Anne-Louise M. Heath is a New Zealand academic, and is a full professor at the

University of Otago The University of Otago () is a public university, public research university, research collegiate university based in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Founded in 1869, Otago is New Zealand's oldest university and one of the oldest universities in ...

, specialising in baby and infant nutrition, including baby-led weaning and iron deficiency.

Academic career

Heath completed a Bachelor of Science degree with honours in 1994, with a thesis on hormone levels in healthy men. Heath then completed a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

at the

, studying iron deficiency in pre-menopausal women. Heath then joined the faculty of the University of Otago, rising to associate professor in 2017 and full professor in 2023. She has served on two government Technical Advisory Groups, one for the Development of the New Zealand Nutrition Survey, and the other for the Review of Nutrition Guidance for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women, and Infants and Toddlers. Heath's research focuses on infant nutrition, covering issues such as the nutritional impact and safety of

baby-led weaning Baby-led weaning (BLW) is an approach to adding complementary foods to a infant, baby's diet of breast milk or infant formula, formula. It facilitates Oral motor function, oral motor development and strongly focuses on the family meal, while main ...

. Heath and Professor

Rachael Taylor Rachael May Taylor (born 11 July 1984) is an Australian actress and model. Her first lead role was in the Australian television series ''headLand'' (2005–2006) as Sasha Forbes. She then made the transition to Hollywood, appearing in films in ...

collaborated on a study that showed that toddlers that had experienced baby-led weaning were less fussy eaters and enjoyed their food more. She has also studied iron deficiency in infants and adults. Heath has commented on the whether "toddler milk" is necessary, with her research finding that fortified milk and an increase in red meat are both ways of avoiding reduced iron levels in two-year olds, but that the meat diet was cheaper. Heath received a Health Research Council grant with Rachael Taylor to study the health impacts of baby food pouches. Pouches may make up 70% of baby-food availability in New Zealand supermarkets, and the study was aimed at addressing concerns about whether their use might encourage babies to overeat, and whether their use would affect nutritional intake and dental health. In 2011, Heath was part of a group of seven Otago researchers who presented their work at Parliament.

Selected works

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References

External links

'Over-fed and under-nourished'
seminar 2 September 2014, for Meat & Livestock Australia and hosted by the Dietitians Association of Australia, via YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Anne-Louise New Zealand academics New Zealand women academics Academic staff of the University of Otago University of Otago alumni New Zealand nutritionists