The Council for Responsible Nutrition-International (CRN-I), the international arm of the U.S.-based Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), announced the agenda for its sixth annual scientific symposium, “Nutrient Reference Value – Non-Communicable Disease (NRV-NCD) Endpoints: A case for both essential and non-essential nutrients.” The symposium will take place Nov. 20 in Kronberg, Germany, in tandem with the Codex Committee on Nutritional Foods for Special Dietary Uses (CCNFSDU) meeting.

Joanne Lupton, PhD, from Texas A&M University, Texas, U.S., and Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, from Tufts University, Massachusetts, U.S., will each provide a keynote address. Dr. Lupton will discuss bioactives and nutrient reference values (NRVs), known in the U.S. as dietary reference intakes (DRIs). Dr. Blumberg will discuss evidence-based nutrition and the problem of proof, exploring ways to expand how nutritional value is evaluated in order to better serve human health and wellness.

Adding to the discussion of DRIs/NRVs, is Ann Yaktine, PhD, RD, of the U.S. Food Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine (IOM), who will share the process by which IOM experts arrive at these values, evaluating the strengths and weakness of different kinds of evidence.

In addition, the symposium will feature renowned global experts from respected academic, government and industry organizations who will speak about individual and groups of nutrients such as potassium and the scientific basis for establishing an NRV for potassium and hypertension. In addition, research on omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA will be presented, along with a session on the NRV – NCD approach to omega-3 fatty acids, culminating in a panel discussion. Bioactive carotenoids, flavanols, and polyphenols; and curcuminoids and prenylated flavonoids will also be discussed.

“I’m really excited about this year’s symposium and the way it is building on discussions from previous CRN-I symposia,” said Jim Griffiths, PhD, vice-president, scientific & regulatory affairs, CRN-I. “To get attendees up to speed, we’ll open the 2015 symposium with reviews of topics from 2010 through 2014 so that delegates and stakeholders can really see how the science-based recommendations coming out of the symposia over the years have evolved,” Dr. Griffiths explained. “Our goal, as always, is to further science-based policymaking that will ensure that consumers around the world have appropriate access to safe and effective dietary supplement and functional food products based on scientific principles.”

Abstracts from reports of past CRN-I symposia published in international journals are available on the CRN-I website in 10 languages.

For more information or to register, see the CRN-I website: www.crn-i.ch or contact Haiuyen Nguyen (info@crn-i.ch).