Eating to reduce cancer risk and the latest evidence on nutritional management for cancer patients will be some of the hot topics at next week’s Nutrition Society of Australia (NSA) national conference in Tasmania.

More than 300 delegates, including nutritionists, dietitians, scientists, nurses, medical practitioners and educators from Australia and across the globe will descend on Hobart for the NSA’s 38th conference being held from November 26-28.

The event will shine the spotlight on nutrition challenges and opportunities and will feature local, national and international expert speakers, professional development workshops and pre-conference events.

Dr Allison Hodge, of Cancer Council Victoria, will discuss nutritional epidemiology and cancer while Professor Elisabeth Isenring, of Queensland’s Bond University will speak on nutritional management of patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Dr Michael Conlon, from CSIRO in South Australia, will also discuss diet and carcinogenesis with a focus on the mechanisms underlying colorectal cancer.

The event, being hosted by the University of Tasmania, will cover topics such as weight loss and maintenance, food safety and security, and the new foods from plants and animals.

Professor Boyd Swinburn, of New Zealand’s University of Auckland, will discuss whether health and nutrition claims facilitate healthy food choices, while Professor Simone Pettigrew, of Curtin University in Western Australia, will speak on the effects of food labelling on consumer choice and industry practices.

Dr Kiran Ahuja, a University of Tasmania Research Fellow with the School of Health Sciences and chair of the organising committee, said the conference will showcase human and animal nutrition research being conducted in the Faculty of Health, Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies and the Menzies Institute for Medical Research.

“Although modern electronic communications allow information to flow freely across Bass Strait, and indeed around the world, there are still advantages to conducting a face-to-face meeting where Tasmanian delegates can attend presentations by national and world authorities and ask questions,” she said.

As part of the event, Professor Les Cleland, rheumatology director at South Australia’s Royal Adelaide Hospital will talk about the benefits of taking fish oil for pain and inflammation such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Key presentations from the event will be available to watch live or following the event through Livestream.