Course Description

Nutrition – A Source of Health and Disease is an elective course offered in the first year of the University Integrated Undergraduate and Graduate Study Programme of Medicine in English. The course comprises 25 seminar hours and carries 1.5 ECTS credits.

The course introduces medical students to the fundamental principles of human nutrition and the complex relationship between diet, metabolism, health, and disease. Nutrition plays a central role in growth, development, tissue maintenance, immune function, and the prevention and management of numerous diseases. Conversely, inadequate nutrient intake, nutritional imbalances, and unhealthy dietary patterns can contribute to metabolic dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and the development and progression of various pathological conditions.

Particular emphasis is placed on the medical importance of nutrition in the prevention and management of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, certain cancers, and eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The course also addresses nutritional requirements throughout the life course, including childhood, pregnancy, and older age, as well as the role of nutrition in selected chronic diseases. Additional topics include healthy dietary patterns, the critical evaluation of nutritional recommendations, and genetically modified organisms in the context of food and health.

Through guided seminars, critical discussion, and student presentations, students explore the scientific evidence underlying dietary recommendations and develop the ability to distinguish evidence-based nutritional information from misconceptions and unsupported claims. The course provides a foundation for understanding nutrition as an integral component of preventive medicine, health promotion, and patient-centred clinical practice.

Course Aim

The aim of the course is to provide students with fundamental knowledge of human nutrition and its relationship with physiological processes, disease development, and health outcomes. Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate dietary patterns and nutritional recommendations, recognise nutritional risk factors for common diseases, and understand the role of appropriate nutrition in disease prevention and the supportive management of patients with chronic conditions.

Teaching and Learning Methods

The course combines introductory teaching, student-led seminars, guided discussions, and critical appraisal of scientific information. Following an introduction to the basic principles of nutrition, students select topics from a proposed list or suggest topics of their own interest, under the guidance of the course instructor. Topics are explored through independent preparation and oral presentations, followed by structured discussions addressing their physiological, pathophysiological, and clinical implications.

This approach encourages active learning, evidence-based reasoning, scientific communication, and the ability to critically assess nutritional claims and recognise inaccurate or misleading health information.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Explain the basic principles of human nutrition and the physiological roles of major nutrients in energy metabolism, cellular function, growth, and tissue maintenance.

Describe the relationship between nutritional status, metabolic processes, and the development of pathological conditions.

Explain the principles of a balanced diet and identify nutritional requirements at different stages of life, including childhood, pregnancy, and older age.

Discuss the role of dietary factors in the development, prevention, and management of obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, selected cancers, and eating disorders.

Recognise the importance of appropriate nutritional strategies in patients with selected chronic diseases.

Critically evaluate scientific evidence, dietary recommendations, and claims concerning nutrition and health.

Present and discuss nutrition-related topics using evidence-based information and appropriate scientific terminology.