Kathryn Dewey

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Kathryn Dewey
Born (1952-03-09) March 9, 1952 (age 68)
Academic background
EducationPh.D., Biological Sciences, 1980, University of Michigan
Academic work
Institutions University of California, Davis

Kathryn Gertrude Dewey (born March 9, 1952) is an American nutritionist. She is a Distinguished Professor Emerita in the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Her studies in nutrition led to adaptations to the World Health Organization's recommendations for infants.

Contents

Early life and education

Dewey was born on March 9, 1952, in New York, New York. [1] She earned her PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Michigan. [2]

Career

Upon reciveing her PhD, Dewey joined the faculty at the University of California, Davis in 1980. [3] As a professor of nutrition, she led two studies in Honduras which concluded that infants should receive only breast milk for their first six months of life. [4] Her research team also found that the growth rate of breast-fed babies differs significantly from that of formula- fed babies, thus prompting a change to the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommendations for infants. [5] In 1999, Dewey co-authored a book titled Complementary Feeding of Young Children in Developing Countries which was aimed at WHO and UNICEF to "stimulate and guide creation of national programs to improve child-feeding practices in low-income countries." [6] In the same year, Dewey was also the lead researcher on a study which found that diet and aerobic exercise could help breast feeding mothers lose weight after pregnancy. [7] As a result of her research, Dewey was appointed director of a WHO-led research project to revise growth charts for children under the age of 5 years. [8] The results of the project were released by WHO in 2006. [9] Following this, Dewey led another research project focusing on delayed umbilical cord clamping which also contributed to WHO policy. [10]

In 2010, Dewey led a research team in Bangladesh and Guatemala to test whether Nutributter could prevent stunting and abnormal motor development in malnutritioned children. [11] [12] As a result of her research, Dewey was recipient of UC Davis' Award of Distinction [3] and McCollum International Lectureship in Nutrition Award. [13] In 2017, Dewey was appointed to sit on the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for a three-year term. [14] The following year, she elected a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition [15] and named to sit on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. [16]

Related Research Articles

Infant formula

Infant formula, baby formula or just formula or baby milk, infant milk or first milk, is a manufactured food designed and marketed for feeding to babies and infants under 12 months of age, usually prepared for bottle-feeding or cup-feeding from powder or liquid. The U.S. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) defines infant formula as "a food which purports to be or is represented for special dietary use solely as a food for infants by reason of its simulation of human milk or its suitability as a complete or partial substitute for human milk".

An infant is the more formal or specialised synonym for "baby", the very young offspring of a human. The term may also be used to refer to juveniles of other organisms.

Weaning The process of abandoning maternal nourishment in mammals

Weaning is the process of gradually introducing an infant human or another mammal to what will be its adult diet while withdrawing the supply of its mother's milk.

Breast milk

Breast milk or mother's milk is milk produced by mammary glands located in the breast of a human female to feed a young child. Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns before they are able to eat and digest other foods; older infants and toddlers may continue to be breastfed, but solid foods should be introduced in combination starting from six months of age.

UC Davis School of Medicine

The University of California Davis School of Medicine is one of six University of California medical schools in the state of California, and is associated with University of California, Davis.

UC Davis Medical Center Hospital in California, United States

UC Davis Medical Center is part of UC Davis Health and a major academic health center located in Sacramento, California. It is owned and operated by the University of California as part of its University of California, Davis campus. The medical center sits on a 142-acre (57 ha) campus located between the Elmhurst, Tahoe Park, and Oak Park residential neighborhoods. The site incorporates the land and some of the buildings of the former Sacramento Medical Center as well as much of the land previously occupied by the California State Fair until its 1967 move to a new location.

Adelle Davis

Adelle Davis was an American author and nutritionist, considered "the most famous nutritionist in the early to mid-20th century." She was as an advocate for improved health through better nutrition. She wrote an early textbook on nutrition in 1942, followed by four best-selling books for consumers which praised the value of natural foods and criticized the diet of the average American. Her books sold over 10 million copies and helped shape America's eating habits.

