Nutrition and Health

Created in December 2016, the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Health (PPGNS) had the first class of students in September 2017. There are currently 42 enrolled students and a faculty of 16 doctoral professors, involving the Departments of Nutrition, Physical Education, Health Sciences and Food Science. The Program consists of a single "Nutrition and Health" focus area, which has expanded in recent years as an important strategy for fostering new biological theories and potentialities for human health care. For such, the research lines developed are: "Food and Human Nutrition", which addresses the development, investigation of nutritional properties of food products and meals, the study of anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, dietary and epidemiological indicators in the health-disease process, contributing to the strengthening of public policies and the development of health promotion, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases; and "Basic Nutrition and Metabolism", which involves applied research in molecular, cellular and human metabolism for the investigation of health-disease mechanisms related to nutrition and physical activity, as well as nutrients and/or bioactive compounds capable of assisting in the prevention and treatment of disease as well as physical performance. Regarding the financial resource, the PPGNS has 20 projects in progress, 12 of which were funded by funding agencies, in addition to 6 scholarships. In addition, PPGNS receives funds from CAPES's Graduate Support Program (PROAP). The purpose of the PPGNS is the formation and qualification of human resources, seeking to train masters with broad theoretical base and ability to respond critically to the scientific-technological demands of contemporary society and to overcome the challenges imposed by the need for regional and national development. Selective processes for the entry of students are held every six months with the intention of preparing professionals with reflective and innovative ability, enabling the construction and expansion of knowledge in the area of Nutrition and Health, to act critically and ethically in the development of research and other academic-scientific activities.