Shertukde Shruti P, De Sévaux Marieke A J, Herter-Aeberli Isabelle, Preston Tom, Loechl Cornelia U
Nutritional and Health-Related Environmental Studies Section, Human Health Division, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna, Austria.
Global Health Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Br J Nutr. 2025 Jun 14;133(11):1448-1455. doi: 10.1017/S0007114525000911. Epub 2025 May 19.
Global food security challenges, driven by the need to feed an estimated 10 billion people by 2050, require sustainable agricultural practices which strengthen nutritional adequacy while minimising environmental impacts. Yet, decision-making to foster food systems which consider both human and planetary health is growing in complexity. This paper, presented at an International Atomic Energy Agency-supported symposium at the 14th European Nutrition Conference of the Federation of European Nutrition Societies, highlights the potential of stable isotope techniques in generating valuable evidence to help support the development of sustainable food systems. It focuses on three methods: the dual tracer stable isotope technique for measuring protein digestibility, the Fe isotope dilution technique for assessing Fe absorption, loss and balance and the deuterium oxide dose-to-mother technique for estimating breast milk intake. The dual tracer isotope method provides a minimally invasive assessment of protein quality from a diverse variety of crops and novel sources, supporting the transition towards environmentally conscious, protein-rich diets. The Fe isotope dilution technique can be used to address Fe requirements across different population groups and calculate Fe absorption from whole diets or after consuming crops designed to be nutritionally sufficient, thus guiding dietary guidelines and agricultural strategies. Finally, the deuterium oxide dose-to-mother technique provides precise data on breast milk intake, underscoring the role of breastfeeding in sustaining optimal infant nutrition and the conservation of resources. These methods have the ability to generate critical evidence to support policy development and food system innovations that prioritise human health and environmental preservation.
到2050年预计要养活100亿人口，由此带来的全球粮食安全挑战需要可持续的农业实践，即在尽量减少环境影响的同时增强营养充足性。然而，促进兼顾人类和地球健康的粮食系统的决策正变得越来越复杂。本文在欧洲营养学会联合会第14届欧洲营养大会上由国际原子能机构支持的研讨会上发表，强调了稳定同位素技术在生成有价值的证据以帮助支持可持续粮食系统发展方面的潜力。它聚焦于三种方法：用于测量蛋白质消化率的双示踪稳定同位素技术、用于评估铁吸收、损失和平衡的铁同位素稀释技术以及用于估计母乳摄入量的氧化氘给母亲剂量技术。双示踪同位素方法提供了对来自各种作物和新来源的蛋白质质量的微创评估，支持向注重环境、富含蛋白质的饮食的转变。铁同位素稀释技术可用于满足不同人群的铁需求，并计算从全饮食或食用营养充足的作物后铁的吸收量，从而指导饮食指南和农业战略。最后，氧化氘给母亲剂量技术提供了关于母乳摄入量的精确数据，突出了母乳喂养在维持最佳婴儿营养和资源保护方面的作用。这些方法有能力生成关键证据，以支持优先考虑人类健康和环境保护的政策制定和粮食系统创新。
