Micronutrients

This course is only available for students enrolled in the bachelor's program in nutrition and approved exchange students.

Micronutrients are essential for life, yet potentially dangerous in high doses.

This course provides an evidence-based understanding of micronutrients, covering dietary sources, digestion, absorption, metabolism, physiological functions, deficiency states, toxicity, and their roles in human health. It also introduces key nutrition-related analytical methods, including the use and interpretation of blood and urine analyses and other biochemical measurements. Students will learn to assess micronutrient intake in line with recommendations for healthy individuals and to provide appropriate dietary advice. Included is a clinical practice placement and/or a simulated counselling session.

This course offers a solid foundation for understanding the relationship between diet and disease and is a compulsory part of the Clinical Nutrition programme. It is based on the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR2023) and relevant Norwegian national guidelines and is adapted to the Norwegian context.

After completing this course, the students should be able to:

Knowledge

• Explain the scientific basis of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (NNR) and define and use key concepts described in the NNR
• Explain the absorption, bioavailability, metabolism, functions, recommendations of the micronutrients, and the consequences of an inadequate or excessive intake

Skills

• Evaluate the intake of vitamins and minerals in individuals and groups
• Evaluate biochemical assessments of micronutrient status and describe factors that may influence the quality and interpretation of the data
• Identify people at risk of deficiencies or excessive intakes of micronutrients and provide personalized research-based advice to correct their state
• Communicate the health effects of vitamins and minerals
• Critically evaluate advertisements and health claims of vitamins
• Carry out dietary assessments

Competence

• Apply knowledge and skills of micronutrients when offering dietary advice
• Apply knowledge and skills about micronutrients in education and research and in preventive health work
• Apply critical thinking skills

Anbefalte forkunnskaper

ERN-1000 Nutrition, individual and society, ERN-1001 Food science and food safety , ERN-2001 Basic epidemiology, statistics and dietary assessment methods, ERN-2009 Human physiology, ERN-2011 Macronutrients and Energy, MBI-1002 Cell- and molecular biology, MBI-2001 Biochemistry

If you pass the examination in this course, you will get an reduction in credits (as stated below), if you previously have passed the following courses:

• ERN-2112 Micronutrients 10 ects
• ERN-2004 Nutrition, macro- and micronutrients 10 ects

Language of instruction and examination

English and/or Norwegian.

The language of instruction and the exam is in English and/or Norwegian. The answers on the exam can be in English or a Scandinavian language.

Re-sit examination