substances'' *

Hans Konrad Biesalski Hans Konrad Biesalski (* 14 April 1949 in Marburg) is a German physician and professor of biological chemistry and nutritional medicine at the University of Hohenheim. Life Biesalski enrolled first in physics at Johannes Gutenberg Universi ...

(* 1949) * Hanni Rützler (* 1962)

Scientific journals

* ''Nutrition'' * ''Journal of Nutritional Science'', published on behalf of ''The Nutrition Society'' * ''Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology'', edited by ''The Vitamin Society of Japan'' and ''Japan Society of Nutrition and Food Science'', published by the ''Center for Academic Publications Japan'' * '' Food & Nutrition Research'', published by the ''Swedish Nutrition Foundation'' * '' European Journal of Nutrition'', published by

Springer Science+Business Media Springer Science+Business Media, commonly known as Springer, is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical (STM) publishing. Originally founded in 1842 ...

in Germany * '' Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics''

References

External links

Society of Nutrition and Food Science
{{Authority control Food science