Nutrition

The group's main research areas are those of Nutrition applied to metabolic endocrine disorders, both rare and with high prevalence, and in collaboration with other research groups and local, national, and international consortiums.

In the field of  high-prevalence pathologies, the group is evaluating the effect of adherence to different dietary models on the metabolic and hormonal mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of obesity and diabetes mellitus. The role of the diet is evaluated in relation to hormonal secretion modulation through new omics techniques, including the study of microbiota, in order to study the role of precision nutrition. In addition, studies on probiotics, prebiotics, and functional food supplementation are ongoing. These clinical studies are run in parallel with preclinical, in vitro, and animal model studies to investigate metabolic and muscle complications of obesity in response to diet, in collaboration with other local and national groups.

In the field of rare metabolic and endocrinological pathologies, the group participates in the study of pathophysiology and lipodystrophy treatment, as well as the effects of dietary models in conditions of hormonal secretion alterations (acromegaly, growth hormone deficiency, pituitary adenomas).

Caputo M, Pigni S, Antoniotti V, Agosti E, Caramaschi A, Antonioli A, Aimaretti G, Manfredi M, Bona E, Prodam F. Targeting microbiota in dietary obesity management: a systematic review on randomized control trials in adults. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 2022 Jun 16:1-33. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2022.2087593

Antoniotti V, Spadaccini D, Ricotti R, Carrera D, Savastio S, Goncalves Correia FP, Caputo M, Pozzi E, Bellone S, Rabbone I, Prodam F. Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet Is Associated with Better Metabolic Features in Youths with Type 1 Diabetes. Nutrients. 2022 Jan 29;14(3):596. doi: 10.3390/nu14030596.

Raiteri T, Zaggia I, Reano S, Scircoli A, Salvadori L, Prodam F, Filigheddu N. The Atrophic Effect of 1,25(OH)2 Vitamin D3 (Calcitriol) on C2C12 Myotubes Depends on Oxidative Stress. Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Dec 12;10(12):1980. doi: 10.3390/antiox10121980.

Ricotti R, Caputo M, Monzani A, Pigni S, Antoniotti V, Bellone S, Prodam F. Breakfast Skipping, Weight, Cardiometabolic Risk, and Nutrition Quality in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled and Intervention Longitudinal Trials. Nutrients. 2021 Sep 23;13(10):3331. doi: 10.3390/nu13103331.

Solito A, Bozzi Cionci N, Calgaro M, Caputo M, Vannini L, Hasballa I, Archero F, Giglione E, Ricotti R, Walker GE, Petri A, Agosti E, Bellomo G, Aimaretti G, Bona G, Bellone S, Amoruso A, Pane M, Di Gioia D, Vitulo N, Prodam F. Supplementation with Bifidobacterium breve BR03 and B632 strains improved insulin sensitivity in children and adolescents with obesity in a cross-over, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Clin Nutr. 2021 Jul;40(7):4585-4594. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2021.06.002.

Genoni G, Menegon V, Monzani A, Archero F, Tagliaferri F, Mancioppi V, Peri C, Bellone S, Prodam F. Healthy Lifestyle Intervention and Weight Loss Improve Cardiovascular Dysfunction in Children with Obesity. Nutrients. 2021 Apr 15;13(4):1301. doi: 10.3390/nu13041301.

Prodam F, Caputo M, Mele C, Marzullo P, Aimaretti G. Insights into non-classic and emerging causes of hypopituitarism. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2021 Feb;17(2):114-129. doi: 10.1038/s41574-020-00437-2.

Savastio S, Cadario F, D'Alfonso S, Stracuzzi M, Pozzi E, Raviolo S, Rizzollo S, Gigliotti L, Boggio E, Bellomo G, Basagni C, Bona G, Rabbone I, Dianzani U, Prodam F. Vitamin D Supplementation Modulates ICOS+ and ICOS- Regulatory T Cell in Siblings of Children With Type 1 Diabetes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2020 Dec 1;105(12):dgaa588. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaa588.

Ricotti R, Solito A, Mariotti Zani E, Caputo M, Genoni G, Barone-Adesi F, Mancioppi V, Agosti E, Aimaretti G, Bellone S, Prodam F. The relationship between cortisol and IGF-I influences metabolic alteration in pediatric overweight and obesity. Eur J Endocrinol. 2020 Mar;182(3):255-264. doi: 10.1530/EJE-19-0792.

