Nutrition and Disease

What you will learn

• Role of diet, nutrition and lifestyle in the prevention and progression of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus.
• Develop a critical mind-set in the research fields of nutrition and disease
• Determine what information has a solid scientific basis and what is misinformation
• Better weigh and interpret the information overload about nutrition and disease
• Understand recommendations for a healthy lifestyle based on the latest scientific evidence
• Career prospects for people with similar training include advanced career opportunities for health professionals, nutritionists, and epidemiologists in the fields of nutrition, health and disease.
• The demand for people with skills in nutrition is rising (15% job growth for next 10 years in the United States for nutritionist. (source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• Median pay for nutritionist in the United States in 2017 was $59,410 per year. (source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• More nutritionists will be needed to advise people who want to improve their health. (source: Occupational Outlook handbook)
• Employment of health educators is projected to grow 16% from 2016 to 2026. This is due to efforts to improve health outcomes and to reduce healthcare costs by teaching people about healthy behavior. (source: Occupational Outlook handbook)

Program Overview

Worldwide people are living increasingly longer. According to the World Health Organization, the average life expectancy worldwide is 71.4 years, based on data of 2015. For high-income countries, this is even higher at 80-87 years.

The number of people suffering from cancer, heart disease and diabetes is increasing. In this Professional Certificate Program, you will learn about the influence of nutrition on these diseases. We will discuss how our diet determines our health and how the need for healthy nutrition is greater than ever. You will learn what a healthy diet includes and how it affects overall health and disease. Through a multidisciplinary approach, you will also gain insights that allow you to determine the value of scientific research on nutrition and disease and how to make conscious choices.

This program is especially valuable for professionals from various fields related to nutrition, cancer, cardiovascular disease and/or diabetes (e.g. nutritionists, epidemiologists, health promoters, medicine students, physicians, health policy makers, nutrition educators, biologists, food scientists). The courses are intended for those who need a refresher in the topic or are considering pursuing research in the field. You will acquire solid academic knowledge that will allow for better communication with patients, the public and other professionals. This program is not intended for patients seeking treatment guidance.

Courses in this program

Nutrition and Cancer

Cancer has overtaken cardiovascular disease (CVD) as the leading cause of death in many parts of the world. It causes one in eight deaths worldwide. Global trends show that the majority of all cancer deaths occur in the low- and middle-income countries. Yet, cancer can be partly prevented and many of these deaths can be avoided.

Discover the latest insights on the role of diet, nutrition and lifestyle in the prevention, occurrence and progression of cancer in the open and online course Nutrition and Cancer.

Nutrition, Heart Disease and Diabetes

Discover the latest insights on the importance of nutrition and lifestyle in the development and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus in the online open course Nutrition, Heart disease and Diabetes.

You will learn about current progress in research on diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other cardiometabolic disorders and you will discover how these cardiometabolic diseases can be prevented in individuals and populations through lifestyle and dietary modifications.

Job Outlook