Course
Energy metabolism and body composition in nutrition and health research
3rd Advanced course on Energy Metabolism and Body Composition in Nutrition and Health Research, with this time a special focus on Cancer
Background
Changes in energy balance result in weight gain or loss and changes in body composition. Disturbances in energy metabolism like mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic inflexibility are linked to metabolic health and chronic diseases. Both diet and physical activity, but also ageing and chronic diseases like cancer, can affect energy metabolism, energy balance and body composition.
This course will give an overview of state-of-the-art methods to measure body composition and energy metabolism, will provide a solid scientific background on methodology of energy metabolism and health, with – in this edition- particular attention for changes in body composition and energy metabolism during and after cancer (treatment).
Target group
The course is aimed at research professionals who are at the start of their career in nutritional or health sciences, or other scientists who want to become familiar with the field of Energy metabolism and Body composition in Nutrition and Health research. Participants should have a background in biology, medicine, food/nutritional science, or other life sciences and should have basic knowledge of human biology, physiology and nutrition.
Course aim
After this course the participant;
- knows the principles of common state-of-the-art methods to measure body composition and energy metabolism in humans,
- knows how to choose an approriate method when studying energy metabolism or body composition,
- is familiar with some major physological aspects of energy metabolism and health, and the pathophysiologic changes during cancer cachexia,
- knows the role and impact of diet and physical activitiy interventions in cancer patients
- appreciates the specific issues and challenges with regard to body composition and energy metabolism in cancer patients.
Approach: a brief, intensive course at an advanced level, which provides the participants with up-to-date information about state-of the art methodology and current issues in Energy Metabolism and Body composition research. Only limited practical experience is included in the programme.
Course design
The course consists of a series of lectures, interspersed with short presentations of recent studies performed at Wageningen University & Research. As part of the programme the opportunity will be provided to discuss participant’s own research (plans). The focus of this year's course is on body composition and energy metabolism in cancer patients, with lectures of several experts in this field of research. Participants are encouraged to apply for a short oral presentation or a pitch. Participants who want take the opportunity to present, need to send in an abstract describing their own completed or planned study to Dr. Marco Mensink before 1 February 2020. Six abstracts will be selected and included as part of the programme.
Programme topics
Amongst others the following topics will be covered:
- Methods to assess energy expenditure, e.g. DLW, accelerometery and indirect calorimetry
- Methods to assess body composition, e.g. compartment models, deuterium dilution, BIA, DEXA and imaging techniques (CT/MRI/MRS)
- Energy balance and physical activity
- Energy metabolism, metabolic flexibility, mitochondrial function and health
- Pathophysiology of Cancer cachexia, with emphasis on skeletal muscle metabolism
- Cancer (treatment), body composition and energy expenditure
- (dietary or exercise) Interventions in cancer patients
Download Programme
Organisation
Course coordinators
- Dr Marco Mensink, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & Research
- Dr Arie Nieuwenhuizen, Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University & Research
- Dr Renate Winkels, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & Research
Keynote speakers
- Dr Guy Plasqui, Associate Professor Human Energy Metabolism, Dept. of Human Biology and Movement Sciences, Maastricht University
- Prof Anne May, Professor Dept. of Epidemiology, Julius Center Research Program Cancer, Utrecht University
- Dr Klaske van Norren, Associate Professor Metabolism in patients, with emphasis on medical nutrition and muscle wasting, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research
- Dr Vincent de Boer, Assistant Professor, Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University and Research
Dr. Guy Plasqui has a master’s degree in nutrition from the University of Leuven, Belgium. In 2005, he received his PhD at Maastricht University for his thesis: “Daily physical activity, energy expenditure and physical fitness: assessment and implications”. From 2004-2006 he worked as a lecturer at the University of Wollongong, Australia after which he returned to Maastricht in 2006 and was appointed assistant professor. His current research is embedded in NUTRIM, School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism and is focussed on physical activity and energy metabolism in chronic diseases. He manages all indirect calorimetry and body composition facilities at the Metabolic Research Unit Maastricht, including 5 respiration chambers (room calorimeters). He also applies stable isotope techniques for measuring energy expenditure and body composition under daily life conditions and accelerometers to monitor daily physical activity. These unique facilities allow for in depth phenotyping of human energy and substrate metabolism in a wide variety of healthy and diseased populations
Prof Anne May obtained her Master’s degree in Sciences of Human Movement at the Free University in Amsterdam in 2001. She obtained her Master of Science degree in Epidemiology at the Netherlands Institute of Health Sciences, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam in August 2006.
