Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition (LDNC)

Head of the research group
Laboratorio dietetica e nutrizione clinica

Prof.ssa Hellas Cena

Group-specific research objectives

The Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition (LDNC) is a multidisciplinary research group with national and international experience in the field of clinical nutrition and lifestyle medicine, focusing on malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, overweight, obesity, and diet-related NCDs, with particular attention to personalized nutrition of vulnerable groups (e.g. children, women of childbearing age and older adults). The LDNC is also involved in conducting exposome-informed studies, investigating general external factors as socioeconomic environment and specific external factors as lifestyle, occupations, and pollutant exposures, exploring biodiversity and human wellbeing links and implications for sustainable development. The research activity is supported by funding from the MUR; EU funding from the Lombardy Region and funding from the Ministry of Health and industrial partners. 

The LDNC offers its skills in nutritional training proven by the management of: i) a Master Course in Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition (http://spmsf.unipv.it/); ii) a Master Course in collaboration with the Iberoamerican University Foundation (FUNIBER) in integrated multidisciplinary treatment of eating disorders and obesity  (https://www.funiber.it/); iii) an advanced course in "Nutrition and lifestyle for women's well-being" (https://spmsf.unipv.it/). 

Last, the LDNC holds several appointments by competence. In particular, it is

i) part of the list of competent organizations designated by European Member States, which work in the fields of EFSA and which can assist it in its mission (Articles 36). Indeed, Prof Hellas Cena and Dr Rachele De Giuseppe are Contact Person of the National Focal Point for EFSA (European Food Safety Agency) for University of Pavia (https://efsa.force.com/competentorganisations/s/)

ii) Prof Hellas Cena and Dr Rachele De Giuseppe are respectively president and Vice president of the  Associazione Nazionale Italiana, Specialisti in Scienza dell’Alimentazione (ANSISA; https://www.ansisa.it/)

iii) Prof Hellas Cena is member of the scientific board of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA; https://www.crea.gov.it/)

Research group
Active research projects

Funded research projects

  • ACTION  project (nAkuru, kenya: local seed valorisation and nutritional eduCaTION), Funded by Cariplo Factory, Coopen 2021 call - Food and sustainable agriculture. 
AMAMI
  • A.MA.MI (Alimentazione Mamma e bambino nei primi Mille giorni) (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04122612). Funded by Umberto Veronesi Foundation for 2018 - 2021. The project aims at investigating the correlation between several factors, from conception to the first year of life, and infant gut microbiome composition. 
biodiversity
  • BIODIVERSITY AND URBAN EXPOSOME: research activities  included in  spoke 6 of the Centro Nazionale 5 “National Biodiversity Future Center” (NBFC),  funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4, – NextGenerationEU, ID: CN00000033, CUP: F13C22000720007. The activities of spoke 6 aim at studying the beneficial effects of biodiversity on human wellbeing by i. highlighting biodiversity's positive impact on health in the urban environment; ii. increasing sustainable industrial processes; iii. supporting economic growth
  • FACILITY project (Feeding the fAmiLy: Intergenerational approaCh to fIght obesiTY)  funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Spoke 6 “Tackling malnutrition” (PE10-F13C22001210007-PE0000003). The study aims to assess the nutritional and socioeconomic factors of mother-child dyads in the city of Milan, in order to identify new risk factors for the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.
Food aut
  • FOOD AUT  project, funded by Pellegrini S.p.a. 2022. The project aims to Improve the health condition of individuals with ASD through the development of collective canteen menus reaching the needs of  individuals with autistic spectrum disorder.

 

foodnet
  • Food NET (Food Social Sensor Network, http://www.food-net.it/). Funded by REGIONE LOMBARDIA - Research and Innovation, co-funded by POR FESR 2014-2020 (CUP E47F17000020009). Food NET overall outcome is to achieve target-specific guidelines and exact technologies for accessible functional foods, aimed at improving the quality of life and nutritional status of citizens (aged>65) of the Metropolitan City of Milan (Italy).
  • LIMIT (LIfestyle and Microbiome InTeraction) Early Adiposity Rebound in Children. Funded by i. “Fondo Ricerca e Giovani anno finanziario 2020” (https://universitiamo.eu/campaigns/limit/); ii. National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), ONFOOD Research Project, Spoke 5  - Lifelong and Nutrition (. https://onfoods.it/).The project aims to holistically identify the longitudinal interplay between the intestinal microbiome and infant/maternal nutritional and lifestyle habits, and environmental factors exposure driving new mechanistic insights to create a childhood obesity predictive model.
  • LIVELY PROJECT  (muLtidimensional school-based and family Involved interVentions, to promote a hEalthy and sustainable LifestYle for the childhood obesity primary prevention() – Project funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3 - Call for proposals No. 341 of 15 March 2022 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. Spoke 7 “Food Policy, Beauvoir and Education” (PE0000003- CUP ENTE: F13C22001210007). The objective is to counter the onset of childhood obesity through the crearion of a multidimensional food education model to be implemented in primary schools and aimed at children aged 5 to 11.

