Conference offers information on inulin and oligofructose

At the event, delegates will have the opportunity to hear speakers on various areas of specialty and be able to engage in discussion and debate.

Each session at the conference will focus on a specific health benefit of inulin and oligofructose giving speakers the opportunity to share some of their most recent research findings: The first session of the conference will focus on intestinal health and will be chaired by Allan Walker, the Conrad Taff Professor of Nutrition and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. His principal research interests are the role of protective nutrients, including prebiotics, and the development of intestinal defence mechanisms.

The second session will be chaired by Prof. Connie Weaver, Head of the Dept. of Food & Nutrition at Purdue University, Indiana. In 2000, Connie Weaver became Director of a National Institute of Health funded Botanical Centre to study dietary supplements containing polyphenolics for age-related diseases and is therefore very qualified to lead this session on bone health. The final session of the first day focuses on gut peptides and energy metabolism, and will be chaired by Prof. Em. Roberfroid, who holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Roberfroid has been actively involved in research relating to functional food science, particularly prebiotics.

The second day of the conference will start with Prof. Glenn Gibson chairing a session on immunity and inflammation. Gibson is a Professor at the University of Reading (UK) and Chairman of the Beneo Scientific Committee. His research unit focuses on gastro-intestinal microbiology and he has co-authored several books on gut microflora. The penultimate session on colon cancer risk is to be chaired by Dr. G�rard Pascal, former Scientific Director of the Human Nutrition and Food Safety Unit of INRA, in Paris, France, who has specialized in nutrition and food toxicology. The conference closes with a session looking at the benefits of inulin and oligofructose for specific target groups. Prof. Nathalie Delzenne who will chair this session has a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and has been involved in research assessing the physiological effects of prebiotic-type ingredients.
For further information and/or to register for the 5 th ORAFTI Research Conference, please go to www.ORAFTI.com