ADVANCES IN NUTRITION: NUTRIENTS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE - 2021/2

Module Overview

This module follows the Nutrition/Dietetics/Food Science FHEQ Level 5 which provides a basis in the science of human nutrition. This module will provide students with a comprehensive research-led overview of several current hot topics regarding the mechanistic basis of nutrient requirements in health and disease. Evaluation of skills for data analyses and interpretation of scientific publications will be addressed throughout all research-led lectures, the first tutorial and coursework assessment.  Emphasis will be placed on integration of knowledge from the different areas presented in the lectures during the tutorial sessions.

Module provider

School of Biosciences and Medicine

Module Leader

ELLIOTT Ruan (Biosc & Med)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

BMS2039  OR BMS2071 (for those on the Sports & Exercise Sciences programme)

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Introduction & review of molecular biology concepts and introduction to “Omic” Technologies
• Nutrigenetics
• Nutrition and epigenetics
• Tutorials: Nutrigenetics and epigenetics material
• Physiological basis of nutrient requirements in pregnancy, lactation and infancy
• Foetal and neonatal nutrition and later disease
• Iron: functions, homeostasis and roles in health and disease
• Iodine: functions, homeostasis and roles in health and disease
• Selenium, selenoproteins, intake and status
• Selenium in human health
• B-vitamins: focus on vitamins B2, B6, B9, B12
• One-carbon metabolism: homocysteine in health & disease
• Vitamin D and health outcomes
• Micronutrients and bone health throughout the lifecycle
• Revision tutorial

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

None

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

• Through the coursework, the student’s ability to:
  
  
  
  • critically evaluate and analyse scientific data from published literature
  
  
  • efficiently use electronic data bases
  
  
  • apply knowledge on methods and concepts in a new context
  
  
  • write a short, structured essay with a fixed number of words limit.
  
  
  • integrate knowledge
  
  
  
  


• Through the examination, the student’s ability to
  
  
  
  • recall and relate knowledge of the mechanistic basis for the influence of dietary nutrients on health and disease throughout the lifecycle
  
  
  • integrate and critically interpret information obtained through lectures
  
  
  
  

• Coursework (40%): assessment of cognitive, analytical, presentation and written skills. This is assessed based on structure, clarity and production of the essay


• Examination (60%): assessment of subject knowledge, based on content, integration of knowledge, structure and clarity

• during the two tutorial sessions


• via SurreyLearn with notes posted on the module page, or via emails to the whole student cohort


• by providing feedback on coursework essay (listing the good points and which aspects to improve) and examination script


• via the examination feedback sheet posted on SurreyLearn.

Module aims

• To understand the molecular and functional basis of nutrient requirements in health and Disease
• To understand the roles of nutrients in the prevention of disease and maintenance of optimal health throughout the lifecycle
• To understand the role of nutrient-gene interactions in determining health and disease

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Provide the students with knowledge from the set of lectures, while strongly promoting development of personal skills in critical assessment of nutrition research. 


• Allow students to integrate knowledge through tutorial sessions that provide the opportunity for students to define their difficulties or points where they would value feedback, then timely delivered by the lecturer.


• Deliver high quality feedback from teaching staff to students through summative assessment of coursework.

• Lectures (26h, 1-2 times per week)


• Tutorial sessions (8 h 4 at the beginning, and 4 at end of semester)- Explicitly tutorial sessions are highly interactive to provide the opportunity for students to ask questions and develop their critical skills.


• Writing practise- structured essay for summative assessment is designed to have students engage with material throughout the course and improve their critical thinking and writing skills

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: BMS3067

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.