CONGRESS BACKGROUNDIn the past 40 years, scientific endeavors in the area of vegetarian nutrition have progressively shifted from investigating dietary concerns held by nutritionists and other health professionals to creative solutions for various medical conditions and preventive approaches to chronic diseases.Although professional interest in vegetarian nutrition has now reached unprecedented levels, scientific knowledge regarding vegetarian diets and their effects on human health is far from complete. The Congress on Vegetarian is designed to provide a review of the accumulated findings, and introduce theoretical concepts, practical applications, and implications of vegetarian dietary practices for both the prevention of disease and the promotion of health as well as for the furthering of research endeavors. Over the years the International Congresses on Vegetarian Nutrition have become the premier scientific conference on the health effects of plant-based diets. These congresses offer a platform for health professionals and researchers to learn from each other in plenary session, workshops, poster presentations and social gatherings. Following is a brief chronicle of the previous four Congresses on Vegetarian Nutrition. 1st ICVNBy 1987 vegetarian dietary patterns and their effects on health had become the subject of increasing scientific interest. The time seemed appropriate for a scientific congress to bring together the leading researchers active in studying vegetarians and their nutritional status along with health professionals who must provide sound guidance to consumers who choose to be vegetarians. With a goal of integrating current knowledge, the 1st International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition was planned to examine the evidence relative to the effects of vegetarian diets of various populations. That first congress, sponsored by the Department of Nutrition of the School of Public Health at Loma Linda University was held in Washington, DC in March 1987. The discussion, the interactions among participating scientists, and the enthusiasm of registrants during the congress suggested that another congress would be welcome. The proceedings from the 1st Congress were published as a supplemental issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Mutch PB, Johnston PK, eds. First International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition: Proceedings of a congress held in Washington, DC, USA. Am J Clin Nutr., 48(3): 707-927, 1988.) View Online 2nd ICVNFive years passed before the next congress was convened, establishing a pattern of regularity. In July 1992 the 2nd International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition was held in Arlington, VA. The congress saw a growth in attendance and sponsorships. Although the congress primarily addressed issues related to dietary practices, nutritional status, and health, it also considered the potential relationship of vegetarian diets to the growing concerns of ecology and environmental conditions, as well as the growing challenge of meeting world food needs. In addition the congress provided a forum for sharing practical applications, including the development of a guide to planning nutritionally adequate vegetarian diets. The proceedings from this congress were also published as a supplement to AJCN. (Johnston PK, ed. Second International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition: Proceedings of a symposium held in Arlington, VA. Am J Clin Nutr., 59(5): 1099S-1262S, 1994.) View Online 3rd ICVNThe five year interval was continued with the 3rd International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, held at Loma Linda University in California in March 1997. While most of the information presented at this congress continued the focus on the dietary practices of vegetarians, it had a broader application to the general population. In the years since the previous congress much information had accumulated on the health effects of plant foods such as cereals, legumes, nuts, fruit, and vegetables. The evidence came from basic science and clinical and epidemiologic research. This information was reviewed and presented at the congress as part of a symposium on plant foods and health. As before, the congress emphasized practical applications. The third congress included the presentation of a new vegetarian food guide pyramid developed through consensus by a group of nutrition scientists representing various institutions and dietary traditions. And as before, the proceedings were published as a separate supplement to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Johnston PK, Sabaté J, eds. Third International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition: Proceedings of a symposium held in Loma Linda, CA. Am J Clin Nutr., 70(3S): 429S-634S, 1999.) View Online 4th ICVNThe Fourth Congress was held April 8-11, 2002 and was also convened at the campus of Loma Linda University. The 4th installment saw the attendance grow to over 500 participants and included four plenary sessions, ten symposia, short oral sessions and poster presentations. As in previous congresses, participants in this congress discussed recent work in the areas of vegetarian diets and chronic disease risk, epidemiologic studies on vegetarians, and adequacy issues related to vegetarian diets. There were two special symposia: the first was a forum to explore and discuss the challenges of nutrients, foods, and dietary patterns as exposures in diet and health research, the second discussed the ecologic and environmental impacts of different dietary choices. The proceedings were again published as a separate supplement in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Sabaté J, Rajaram S, eds. Fourth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition. Proceedings of a symposium held in Loma Linda, CA. Am J Clin Nutr., 78(3S): 501S-668S.) View Online 5th ICVNThe 5th installment of the International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition expanded the platform by offering cutting edge research and clinical information for the growing number of vegetarians world wide. Check the link to view the program for the 5th Congress held March 4-6, 2008. This installment of the conference was held in conjunction with the annual Healthy People Conference, sponsored by the School of Public Health alumni. As before the proceedings are a separately bound supplement in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Rajaram S, Sabaté J, eds. Fifth International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition. Proceedings of a symposium held in Loma Linda, CA. Am J Clin Nutr., 89(5S): 1541S-1716S.) View Online |
ORGANIZER / HOSTCONGRESS BACKGROUNDDEPARTMENT OF NUTRITION LLU |