First 1,000 days of child’s nutrition may influence health in adulthood

DUBAI / Emirates Business

Held under the patronage of Chairperson of Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA) HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Growth and Development Summit at the Ritz Carlton, DIFC.
The Summit, which highlighted the importance of nutrition during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, was attended by more than 300 healthcare professionals from around the Middle East.
Scientific evidence shows that the nutrition of a mother and child receive during the first 1,000 days – from conception until two years of age — can significantly influence health in adulthood and is a unique window of opportunity. Optimal nutrition during the first 1,000 days can reduce the occurrence of non-communicable diseases such as stunting, allergy, heart disease and diabetes in later life.
“His Excellency Humaid Al Qatami, and his dedicated team at DHA, have chosen to shed light on the topic of early nutrition which will shape the lives of the younger generation in our country and the region,” said HRH Princess Haya. “But more importantly, they are tackling a problem faced worldwide, and as such, I am deeply honored to support their valuable and highly relevant work. We know that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life is a time of most rapid growth in one’s lifetime, and will shape their future health. A healthy 1,000 days changes the course of a child’s life and has a significant impact on the individual’s intellectual and physical development which thereby will help shape their role in society.”
HE Humaid Al Qatami, Chairman of the Board and Director-General of the DHA thanked HRH Princess Haya for Her patronage and support. “The forum comes at a time when the World Health Organization is calling on all countries to continue their efforts to decrease the number of childhood fatalities, which has reduced from 12.7 million children under the age of five in 1990 to 6.3 million in 2013, worldwide. Advances in medicine and improvement in awareness levels have made this possible,” said Al Qatami. “The UAE already has a number of initiatives in place to promote mother and child health and DHA spares no effort in making Dubai’s society happier and this starts with mother and children as they are tomorrow’s generation.”
Al Qatami added that DHA has introduced several initiatives such as the Tifli (my baby) app thatprovides information from preconception until the baby is two years and the Sehhaty (my health) app, which allows family members to keep track of their health. The DHA joined hands with Nutricia to hold awareness campaigns about early life nutrition.
Dr. Wafa Ayesh, Director of Clinical Nutrition at DHA, said: “This summit helped generate awareness among experts in the region on the importance of educating parents in providing their children with the best nutritional foundation for the best start in life.”
Hans van der Wulp, General Manager at Nutricia Middle East DMCC, said: “At Nutricia, our mission is to stand by parents to nurture new lives. We believe that we can contribute to the health of future generations by collaborating with health authorities and aiding in providing the tools necessary to educate healthcare experts on early life nutrition.”

Dr. Wafa Ayesh, Director of Clinical Nutrition at DHA, said: “This summit helped generate awareness among experts in the region on the importance of educating parents in providing their children with the best nutritional foundation for the best start in life.”
This summit is a key milestone on the journey to ensure the health for future generations in UAE and the region. In addition to early nutrition, the summit highlighted other topics such as nutritional intervention for allergy prevention and treatment, and the role of nutrition in brain and visual development.