The molecularisation of nutritional science or – what is nutritional science and what is the point of it?

Part 1: The scientific status quo of nutritional science Alxander Ströhle, Frank Döring, Kiel

It is investigated whether nutritional science exhibits the normal characteristics of a real science. It turns out that there are conceptual difficulties with the domain, objectives and problems of nutritional science. It is proposed that the domain of nutritional science – nutrition – is a form of interaction between the organism and its environment. This domain can only be adequately treated if biotic, psychic and social aspects are considered. Nutritional science is a biopsychosocial multidiscipline, which is neither a pure natural science nor a pure social science.

Nutritional science can and should be conducted as a basic science, an applied science and as a technology. As the research community has currently failed to provide a clear formulation of unsolved problems in nutritional science, these problems are presented in a vague manner. It would be helpful for the advancement of the discipline if specific unsolved problems could be properly formulated.

Keywords: basic science, applied science, sociological implications, psychological implications, molecular nutrition

Sie finden den Artikel in deutscher Sprache in Ernährungs Umschau 04/09 ab Seite 202.