Intersections of Nutrition: Retracing Yesterday, Redefining Tomorrow

The field of pediatric nutrition has grown extensively in terms of discoveries, research, and trends. The 97th Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop, which took place on 15-16 June 2022, brought together international experts who examined these developments over the last 100 years and discussed the future directions they envision. The first day focused on the evolution of nutrition research and explored the future of nutritional science research. On the second day, leading scientists and researchers discussed such topics as efforts to map a normal microbiome development trajectory, the impact of human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) supplementation on the infant microbiome, the role of nutritional genomics in a person’s response to food, and how low nutrient density foods can lead to malnutrition. Additionally, experts examined the evolution of human milk composition, how dietary patterns of infants influence the risk of noncommunicable diseases later in life, how infants develop their taste preferences and how diet in early life affects future metabolic health and risk of obesity. The key issues covered in the workshop offer valuable insights for healthcare providers, policy makers, and researchers on current and future perspectives in pediatric nutrition, as well as important research priorities for this field.