Learning objectives
Knowledge and ability to understand:
At the end of the course students will be able to use general principles that are at the basis for dietary recommendations and a proper evaluation of the risk/benefit ratio related to dietary exposure.
Expertise:
Students must be able to use knowledge acquired to critically analyse results obtained from the evaluation of dietary exposure for what both nutritional and toxicological aspects are concerned.
Autonomy of judgment:
Students must be able to appraise the usefulness and applicability of learned knowledge and instruments, using them for critically and holistically weigh the risk/benefit balance that is intrinsic to human nutrition.
Communication skills:
Students must be able to use the scientific language and the specific words of the discipline in an appropriate manner, demonstrating the ability to illustrate and transmit the acquired concepts in oral and written form.
Learning ability:
At the end of the course, students will be able to deepen their knowledge through the independent consultation of specialized texts, scientific papers and appropriate databases, even outside the topics discussed in class.
Prerequisites
basic knowledge of Human Nutrition and Nutrition Physiology
Course unit content
The Course of Risk Characterization and Exposure Assessment in Food includes two modules: Module 1) Exposure assessment and risk/benefit evaluation; Module 2) Food Toxicology.
The general contents of the course will deal with the following topics:
(Module 1): 1)methodological aspects of exposure assessment in human nutrition, including Dietary Reference Values for energy and nutrients; 2) Gold standards in dietary assessment; 3) Statistical methodology to estimate usual intake and uncertainty in dietary assessment; 4) Relevance to human health of nutrients and non-nutrient dietary components; 5) Food composition databases; 6) evaluation of the risk/benefit ratio in human nutrition.
(Module 2): 1) general principles of toxicology and toxicokinetics; 2) toxicity mechanisms of xenobiotics; 3) toxicological parameters and the toxicological tests applied to risk assessment; 4) chemical carcinogenesis; 5) toxicological evaluation of xenobiotics; 6) influence of food in the modulation of metabolism with specific attention to nutraceutical products and food supplements.
Full programme
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Bibliography
1) Advances in the Assessment of Dietary Intake. Dale A. Schoeller & Margriet S. Westerterp-Plantenga Eds. CRC Press; 2017: Taylor & Francis (London).
2) Casarett & Doull’s “Tossicologia: fondamenti dell’azione delle sostanze tossiche” Ed. EMSI, Roma. 3) Goodman & Gilman’s “The pharmacological basis of therapeutics”
4) Selected scientific papers. 5) Notes and slides presented by the teachers
Teaching methods
Teaching will be carried out through classroom lectures and seminars, with the aid of slides that will represent educational material available online on the Elly platform in pdf format for students. During classroms there will be examples of numeric and problem-solving exercises.
Assessment methods and criteria
According to the Module, final examination might include an oral interview, or a written test. The final evaluation, in 30/30 score points, will depend on the assessment of the level of knowledge of the contents discussed during the course, the ability to apply such knowledge and draw conclusions. The praise is assigned in the case of reaching the maximum score on each item to which is added the mastery of the disciplinary lexicon. Please note that the online registration for the exam is COMPULSORY.
Other information
The frequency to class is not mandatory, even if it strongly recommended. For the Toxicology Module, students will be allowed to take the exam if they have attended at least thirty-six of the forty-eight hours of the lessons.
2030 agenda goals for sustainable development
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