Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health

Research linking agriculture and nutrition has evolved since the mid-20th century. The current focus is on child-stunting, dietary diversity and ‘nutrient-rich’ foods in recognition of the growing burdens of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. This article concerns the global dietary and hea...

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Main Authors: Poole, Nigel, Donovan, Jason, Erenstein, Olaf
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171373
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author Poole, Nigel
Donovan, Jason
Erenstein, Olaf
author_browse Donovan, Jason
Erenstein, Olaf
Poole, Nigel
author_facet Poole, Nigel
Donovan, Jason
Erenstein, Olaf
author_sort Poole, Nigel
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Research linking agriculture and nutrition has evolved since the mid-20th century. The current focus is on child-stunting, dietary diversity and ‘nutrient-rich’ foods in recognition of the growing burdens of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. This article concerns the global dietary and health contribution of major cereals, specifically maize and wheat, which are often considered not to be ‘nutrient-rich’ foods. Nevertheless, these cereals are major sources of dietary energy, of essential proteins and micronutrients, and diverse non-nutrient bioactive food components. Research on bioactives, and dietary fibre in particular, is somewhat ‘siloed’, with little attention paid by the agri-nutrition research community to the role of cereal bioactives in healthy diets, and the adverse health effects often arising through processing and manufacturing of cereals-based food products. We argue that the research agenda should embrace the whole nutritional contribution of the multiple dietary components of cereals towards addressing the triple burden of undernutrition, micronutrient malnutrition, overweight/obesity and non-communicable diseases. Agri-nutrition and development communities need to adopt a multidisciplinary and food systems research approach from farm to metabolism. Agriculture researchers should collaborate with other food systems stakeholders on nutrition-related challenges in cereal production, processing and manufacturing, and food waste and losses. Cereal and food scientists should also collaborate with social scientists to better understand the impacts on diets of the political economy of the food industry, and the diverse factors which influence local and global dietary transitions, consumer behavioural choices, dietary change, and the assessment and acceptance of novel and nutritious cereal-based products.
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spelling CGSpace1713732025-01-29T12:58:05Z Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health Poole, Nigel Donovan, Jason Erenstein, Olaf agriculture nutrition malnutrition trace elements wheat maize dietary fibres diet non-communicable diseases Research linking agriculture and nutrition has evolved since the mid-20th century. The current focus is on child-stunting, dietary diversity and ‘nutrient-rich’ foods in recognition of the growing burdens of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. This article concerns the global dietary and health contribution of major cereals, specifically maize and wheat, which are often considered not to be ‘nutrient-rich’ foods. Nevertheless, these cereals are major sources of dietary energy, of essential proteins and micronutrients, and diverse non-nutrient bioactive food components. Research on bioactives, and dietary fibre in particular, is somewhat ‘siloed’, with little attention paid by the agri-nutrition research community to the role of cereal bioactives in healthy diets, and the adverse health effects often arising through processing and manufacturing of cereals-based food products. We argue that the research agenda should embrace the whole nutritional contribution of the multiple dietary components of cereals towards addressing the triple burden of undernutrition, micronutrient malnutrition, overweight/obesity and non-communicable diseases. Agri-nutrition and development communities need to adopt a multidisciplinary and food systems research approach from farm to metabolism. Agriculture researchers should collaborate with other food systems stakeholders on nutrition-related challenges in cereal production, processing and manufacturing, and food waste and losses. Cereal and food scientists should also collaborate with social scientists to better understand the impacts on diets of the political economy of the food industry, and the diverse factors which influence local and global dietary transitions, consumer behavioural choices, dietary change, and the assessment and acceptance of novel and nutritious cereal-based products. 2021-04 2025-01-29T12:58:05Z 2025-01-29T12:58:05Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171373 en Open Access Elsevier Poole, Nigel; Donovan, Jason; and Erenstein, Olaf. 2021. Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health. Food Policy 100(April 2021): 101976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101976
spellingShingle agriculture
nutrition
malnutrition
trace elements
wheat
maize
dietary fibres
diet
non-communicable diseases
Poole, Nigel
Donovan, Jason
Erenstein, Olaf
Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health
title Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health
title_full Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health
title_fullStr Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health
title_full_unstemmed Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health
title_short Viewpoint: Agri-nutrition research: Revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health
title_sort viewpoint agri nutrition research revisiting the contribution of maize and wheat to human nutrition and health
topic agriculture
nutrition
malnutrition
trace elements
wheat
maize
dietary fibres
diet
non-communicable diseases
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171373
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AT erensteinolaf viewpointagrinutritionresearchrevisitingthecontributionofmaizeandwheattohumannutritionandhealth