Early life nutrition

In this project, we aim to evaluate existing methodologies to establish the adequacy of dietary intake and status in the first 1000 days of life in the Netherlands. We will for instance compare the effects of different calculation methods, age categorization and underlying assumptions on estimates of nutrient adequacy. We will also specifically look into the assessment of iodine status during pregnancy.

The objective of this PhD project is to determine the efficacy of different multi-micronutrient fortified dairy or dairy-based products to improve the nutritional status in Nigerian preterm infants and toddlers.

In this project, we analyze breast milk samples from Rwandan mothers for vitamin A content. By combining this with blood biomarkers and the volume of breast milk intake assessed by the deuterium oxide dose-to-mother technique, we will assess adequacy of vitamin A intake and status in Rwandan infants.

In the project ‘Prille Start’, we develop an mHealth application for dietary assistance during the first 1000 days of life (during pregnancy, lactation and early childhood). This application will support parents in the Netherlands in making the healthier food choices for themselves and their child by personalized mHealth assistance.

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• ’Prille Start’: Innovative digital applications for pregnant women and parents of young children

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This project aims to develop and validate a novel paper-based analytical method for human milk protein and oligosaccharides: a dried milk spot (DMS) based extraction and analysis technique, and to apply this technique in conjunction with more conventional methods in a high-quality observational study among lactating women to study associations between maternal diet and infant health.

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• Spotting new opportunities for linking breast milk composition to infant health

This project aims to take the first steps in developing a breastfeeding assessment device that can measure direct milk intake and sucking behavior of infants in a non-invasive manner.