Body composition: an essential aspect of nutrition research across the lifespan

Date(s) - 14/12/2023
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
1-040 Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Alberta, Oborowsky Degner Seminar Hall (1-040) , Edmonton

At its most basic level, body composition provides a breakdown of the components (fat, bone, muscle, etc.)
that make up a person's body weight. Each of these components is intricately related to health and disease
risk from birth until death, with specific sub-components having stronger associations with risk. The
assessment of these various body composition components plays a pivotal role in understanding how
lifestyle (diet and exercise), development (growth and aging), and disease status (diabetes, cancer, etc.)
impact the overall health and quality of life of individuals. This seminar will cover how body composition
assessment is critical to understanding the effects of nutrition studies and how researchers can utilize these
tools to develop studies that advance the field of nutrition research.

About Our Guest Speaker
Dr. Jonathan Bennett’s research focuses on the technical aspects of body composition assessment
technologies. His PhD research identifies the qualities and capabilities of assessment technologies for the
assessment of nutrition status and disease risk. His current research identifies specific components of body
composition and their role in disease prevention, risk, and/or progression. His studies range in populations
from infants (0-5y) to older adults with functional decline, including specialized populations such as athletes
and patients with obesity or cancer. His current efforts focus on how targeting specific aspects of body
composition can impact disease risk and treatment.

Dr. Bennett received his MSc in Kinesiology (California State University, Long Beach) and PhD in Nutrition
(University of Hawai’i at Manoa), and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Hawai’i Cancer
Center. His work has been recognized at national and international conferences and working groups; he
also serves as a topic expert for the International Atomic Energy Agency and is on the Scientific Advisory
Board of the International Body Composition Symposium conference.


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