2 minute read
Improving women's and kids' health
from FIFTY+SA Issue 03
by Kiddo Mag
The first thousand days of life –starting from conception – are vital to set people on the path to lifelong health and wellbeing. That's why it's the focus of the SAHMRI Women & Kids Theme.
Dr Merryn Netting is an integral member of the theme. Her primary interest lies in the eating habits of infants and toddlers, and even pregnant mums, and the impact of nutrition on their health and how it influences allergies.
The Theme's Child Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC) is dedicated to enhancing the health outcomes of women and their children in Australia and worldwide through nutritional interventions. The CNRC's efforts target reducing prematurity and associated health consequences, supporting optimal growth and cognitive development, and minimising allergic disease in early childhood.
The CNRC conducts two major largescale pregnancy trials, the PoppiE trial and the PrEggNut study. PoppiE aims to identify the optimal levels of iodine intake for pregnant women to improve cognitive outcomes in children. PrEggNut investigates whether the amount of eggs and peanuts a mother consumes during pregnancy and breastfeeding influences her baby's food allergy development.
The Australian Feeding Infants and Toddlers (OzFITS) Study recently documented the diets and feeding practices of children under two years. The study compared current diets with the Australian dietary guidelines, finding that 90% of infants aged 6-12 months consume far less than the recommended 7mg of iron daily.
SAHMRI Women and Kids' vision includes improving women's health, reducing the risk of early birth, preventing stillbirth, and lessening the burden of childhood allergies.
To achieve their vision, the SAHMRI Women and Kids team is embedded within health services and collaborates with various childfocused community organisations.
Walk to cure disease and save lives
On the evening of July 22 this year, 2,500 people will walk together, bringing light and hope to thousands of families facing life-threatening diseases by raising $ 1 million.
With each step illuminated by light installations, they'll show that even in the darkest hours, you are not alone.
The money raised from the BRIGHT Walk will push SAHMRI researchers another step closer to the next discovery with the potential to cure disease and ultimately save lives.
The funds also boost early and midcareer researchers like BRIGHT Ambassador Dr Andrew Shoubridge. He won the 2022 BRIGHT Accelerator Award, with $100,000 to power his research, funded directly from the proceeds of last year's fundraising walk.
Andrew's work centres around finding solutions for age-related chronic diseases, focusing on dementia.
The project hopes to discover more about the mechanisms connecting the gut microbiome and the brain, which could play a significant role in preventing the onset of dementia.
"Studies have shown that a healthy gut microbiome can help prevent inflammation contributing to dementia risk," Andrew said.
Andrew's delighted to be a BRIGHT Walk Ambassador, a role in which he'll promote his research and SAHMRI's broader mission to the community.
"I'm keen to get my shoes on and be a part of inspiring people to make the 2023 BRIGHT Walk the biggest and best yet," Andrew said.
