We are pleased to announce that Dr. Eric Hentges has accepted to be the keynote speaker for FAV Health 2007. Last week, Dr. Hentges became the Director of International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), an important scientific institute for the field of nutrition. He brings over 25 years of experience in nutrition education, research, planning, and administration to the job. Since 2003, he has been the executive director of the US Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which is well known for its Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guidance System. More information about Dr. Hentges can be found on the Symposium website.

The symposium program has been uploaded to the website (http://favhealth2007.tamu.edu), please cross check your presentations and other sessions.

Reminder: September 16, 2007 is the final deadline to complete early registration and reserve a room at the Omni Hotel in Houston . You must specify the group name/code (FAVHealth2007 / 13300604095 ) to reserve a room otherwise you will receive a message that the hotel is sold out. Please contact our office if you have any problems.

Registered Dieticians and Dietetic Technicians, Registered, can receive up to 23 CPE credits by attending this symposium. The CPEs are awarded on a daily basis. More details are found at the symposium website registration page.

Role of students in the FAVHealth2007

Future research related to Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables is in the hands of the graduate students; therefore, we need to encourage their involvement with interdisciplinary research and educational activities.

To provide more opportunities for graduate students to develop their communication skills, we have planned the following events in FAV Health 2007 specifically for students. I would appreciate your response before September 13, 2007 .

1. Co-chair for some sessions will be selected from the pool of graduate students who submitted abstracts. Please send the names of potential graduate students whom you think will be good co-chairs.

2. Please send your recommendations of graduate students who are in the final stages of completing their research or a recent graduate. Four students will be selected to present (8 to 10 minutes) their research during the special luncheon “FAV Research: A Graduate Student Perspective”. The recommendation must include research statement (500 words) and its impact to consumers. Students may also submit their information and research statements.

3. Poster competitions for students- Three best posters will selected by poster committee for awards to be presented during the luncheon on October 12.

Based on your current and previous research related to bioactive compounds in fruits, vegetables and nuts and human health, we would like to invite you to participate in the 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruits and Vegetables. For more detailed information, please visit the conference web site http://favhealth2007.tamu.edu. Please circulate this information among potential scientists, students and industry members, who are interested in attending this symposium.

Program/ Sessions:

The proposed program include sessions focused on certain diseases such as 1) Obesity, 2) Cancer, 3)Cardiovascular Diseases, 4) Brain Health, 5) Eye Health, 6) Bioavailability, 7) Osteoporosis, 8) Skin Health, 9) antioxidants and health. The symposium will be unique because we plan to cover different fruits, vegetables and nuts and how pre- & post harvest factors, organic cultivation, and isolation & characterization of bioactive compounds can provide protective effects on the diseases mentioned above. We will also have session on food and drug interaction and how fruits and vegetables play role in the drug interaction. Editors of the journals related to foods for health will be participating in session on “Opportunities and Challenges for interdisciplinary research to improve human health”. In order to provide an opportunity for all interested participants to demonstrate their research to scientists and industry representatives from 40 countries, the symposium will include poster sessions and poster competitions for students. Key note speaker plenary speakers for each session and invited speakers will be updated to the web site soon.

Round table discussion: To discuss about the funding opportunities through NIH and USDA on health aspects of fruits and vegetables. We are expecting to have key officials from WHO, FAO, NIH and CDC, USDA to participate in the discussion. We are expecting several key industry representatives from different commodity groups and processing industry to attend the conference. The United States Produce Marketing Association annual conference will be coinciding with our banquet so several industry can attend round table discussion and you can meet with industry representatives.

Abstracts:

The abstract must be submitted via the FAV Health 2007 website ( http://favhealth2007.tamu.edu/abstractsubmission.htm). Deadline is extended until May 25, 2007. Please subscribe your name in the list serve for further information about the symposium.

Venue:

The meeting venue is the Omni Hotel in Houston, Texas. The symposium will begin on the evening of October 9 and end on October 13, 2007. The contracted rate for the hotel is $169 per night from now through September 16. The contracted rate does allow additional guests (2, 3 or 4, depending on room) at no extra charge. Please make reservations soon, since after September 16 the room rate increases tremendously. All participants are requested to stay at the conference hotel, Omni Houston. The hotel has given excellent rates per room. If you would like to share a room, a forum page http://favhealth2007.informe.com/viewtopic.php?t=2 )has been set up to assist in finding a room mate.

