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Mobilising nutrition to help shape the future of healthcare

Hanno Cappon, Vice President R&D Nutricia Medical Nutrition, spoke yesterday at ‘Innovation for Health’ about strengthening the role of nutrition in caring for patients and preventative strategies in healthcare.

Innovation for Health is the premier conference on healthcare innovations in the Netherlands. It brings together key players and stakeholders who play decisive parts in the development, funding and implementation of innovations for prevention and healthcare. This fourth edition of Innovation for Health was organised on 16 February 2017 at WTC Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

In comparison with pharma, medical nutrition is still a rather under-recognized field. However with existing evidence and today’s rising healthcare costs, we know medical nutrition can play a key role. One out of four patients in hospital suffers from disease related malnutrition, and the use of medical nutrition significantly reduces complications and mortality in these patients. Beyond under nutrition, research focusses on functional benefits of medical nutrition, such as maintaining muscle mass when elderly patients are immobilised in hospitals, and supporting brain health and functioning in patients with early Alzheimer Disease.

Hanno Cappon: “We continue our research in medical nutrition as this is where we can make a difference. Together with clinicians in hospitals, researchers at universities we make incremental nutritional improvements all the way to big breakthroughs in healthcare. The more successful we are in accomplishing our mission, the more society at large will benefit.”

Click here for more information about Innovation for Health.