Biomarkers, Exposome, and Nutritional & Food Metabolomics Research Group

The research group on Biomarkers, Exposome, and Nutritional and Food Metabolomics belongs to the Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Gastronomy at the University of Barcelona and is part of the CIBER on Frailty and Healthy Aging (CiberFES) of the Carlos III Health Institute.

Our activity focuses on the investigation of biomarkers of consumption, effect, and disease risk in nutritional, health, and epidemiological studies, using both targeted quantitative metabolomics.

About us

CAPACITIES

From the University of Barcelona, with the support of the CIBER on Frailty and Healthy Aging (CiberFES) of the Carlos III Health Institute, our research group has developed an innovative methodology for the simultaneous quantification of more than 1,000 metabolites associated with disease risk and prediction.

This technique, with applications in precision medicine and nutrition, allows for rapid results using a minimal volume of biological samples, including serum, feces, urine, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, and/or saliva.

Applications

Precision Nutrition and Medicine

The methodology developed by our group enables the investigation of the Exposome through the application of Targeted Metabolomics in various research fields within Nutrition and Precision Medicine.

Food Metabolome

A detailed characterization of the food metabolome enables precise monitoring of dietary exposure and the identification of foods that influence the risk of developing diseases.

Clinical and Lifestyle Biomarkers

We analyze an advanced set of clinical biomarkers for monitoring and personalizing targeted treatments in nutrition and health.

Environmental Pollution Biomarkers

Environmental epidemiology allows us to link the development of certain diseases to exposure to pollutants, which can be measured using specific environmental pollution biomarkers.

Microbiota Activity

The microbiota has a significant impact on both metabolic and brain health. We quantify microbiota-derived metabolites to determine their effect on the host’s overall health.

Dietary Assessment

The effect of dietary changes on phenotypes is known to vary significantly between individuals. Therefore, it is essential to assess dietary intake using approaches beyond traditional tools.

Dietary Recommendations

Thanks to the analysis and quantification of metabolites, we can provide dietary recommendations for personalized nutrition.

RESEARCH LINES

We work on projects related to the investigation of biomarkers of consumption, effect, and disease risk in nutritional studies, as well as the research of polyphenols and other bioactive compounds in foods and their bioavailability in humans.

Discover our research

Study of nutritional biomarkers associated with dietary patterns, polyphenols and bioactive compounds, metabotypes and disease risk phenotypes.
Development of food composition tables of bioactive components of interest in nutritional epidemiology.
Development of databases of biomarkers of intake and biomarkers of disease risk by metabolomics approach.
Standardization of metabolomic analysis protocols in biological samples.
Bioinformatics tools for biological interpretation and visualization.
Precision and personalized nutrition by studying the effects of dietary patterns and the role of the microbiota-gut-organs axis in healthy aging.
Scientific evaluation of food, nutrition, and health messages present in society, and the development of a resource for informed decision-making based on scientific evidence.

Publications

Discover the published papers by the group.

Papers

FOODBALL – JPI Biomarkers Action

EU-Joint Programme Initiative Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life

Development of strategies for the discovery and validation of food biomarkers, as well as the identification of consumption biomarkers for various foods.

MaPLE – JPI Microbiota Action

EU-Joint Programme Initiative Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life

Gut and blood microbiome analysis to study the effect of a polyphenol-rich dietary pattern on intestinal permeability in older adults.

Food4Brain

Knowledge Generation Projects 2020 (PID 2020)

Metabotypes based on dietary patterns associated with brain health.

Food4(H)Aging

Knowledge Projects Generation 2023 (PID 2023)

Study of metabotypes in precision nutrition, integrating nutrition, exposome, and frailty dynamics in healthy aging. Methods for integrative analysis of multimodal data in nutrition using ontologies and biological knowledge.

Intestinal permeability and bacterial translocation in the association between lifestyle, diet, and brain health.

Knowledge Projects Generation 2021 (PID 2021)

Study of dietary patterns based on metabotypes associated with brain health.

D-CogPlast

EU-Joint Programme Initiative Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life

Identification of dietary modulators of cognitive aging and brain plasticity, and proof of concept of their effectiveness in preventing or reversing cognitive aging.

DiGuMet

EU-Joint Programme Initiative Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life

Metabotypes based on diet and gut microbiome to determine cardiometabolic risk and design personalized intervention strategies to improve health.

Carb-Q-4-Health

EU-Joint Programme Initiative Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life

Carbohydrate quality adapted for personalized weight management and metabolic health.

Cook2Health

EIT Health – Innovation Pillar

Cook2Health supports healthier eating through a personalized coaching system that uses smart kitchen appliances to track and analyze an individual's food intake, providing insights into their nutritional consumption.

Metabolomic Hub

EU-Joint Programme Initiative Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life

Collaborative platform for analyzing the complex interactions between genetics, diet, microbiota, and health outcomes, driving innovations in precision medicine and nutrition.

INJOY – Innovating the Joy of Eating for Healthy Aging

EIT Health – Education Pillar

Training for entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, and innovators to develop the skills, attitudes, and knowledge needed to create solutions, products, and services that support healthy aging, functionality, and longevity.