Anne May is involved in research regarding lifestyle, body composition, diet and cancer since 2003. From 2003-2007 she conducted her PhD research on the effects of physical exercise and cognitive-behavioural therapy in cancer patients at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Julius Center. After completing her PhD, she continued working at the Julius Center. She is currently head of the department of epidemiology and works as Professor of Clinical Epidemiology of Cancer Survivorship. Her research focuses on optimal survivorship care for patients living with cancer with an emphasis on lifestyle interventions – from translational and clinical research to patient care. She is especially interested in effects of exercise in cancer patients, in the mediators of the effect and also in methodological aspects related to exercise-oncology research. For the latter she received a VENI grant from ZonMw (i.e., personal grant for outstanding researchers) entitled 'Novel research design and methodology for evaluating effects of physical exercise in patients with cancer’.
She is the PI of several ongoing (inter)national multi-center exercise-oncology RCTs (PREFERABLE, PACT, PERFECT, UMBRELLA-FIT and PAM). Moreover, she is the UMCU PI of the SCOPE project (‘Lean body mass and treatment toxicity in patients with colon cancer’).
Dr Klaske van Norren is an associate professor at the department of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University. Her passion lies in research on metabolic mechanism behind muscle wasting in aging and disease. With emphasis on the development of multi-targeted treatment combinations of nutrition, exercise and pharmaceuticals.
Dr Vincent de Boer is an assistant professor at the Human and Animal Physiology group, Wageningen University. His research focusses on the role of mitochondrial metabolism in diet- and age related diseases
Other faculty
- Dr Paul Hulshof, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & Research
- Dr Sander Grefte, Human and Animal Physiology, Wageningen University & Research
Date & duration
The course will be held 3 days, from 2-4 March 2020.
Study load
The study load of this course is 1.0 ECTS credits.
Language
The course language will be English.
Contact information
Information concerning the course contents can be obtained from Dr Marco Mensink, e-mail marco.mensink@wur.nl
For organisational matters please contact:
Mrs. Cornelia van Bree-Evers
Email:cornelia.vanbree-evers@wur.nl
Location & accommodation
The course is at the Wageningen Campus. The town of Wageningen is 5 km from Ede-Wageningen railway station, with transport options being taxi or bus. Ede-Wageningen railway station is about one and a half hours from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. For train schedules visit: www.ns.nl.
A number of hotel rooms have been blocked at Wageningen International Congress Centre (WICC) - a 15 min walk from the Wageningen Campus. Participants have to book their own room by sending an e-mail to: info@wicc.nl. Please book your room before 20 January 2020 and mention booking code EMBC20.
Registration & course fee
Applicants will be informed of acceptance of their registration and will receive instructions for payment and further course details.
Course fee includes online course materials, coffee/tea during breaks, lunches and course dinner but does not cover accommodation. The course fee depends on the participant's affiliation:
| PhD candidates affiliated with VLAG, PE&RC, EPS, WIAS, WASS, SENSE/WIMEK | € 225 |
| other PhD candidates / postdoc affiliated with VLAG | € 450 |
| University Staff / Non-Profit organisations | € 625 |
| Industry / For-Profit | € 1200 |
Cancellations policy
- No charge until 3 February 2020
- 25% of the course fee paid or due till 24 February 2020
- No refund after 24 February 2020
Substitutions for participants may be made at any time until the start of the course.