Lineas de investigacion

Inmunonutrition research group (INMUNONUTRICIÓN)

Description

Objetives

  • To study the influence of lifestyle factors (physical activity and fitness, diet, hydration, alcohol, psychological stress, etc,) in inflammatory and cardiovascular risk markers and the intestinal microbiota, focusing in adolescents, both, healthy and with eating disorders and in the older adults, including those with metabolic syndrome risk factors.
  • To study the effect of probiotics and antioxidant-rich plant based foods (beer, Moringa oleifera) on the microbiota and inflammatory/cardiometabolic markers in nutritional intervention clinical trials. Use of metagenomic and metabolomic techniques.

Research Lines

  • Nutritional status of populations and risk factors for nutrition-related pathologies and
  • Bioactivity and health effects of functional foods. Among the epidemiological studies performed are the multicenter studies AVENA (2000), EVASYON (2009) and the EU project HELENA (2003)
Capacidades

Skills

  • Analysis of immune and inflammatory markers in relation to conditions associated with nutrition and immunity (obesity, metabolic syndrome, allergy, celiac disease)
  • Epidemiologic studies of immune biomarkers
  • Implementation of dietary intervention studies in humans assessing food compounds and ingredients and functional foods (probiotics, fatty acids, aminoacids, alcohol…)
  • Evaluation of nutritional status in eating disorders
  • Assesment of habits and lifestyle factors (diet, physical activity, etc.)
  • Characterization of the immunomodulating properties of different nutrients, bioactive compounds and alleged functional foods, both in vitro (cell culture models) and in vivo (animal models)
  • Teaching at the undergraduate and postgraduate level, and research training.

Personnel

Group Leader:

Members:

Contact:

  • 91 549 23 00
  • amarcos@ictan.csic.es

Keywords

Human nutrition, Immunity-inflammation, Physical activity, Probiotics, Biomarkers, Prevention

Publications

González-Zancada N, Redondo-Useros N, Díaz LE, Gómez-Martínez S, Marcos A, Nova E. Association of Moderate Beer Consumption with the Gut Microbiota and SCFA of Healthy Adults. Molecules. 2020 Oct 17;25(20):4772. doi: 10.3390/molecules25204772.

Microbiota and Lifestyle: A Special Focus on Diet. Redondo-Useros N, Nova E, González-Zancada N, Díaz LE, Gómez-Martínez S, Marcos A. Nutrients. 2020 Jun 15;12(6):1776. doi: 10.3390/nu12061776.

Redondo N, García-González N, Diaz-Prieto LE, Olmedilla-Alonso B, Martín-Diana AB, Asensio-Vegas C, Nova E. Effects of ewe’s milk yogurt (whole and semi-skimmed) and cow’s milk yogurt on inflammation markers and gut microbiota of subjects with borderline-high plasma cholesterol levels: a crossover study. Eur J Nutr. 2019 Apr;58(3):1113-1124. doi: 10.1007/s00394-018-1626-0.

Agostinis-Sobrinho C, Gómez-Martínez S, Nova E, Hernandez A, Labayen I, Kafatos A, Gottand F, Molnár D, Ferrari M, Moreno LA, González-Gross M, Michels N, Ruperez A, Ruiz JR, Marcos A. Lifestyle patterns and endocrine, metabolic, and immunological biomarkers in European adolescents: The HELENA study. Pediatr Diabetes. 2019 Feb;20(1):23-31. doi: 10.1111/pedi.12802.

Redondo N, Nova E, Gheorghe A, Díaz LE, Hernández A, Marcos A. Evaluation of Lactobacillus coryniformis CECT5711 strain as a coadjuvant in a vaccination process: a randomised clinical trial in healthy adults. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2017 Jan 5;14:2. doi: 10.1186/s12986-016-0154-2.

The Role of Probiotics on the Microbiota: Effect on Obesity.  Nova E, Pérez de Heredia F, Gómez-Martínez S, Marcos A. Nutr Clin Pract. 2016 Jun;31(3):387-400. doi: 10.1177/0884533615620350. Epub 2016 Feb 11. PMID: 26869611 Review.

Projects, Contracts, Agreements

FEDER projects

Effect on glycemic control, lipid profile and inflammation of Moringa oleifera leaves. Nutritional intervention study in prediabetic subjects.

Main Researcher: E. Nova and A. Marcos / Start Date: 01/01/2018 / End Date: 09/30/2021 / Institution: AEI/ERDF, EU / Reference number: AGL2017-86044-C2-1-R
Research Group: Inmunonutrition research group (INMUNONUTRICIÓN)

PhD Thesis, Master's Thesis and Degree Thesis

Display PhD Thesis, Master's Thesis and Degree Thesis

Tesis Doctoral: Effects of the consumption of probiotics and yogurts on the immune system and intestinal microbiota of healthy adults (2019)

Author: Noemí Redondo Useros / Director: Ascensión Marcos y Esther Nova Rebato

Institution: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Farmacia

Tesis Doctoral: Development of a new generation of foods for weight control and obesity prevention (2017)

Author: Alina Gheorghe / Director: Ascensión Marcos, Fátima Pérez de Heredia y Ligia Esperanza Díaz

Institution: Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Tesis Doctoral: Factors involved in the development of eating disorders in Spanish adolescents (2015)

Author: Ana María Veses Alcobendas / Director: Ascensión Marcos, Sonia Gómez y David Martinez

Institution: Zoología Animal (Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas) UCM