Derrick B. Jelliffe and his wife Eleanore. F. Patrice Jelliffe - known as Dick and Pat Jelliffe - were experts in tropical paediatrics and infant nutrition. They are most known for their seminal book, Human Milk in the Modern World, published by Oxford University Press in 1978, and for editing the mult-volume Advances in International Maternal and Child Health. The Jelliffes also wrote over 500 scholarly papers, often together and 22 books. They lived and worked in England, Africa, India, the Caribbean and settled in Los Angeles where he held the Chair in Public Health and Paediatrics at the University of California from 1972 to 1990.

Elmer McCollum American biochemist (1879–1967)

Elmer Verner McCollum was an American biochemist known for his work on the influence of diet on health. McCollum is also remembered for starting the first rat colony in the United States to be used for nutrition research. His reputation has suffered from posthumous controversy. Time magazine called him Dr. Vitamin. His rule was, "Eat what you want after you have eaten what you should."

Baby-led weaning is a method of adding complementary foods to a baby's diet of breast milk or formula. A method of food progression, BLW facilitates the development of age appropriate oral motor control while maintaining eating as a positive, interactive experience. Baby-led weaning allows babies to control their solid food consumption by "self-feeding" from the start of their experience with food. The term weaning should not be taken to imply giving up breast milk or formula, but simply the introduction of foods other than breast milk or formula.

Growth chart

A growth chart is used by pediatricians and other health care providers to follow a child's growth over time. Growth charts have been constructed by observing the growth of large numbers of normal children over time. The height, weight, and head circumference of a child can be compared to the expected parameters of children of the same age and sex to determine whether the child is growing appropriately. Growth charts can also be used to predict the expected adult height and weight of a child because, in general, children maintain a fairly constant growth curve. When a child deviates from his or her previously established growth curve, investigation into the cause is generally warranted. For instance, a decrease in the growth velocity may indicate the onset of a chronic illness such as inflammatory bowel disease. Growth charts can also be compiled with a portion of the population deemed to have been raised in more or less ideal environments, such as nutrition that conforms to pediatric guidelines, and no maternal smoking. Charts from these sources end up with slightly taller but thinner averages.

Cerelac is a brand of instant cereal made by Nestlé. The cereal is promoted for infants 6 months and older as a supplement to breast milk when it is no longer the sole item in an infant's diet. Cerelac is not a substitute for breast milk and it is advised to continue breast feeding or infant formula along with Cerelac. Cerelac can help babies develop tastes for other food as they are weaned from breast milk. It also contains vitamins and minerals like iron, along with essential fatty acids. Cerelac products also contain probiotics that are found in the digestive tracts of breastfed babies. The brand was first registered in 1949 and it is currently sold in Kenya, Tanzania, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Portugal, South America, Central America, North America, India, the Middle East, Nigeria, Congo, North Africa, Malawi, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa, South East Asia, United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Breastfeeding difficulties

Breastfeeding difficulties refers to problems that arise from breastfeeding, the feeding of an infant or young child with milk from a woman's breasts. Although babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk, and human breast milk is usually the best source of nourishment for human infants, there are circumstances under which breastfeeding can be problematic, or even in rare instances, contraindicated.

Breastfeeding Feeding of babies or young children with milk from a womans breast

Breastfeeding, also known as nursing, is the feeding of babies and young children with milk from a woman's breast. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby's life and continue as often and as much as the baby wants. During the first few weeks of life babies may nurse roughly every two to three hours, and the duration of a feeding is usually ten to fifteen minutes on each breast. Older children feed less often. Mothers may pump milk so that it can be used later when breastfeeding is not possible. Breastfeeding has a number of benefits to both mother and baby, which infant formula lacks.