Registration:

We have tried to keep the registration fees cost effective. Your registration includes:
--Printed, bound copy of the proceedings, published in Acta Horticulturae
--Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Breaks (Oct 10-13) in the Omni Hotel restaurants.
[Dinner is on your own Oct 10 and 12].
--Banquet (Oct 11)
--Receptions: Welcome (Oct 9) and Poster Session (Oct 10) --One year membership to ISHS for non-ISHS members (Visit the ISHS website ( http://www.ishs.org/)for more information)

Join the scientific, industry, and other professionals involved in human health effects of fruits and vegetables in Houston, TX, October 9-13, 2007.
Eating Fruits and Vegetables (FAV) is of vital importance to a healthful life. The World Health Organization and the U.S. Surgeon General have recognized potential health promoting properties of FAV and these organizations are encouraging fruits, vegetables and nuts consumption to prevent certain chronic diseases and promote better health. Accumulative evidences based on case-control, cohort and epidemiological studies demonstrated that consumption of FAV reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
In recent years, the importance of FAV as sources of fibers and vitamins was emphasized and it was made clear that produce can provide more benefits to humans than organoleptic or aesthetic attributes. Furthermore, research on the beneficial health properties of FAV have been increasing and consumers have increased awareness during this process. Recent epidemiological studies clearly show the beneficial effect of FAV and in vivo studies demonstrate that some of the bioactive molecules conferring the beneficial health effects FAV through diet on a number of chronic diseases. Moreover, our lifestyle has changed and so have our eating habits, and not necessarily for the better. This has led to an epidemic of obesity and related diseases such as, diabetes, cancer and other chronic diseases that are clearly linked to nutrition.

During the last decade evidences are accumulating that child and adult obesity epidemic continues to be one of the most important health problems on a global level. National and international organizations related to health are making every effort to prevent obesity that could save millions of lives from the risks of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes, arteriosclerosis, hypertension and sleep apnea. While, there are several lifestyle changes that would help prevent obesity, FAV play a dominant role in the prevention of obesity.
While consumers are still evaluating the benefits of FAV on human health, the scientific community and industry have partnered to conduct research on bioactive compounds of FAV. Due to an ever-increasing market of nutraceutical and functional foods, many structured research groups and centers/institutes have emerged in North America, Europe, and Asia to provide appropriate answers to consumers and industry through a “beyond borders” partnership. These groups are conscious of the importance of bridging the gaps between horticultural research, nutrition, food, biomedical and medical science.

The objective of the 2nd International Symposium on Human Health Effects of Fruit and Vegetables” is to provide a forum for horticultural scientists, nutritionists, food scientists, biomedical scientists, chemists, biochemists, clinicians, medical professionals, social economists to exchange information and bridge the communication gap between the agricultural sciences, nutrition and health sciences. This symposium, sponsored by the 2nd International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS), and Texas A&M University’s Vegetable & Fruit Improvement Center (VFIC), and the Center for Obesity Research and Program Evaluation (CORPE). The symposium will be held October 9-13, 2007 in Houston, Texas, USA. It will be a unique opportunity for those involved in the functionality of FAV to share ideas and to enjoy Texas hospitality.
We look forward to meeting with all of you in October 2007. We are expecting scientists from different parts of the world to give presentations on the topics of prevention of obesity, certain chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative, pre and post-harvest effect on bioactive compounds, optimizing bioactive compounds through breeding in fruits and vegetables. Pigments and Health will be covered in this conference. We hope this conference will provide “proof of the concept” of health promoting properties of FAV and at the end of the symposium, you will be convinced of the fact that future will depend on “table to the farm” rather than “farm to table”.

Why should I attend FAV Health 2007?
The conference will take an in-depth look at cultural, genotypic factors affecting the content of bioactive compounds in FAV, and will cover a wide range of topics related to the characterization, pharmacokinetics, nutrition, and human health clinical aspects of FAV. It will be a unique opportunity to interact with researchers, industry and consumers from different disciplines and bridge the communication gap between the agricultural sciences, nutrition and health sciences.

Who will I meet at FAV Health 2007?
FAV Health 2007 will bring together horticulturists involved in breeding and management of FAV to increase their content in bioactive compounds, food scientists who are interested in preserving the quality and functionality of FAV, nutritionists and clinicians assessing the effects of bioactive compounds found in FAV on a number of health platforms like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and others. Industry representatives from different commodity groups, processing companies and federal granting agency representatives will also be participating in the conference.