Best Practices Enable Doctors to Better Support Parents in Caring for their Child
Dubai - Thursday 9th December 2010 - Today, the Pfizer Nutrition Gulf team hosted their final in a series of seven Gulf-wide lecture tours, bringing regional and global experts to educate regional doctors on the latest scientific evidence supporting the importance of infant nutrition, its effect on visual and mental development, and impact on overall physiological growth during a child's lifetime.
The lecture tour, delivered by Prof. Eric L. Lien, PhD of the University of Illinois, USA and Prof. Ahmed El Beleidy, PhD of Cairo University, Egypt, visited Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and three cities in the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai). More than 1,200 healthcare professionals specialized in infant and paediatric nutrition participated in the tour, learning from some of the latest developments and best practice care models for infant nutrition.
Over the course of the tour, Prof. Eric L. Lien focused on nutrition's effect on eye health and neurodevelopment in children, highlighting the role of breast milk to satisfy all the nutritional needs for the first six months of life. He stressed that nutrients work in an integrated manner, and the right balance of nutrients, including Vitamins, minerals like Iron, Zinc ,AA & DHA,that are essential for optimal growth, optimal protection by enhancing the immune system and optimal mental and physical development.
Prof. Ahmed El Beleidy discussed the role of nutrition in preventing 'pediatric failure to thrive' , which relates to a child's inability to gain weight; in severe circumstances, 'pediatric failure to thrive' can inhibit growth of a child's length and/or head circumference and can be caused by inadequate caloric intake, inadequate nutrient absorption, or increased metabolic demands.
The host of this Gulf-wide lecture tour, Pfizer Nutrition, has been a leader in nutrition and the development of high-quality nutritious formula products for more than 90 years. Since its inception, Pfizer Nutrition has developed products based on ongoing research and scientific evidence, ensuring that all products meet the needs of the child's physiological development. In particular, Pfizer's Biofactors System product portfolio has been developed to ensure that children from 0-6 years receive the right combination of nutrients, at the right time in their development, to optimize the integrated dependency of nutrients - thereby ensuring optimal growth, optimal protection and optimal development.
"Here at Pfizer, we have a wealth of knowledge, experience and capabilities which enables us to advance the science of nutrition, and provide quality products to parents, when mothers cannot breast feed, to help their child develop, at every stage of life. This tour has been an opportunity for us to give back something to our community, and to support regional healthcare professionals in learning best practices of childhood nutrition from some of the world's leading experts in this space." Said Mohamed Abdel Khalik , Regional Medical and R&D Director Africa and Middle East of Pfizer Nutrition, commenting from the tour. "Here at Pfizer we know that optimal nutrition can dictate the health of a child throughout their life, which is why we remain committed to translating science into lasting contribution to health, both through research and development, but also through the training and development of healthcare professionals."
Committed to leading the way to a healthier world, this lecture series is just one of many initiatives coordinated by Pfizer Nutrition to educate healthcare professionals on the latest data and best practice models in healthcare management.
-Ends-
Pfizer Inc: Working together for a healthier world™
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to improve health and well-being at every stage of life. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacturing of medicines for people and animals. Our diversified global health care portfolio includes human and animal biologic and small molecule medicines and vaccines, as well as nutritional products and many of the world's best-known consumer products. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as the world's leading Biopharmaceutical Company, we also collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 150 years, Pfizer has worked to make a difference for all who rely on us. To learn more about our commitments, please visit us at www.pfizer.com
© Press Release 2010
