Feeding Throughout Pediatric Age

The course will provide students with adequate knowledge to understand nutrition in pediatric age, both in the physiological status and in the main food-related diseases (malnutrition in defect and in excess, celiac disease, food allergy, inborn errors of metabolism). Theoretical and instrumental knowledge will also be provided to perform a correct nutritional assessment of the child both for preventive (obesity and associated-alterations, eating disorders) and therapeutic purposes (parenteral and enteral nutrition). We will also discuss the principles of pharmaco-nutrition of some pediatric pathologies (ketogenic diet, diet in inborn errors of metabolism).

At the end of the course, the student will acquire skills regarding: how to evaluate the nutritional status of the child, such as nutritional schemes and dietary patterns for prevention, according to the age groups; the nutritional principles for the treatment of the main food-related diseases of the child; the elaboration of specific diets for some pathologies (diets for obesity and metabolic syndrome, ketogenic diets, diets for phenylketonuria and glycogen stores) and the principles of artificial nutrition.