Breastfeeding promotion

Breastfeeding promotion refers to coordinated activities and policies to promote health among women, newborns and infants through breastfeeding.

Infant nutrition is the description of the dietary needs of infants. A diet lacking essential calories, minerals, vitamins, or fluids is considered inadequate. Breast milk provides the best nutrition for these vital first months of growth when compared to infant formula. For example, breastfeeding aids in preventing anemia, obesity, and sudden infant death syndrome; and it promotes digestive health, immunity, intelligence, and dental development. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusively feeding an infant breast milk, or iron fortified formula, for the first six months of life and continuing for one year or longer as desired by infant and mother. Infants are usually not introduced to solid foods until four to six months of age. Historically, breastfeeding infants was the only option for nutrition otherwise the infant would perish. Breastfeeding is rarely contraindicated, but is not recommended for mothers being treated for cancer, those with active tuberculosis, HIV, substance abuse, or leukemia. Clinicians can be consulted to determine what the best source of infant nutrition is for each baby.

Janet K. Yamamoto is an American immunologist. Yanamoto is a professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Florida where she studies the spread of HIV/AIDS. In 1988, she co-developed a vaccine for the feline version of HIV with Niels C. Pederson and was subsequently elected to the National Academy of Inventors.

Regan Lucas Bailey is an American nutritional epidemiologist. As a Full professor at Purdue University, she was elected a Member of the National Academy of Medicine for her "work on measuring nutritional status to optimize health."

Nancy E. Lane is an American rheumatologist. She is an Endowed Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology, and Aging Research at the University of California, Davis and director of the UC Davis Musculoskeletal Diseases of Aging Research Group. She has also sat on the editorial boards of Nature Reviews Rheumatology, Rheumatology,Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism,Arthritis & Rheumatology, and The Journal of Rheumatology.

Allison Brashear is an American neurologist. As of 2019, she is the dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, having formally served as the Walter C. Teagle Endowed Chair of Neurology at Wake Forest School of Medicine.

References

  1. "Dewey, Kathryn Gertrude". id.loc.gov. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  2. "Kathryn Dewey, Ph.D." nutrition.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "2013 Award of Distinction Recipients". caes.ucdavis.edu. 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  4. Bailey, Pat (July 26, 1994). "New Study: Hold the Solid Foods Until Babies are 6 Months Old". ucdavis.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  5. Bailey, Pat (September 8, 1995). "Growth Charts Need Revision to Represent Breast-fed Babies". ucdavis.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  6. Bailey, Pat (March 8, 1999). "Young Children's Nutrition Book Prepared for U.N." cdavis.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  7. Bailey, Pat (May 7, 1999). "Breast-feeding Moms Safely Combine Diet and Exercise". ucdavis.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  8. Rockwell, Susanne (May 2, 2001). "Breastfeeding Expert Studies Growth Patterns of Youngsters". ucdavis.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  9. Bailey, Pat (April 26, 2006). "New Children's Growth Standards Reflect Work of UC Davis Nutritionist". ucdavis.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  10. Bailey, Pat (June 15, 2006). "Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping Boosts Iron in Infants". ucdavis.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  11. Warnet, Janette E. (March 18, 2010). "UC Davis' Nutributter to go beyond Africa". ucanr.edu. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  12. Rich, Andrew (September 2, 2010). "The Peanut Solution". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  13. "Kathryn Dewey selected as recipient of the 2014-2015 McCollum International Lectureship in Nutrition Award". nutrition.ucdavis.edu. 2014. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  14. "Dr. Kathryn Dewey appointed to Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine". globalnutrition.ucdavis.edu. July 5, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  15. "Dewey selected as member of American Society for Nutrition Class of 2018 Fellows". nutrition.ucdavis.edu. March 19, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  16. "Schneeman and Dewey among 20 nationally recognized experts to serve on the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee". nutrition.ucdavis.edu. March 19, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2020.

Kathryn Dewey publications indexed by Google Scholar