American Researcher Receives International Recognition.(Brief Article)

2001 SEP 20 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

New research shows that supplementing women of childbearing age with vitamin A or beta-carotene reduces maternal death by 45%.

"These findings are quite exciting as they could greatly impact women's health throughout the world," says lead investigator, Dr. Alfred Sommer, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, who will be named the 2001 laureate of the third Danone International Prize for Nutrition. "We are now testing these dramatic results in new, equally large randomized controlled trials to determine the benefits of vitamin A and related micronutrients."

Sommer is being recognized with the international award for his significant contributions to the field of nutrition, which span several developing countries and have led to global policy changes.

"His commitment to pursuing research related to blindness prevention and child survival has made a profound impact on the lives of millions of people," states Dr. Barbara O. Schneeman, chairperson of the 2001 Danone International Prize for Nutrition. "Our goal is to promote public health worldwide, particularly through disease prevention linked to nutrition. We congratulate Sommer on his exemplary career and we are confident his current endeavors will prove equally fertile."

The official announcement of Sommer as the recipient of the 2001 Danone International Prize for Nutrition was made on August 30, 2001, at the 17th International Congress of Nutrition held in Vienna, Austria.

Sommer and his research team discovered the widespread prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in the 1970s, a condition that largely concerns developing countries. Through his studies ...