The Master's Degree in Science of Nutrition for Human Health (SNSU), Class LM-61, is the result of the convergence and enhancement of expertise in biological, biotechnological, microbiological and agri-food, as well as specific skills derived from the areas of medicine that most interface with the problems of human nutrition, such as dietetic sciences, internal medicine, gastroenterology, endocrinology, pediatrics, and hygiene. These skills, selected in disciplinary areas in which at the University of Bari there is a significant scientific research and a significant tradition of technology transfer, are transferred and made available to a "multicultural" training process of excellence that focuses on the centrality of nutrition and food quality in health promotion.
The course is a proposal able to provide a solid scientific training on the functional characteristics of human beings and their nutrition, on the evaluation of food quality, on the conditions of pathology related to it and on the therapeutic role of nutritional interventions. In particular, the course is aimed at training experienced professionals with a training based on a thorough knowledge of the properties of nutrients and non-nutrients contained in food, any changes that occur during technological production processes, especially in relation to the interaction with the biochemical and physiological mechanisms of digestion, the absorption and metabolic processes of nutrients, the relationships between the quality and quantity of nutrients and the energetic, metabolic and hormonal balance of the body, as well as the epigenetic interactions between nutrients and gene activation processes with the related influences on proteomics and lipidomics of different organs and body districts.
Among the objectives of the course is also of particular importance the knowledge of the most appropriate methodologies for an accurate assessment of nutritional status and body composition. These assessments are essential to outline personalized nutritional protocols aimed at maintaining optimal health conditions and the prevention of diseases related to eating habits, but also to address the specific needs of individuals who, being in particular stages of life such as childhood, pregnancy, breastfeeding, senescence, or in a pathological condition, need specific dietary plans or therapeutic interventions based on the correction of eating habits and lifestyle.
The course is divided into frontal lessons and exercises for a total of 84 CFU. In addition to these activities there are 8 CFU of activities chosen by the student, 22 CFU of training internship and 6 CFU for the thesis dissertation.
The training internship activities (550 hours starting in the second semester of the second year), will focus on topics coherent with the objectives of the course. The training internship could be carried in research laboratories of the University of Bari or in other universities and also in public or private company that operate in the field of human nutrition. It is encouraged the internship abroad by Erasmus+ or Global thesis programs,