Caprio M, Infante M, Moriconi E, Armani A, Fabbri A, Mantovani G, Mariani S, Lubrano C, Poggiogalle E, Migliaccio S, Donini LM, Basciani S, Cignarelli A, Conte E, Ceccarini G, Bogazzi F, Cimino L, Condorelli RA, La Vignera S, Calogero AE, Gambineri A, Vignozzi L, Prodam F, Aimaretti G, Linsalata G, Buralli S, Monzani F, Aversa A, Vettor R, Santini F, Vitti P, Gnessi L, Pagotto U, Giorgino F, Colao A, Lenzi A; Cardiovascular Endocrinology Club of the Italian Society of Endocrinology. Very-low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) in the management of metabolic diseases: systematic review and consensus statement from the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE). J Endocrinol Invest. 2019 Nov;42(11):1365-1386. doi: 10.1007/s40618-019-01061-2.

Saggese G, Vierucci F, Prodam F, Cardinale F, Cetin I, Chiappini E, De' Angelis GL, Massari M, Miraglia Del Giudice E, Miraglia Del Giudice M, Peroni D, Terracciano L, Agostiniani R, Careddu D, Ghiglioni DG, Bona G, Di Mauro G, Corsello G. Vitamin D in pediatric age: consensus of the Italian Pediatric Society and the Italian Society of Preventive and Social Pediatrics, jointly with the Italian Federation of Pediatricians. Ital J Pediatr. 2018 May 8;44(1):51. doi: 10.1186/s13052-018-0488-7.

Collaboration with scientific societies (SIE, SIEDP, SIPPS, ESE, ES) both national and international are active.

Collaboration with other Universities (UNIBA, UNIMI, University Federico II Naples, UNIPI, University San Raffaele Pisana of Rome, University of Rome Foro Italico, and UNITO) in projects fundend and not fundend are active.

The group participates as a member and Center Coordinator of the European Consortium of Lipodystrophy (ECLip), https://www.eclip-web.org/

The group participates as a member in the Italian Network of Laminopathies.

The group is the host mentor for the EYES (ESE Young Endocrinologists and Scientists) Clinical Observership Programme (C.O.P.).

The group participates in RUS works (University Network of Sustainability) Food.

Collaborations with other members of the Universities are ongoing:  

DiSS: Alessio Baricich, Simonetta Bellone, Annalisa Chiocchetti, Irma Dianzani, Umberto Dianzani, Mara Giordano, Marco Invernizzi, Simone Merlin, Ivana Rabbone, Salvatore Sutti

DiMET: Gianluca Aimaretti, Nicoletta Filigheddu, Alessandra Gennari, Marcello Manfredi, Paolo Marzullo

DSF: Marco Arlorio, Jean Daniel Coisson, Monica Locatelli, Fabiano Travaglia

DiSSTE: Elisa Bona, Maria Cavaletto

DiSUM: Davide Porporato

PRIN (2022 PNRR): Fighting WESTERN diet-derived AGEs (advanced glycation end products) with natural compounds to mitigate muscle wasting in sarcobesity (WESTERNAGE). (Ruolo: Co-PI)

PRIN (2022): “Microbiota and Immune SignatureS of Graves’ disease and Orbitopathy (MISS.GO)”; Prot. (Ruolo Collaboratore)

NODES (MUR, fondi M4C2 - I "Ecosistemi dell'Innovazione", PNRR – NextGenerationEU; Grant agreement Cod. n. ECS00000036): Spoke 5 (PI RM2)

Cariplo Cibo e Salute 2021 “Dietary fructose: a metabolic switch in paediatric obesity related diseases. Identification of nutritional, biological, omics, and social determinants” (Ruolo: PI)

FSC 2014-2020, Traiettoria 5; “NUTRIDIEMME implementation and strengthening of a network for the fight against malnutrition, the dissemination of the principles of the Mediterranean diet, and the development of new functional and nutraceutical foods" (Role: Collaborator)

PRIN 2020: “Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases in obEsity: an endocRine trAnslational socioLogic Evaluation (SIDERALE; 020NCKXBR_004)”.

FOHN Grant (2018): “Role of very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) in models of metabolic syndrome in humans and animals. KETOMI”

Nutricia Foundation Grant 2015/2016: “Efficacy of the treatment with Bifidobacterium Breve B632 and Bifidobacterium Breve BR03 on endocrine response to the oral glucose tolerance test in pediatric obesity: a double blind randomized controlled trial”.

POR FESR 2014-2020, Biotechnical Platform, Piedmont Region (2019): “NUTRAcore”

Fondazione Cariplo (2017): “Role of the ICOS/ICOSL system in Frailty Syndrome”

EuroTransBio (ETB-2017-30): “DM PREVENT. Novel intestinal Microbiota-based Medicine for Preventing Type II Diabetes Mellitus”

Prof. Flavia Prodam, PA

Dott.ssa Marina Caputo, RTDA

Dott. Alessandro Antonioli, PhD student

Dott.ssa Valentina Antoniotti, PhD student

Dott.ssa Jessica Baima, PhD student

Dott. Daniele Spadaccini, PhD student

Dott.ssa Sabrina Tini, PhD student