 

  • MATER  (woMen And maTernity: development of a nutritional Education pRoject). Project funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), ONFOOD Research Project, Spoke 5  - Lifelong and Nutrition (https://onfoods.it/). The MATER project carries out a lifestyle education intervention (LEI) for women of childbearing age who are planning a pregnancy or are pregnant with the aim of increasing their awareness of the importance of adopting a diet and lifestyle adequate lifestyles during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
logo sass
  • SASS (Food Systems and Sustainable Development - Creating synergies between international and African research and processes; https://ecdpm.org/dossiers/sustainable-agrifood-systems-strategies/). Funded by the Ministry-FISR projects: 2017-2018 (CUP:  CUP: H42F16002450001).The project aimed to contribute to the ongoing debates and initiatives on increasing the sustainability of food systems, by examining the role of neglected and underutilised species or indigenous vegetables.
  • SENIOR project (Sustainable Eating patterN to lImit malnutritiOn in oldeR adults) (ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT05860556 and NCT05853874) - Project funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Spoke 6 “Tackling malnutrition” (PE10-F13C22001210007-PE0000003). The study aims to investigate the malnutrition status and lifestyle characteristics of the population aged >65 years old in order to improve their health condition and malnutrition management inside and outside the hospital settings.
  • TANY VAO project, funded by Chiesa Evangelica Valdese 2021 e Fondazione Istituto Vismara De Petri Onlus 2021 (https://helpforoptimism.org/projects/nutrition-programme/). The project aims to improve the health condition of the population living in the rural areas of Madagascar, with limited access to primary goods (clean water, food, energy), through a circular and sustainable method based on nutrition, agricultural and water and sanitation intervention.

 

Spontaneous research projects

  • ANITA (Valutazione della composizione del microbiotA iNtestInale in soggetti affetti da Tiroidite di hAshimoto). The project aims at evaluating the composition of the microbiota intestinal of women with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

 

evidence Q
  • EVIDENCE Q (Evaluation VItamin D dEficieNCy QUESTIONNAIRE - ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04404842). The project aims at developing and validating a questionnaire to screen the adequacy of vitamin D status in Italian adults.
  • HOLISTic (habits, orthorexia nervosa and lifestyle in university students project: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/2/675. The project aimed to assess the health-related behaviours among university students, with emphasis on health sciences students from Croatia, Italy, Lebanon, Poland, Romania, Spain and Turkey.
  • STIGMA The project aims to investigate the prevalence of obesity stigma, subjective experiences and the perception of common stereotypes relating to weight stigmatization in a sample of consecutive patients belonging to the Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Service, Internal Medicine and Endocrinology Unit, ICS Maugeri of Pavia.

 

Network di ricerca

The Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition collaborates with several Universities as well as Research Centres including

  • Università degli Studi di Milano Statale
  • Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca
  • Università Politecnica delle Marche
  • Università degli Studi di Bari ‘Aldo Moro’
  • Università di Roma Sapienza
  • Università degli Studi di Salerno
  • Università di Siena
  • Università degli Studi di Parma
  • Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna
  • Università di Napoli Federico II
  • Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
  • Harvard University, MA, US
  • Tufts University, CA, US
  • Virginia Commonwealth University, US
  • University of Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Nutrition & Dietetics Department - Beirut Arab University, Lebanon
  • Erasmus Universitair Medisch Centrum Rotterdam, NL
  • Universitad europea de Atlantico, Spain
  • Tampere University - PIRKANMAA HOSPITAL DISTRICT, Finland
  • Institute of Psychology, University of Wroclaw, Poland
  • Department of Animal Production and Food Safety, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj Napoca, Romania
  • University of Kent, UK
  • University of Split Medical School, Croatia
  • Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain
  • Nelson Mandela University of Arusha, Tanzania
  • Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
  • University of Leeds, UK
  • Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
  • University of Newcastle on Tyne, UK
  • Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR, Italy
  • Fondazione Veronesi, Italy
  • Istituto Mario Negri, Italy
  • Bicocca cEnter of Science and Technology for FOOD” (BEST4FOOD), Italy
  • IMDEA Research Institute on Food&Health Sciences, Spain
  • Gruppo Pellegrini S.p.a.
  • Jatreia
  • Design Group Italia
  • Flanat Research Italia
  • Kalibra 
  • GSK Healthcare
  • Novonordisk
  • Pharmaextracta
  • LB research 
  • Cadigroup
  • Giellepi
  • DELTA TEAM srl
  • Trusticert
  • Fratelli Desideri
  • Bonomelli, Gruppo Montenegro
  • Engineering - ingegneria informatica
Servizi e collaborazioni

The LDNC makes use of an external specialist dietary outpatient clinic, affiliated with the University of Pavia, which operates in the diagnosis and medical-nutritional therapy of the main diseases related to nutrition, as well as in food education for all age groups and pathophysiological conditions.

Contacts

Head office: Via Agostino Bassi 21, Pavia

E-mail: ambulatorio.dietologia@unipv.it

Telephone number: 0382987881

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