National and international experts are discussing at ADEMA the challenges of nutrition marked by new pharmacological treatments against obesity and the rise of plant-based diets
>> The 5th International Nutrition Week will also address gut health, personalized nutrition, sports performance and chronic kidney disease from a scientific and clinical perspective. >>Dr. Giuseppe Russolillo: “Injectable treatments for obesity will require new foods that promote satiety and will need the support of a professional dietitian-nutritionist.” >> During the International Week of Teaching and Research, the discussion focuses on how food science is advancing towards more personalized, preventive models adapted to new health challenges. The ADEMA University School inaugurated this afternoon the V International Nutrition Week in which national and international experts will meet until next Friday, April 24, at the Coll d’en Rabassa Campus of ADEMA, to address how food, clinical practice and food systems are evolving at a time of profound transformation. At the opening ceremony, ADEMA President Diego González highlighted the importance of creating meeting spaces like the International Nutrition Week to anticipate the changes that are already transforming clinical practice, research and training in nutrition, underlining the institution’s commitment to teaching connected with scientific and health realities. For his part, the honorary president of the International Nutrition Week and the World Conference of Dietitians Nutritionists, Dr. Giuseppe Russolillo, highlighted the role of these days as a national and international forum to address the major challenges of the sector, from the impact of new pharmacological treatments to the need to move towards more personalized, preventive and evidence-based nutrition models. One of the main focuses of this edition will be the impact of GLP-1-based pharmacological treatments for obesity, an issue that is marking a turning point in clinical practice. Expert Leyre Urtasun, Head of Product Development for R&D&I at CNTA, the National Center for Food Technology and Safety, in San Adrián (Navarra), will center her presentation on how these treatments have profoundly altered patients’ feelings of satiety, eating behavior, and digestive tolerance, opening a new landscape that affects both clinical practice and food innovation. Her presentation will focus on three particularly relevant profiles. First, individuals with obesity who are not undergoing pharmacological treatment and who require strategies to modulate satiety naturally. Second, patients undergoing GLP-1 inhibitor therapy who may experience nausea, sensory changes, reduced gastric tolerance, and a risk of micronutrient deficiencies. The presentation will also address the situation of those who discontinue this medication and need to avoid the rebound effect and rapid return of appetite. Furthermore, the presentation will demonstrate how the food industry is already responding to this shift with new products, prototypes, and research projects adapted to this metabolic reality. According to Dr. Giuseppe Russolillo, “the percentage of the population undergoing treatment with drugs like Ozempic or Mounjaro is constantly increasing. In this context, he emphasizes the need for patients to have the support of a registered dietitian nutritionist throughout the entire process, especially in the phase following treatment withdrawal, when it will be crucial to incorporate foods that promote satiety and help counteract the effects of discontinuing GLP-1 agonists.” Alongside this highly topical issue, ADEMA’s International Teaching and Research Week will also pay special attention to the rise of plant-based diets, another topic with a strong presence in research and public discourse. Researcher Raúl López Grueso, professor and researcher at the European Network Specialised in Dietetics for Sport and Physical Activity (EFAD-ESDN SPA), has analyzed how plant-based dietary patterns influence athletic performance, recovery, and the sustainability of the food system. His presentation delved into the available scientific evidence on their potential benefits for cardiovascular health, body composition, and endurance sports, as well as the challenges they pose in relation to protein intake, the prevention of nutritional deficiencies, and the need for proper dietary planning. Along these same lines, Iva Marques-Lopes, a registered dietitian-nutritionist and professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Zaragoza, led a workshop focused on the application of vegan and plant-based diets in clinical practice. The session addressed fundamental aspects of the nutritional care process, such as nutritional status assessment, intake monitoring, review of supplement use, and analysis of biochemical parameters. It also covered the planning of balanced menus, nutritional education, and the prevention of deficiencies in key nutrients such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, and DHA. The workshop also provided practical tools for designing individualized and nutritionally adequate diets for people following vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. The 5th International Nutrition Week also included a look at the future of food from a technological and systemic perspective. Óscar Rodríguez Barragán, a researcher at EURECAT-Technological Centre of Catalonia, presented various European projects related to personalized nutrition, prevention, healthy aging, food safety, water quality, and the reduction of pollutants in industry. His presentation demonstrated how the nutrition of the future will depend not only on general or individual recommendations, but also on the system that ensures food reaches consumers in safe, sustainable conditions, adapted to new health and social challenges. The program will also dedicate time to gut health and supplementation, an area that has gained significant prominence in both research and public demand. This thematic focus will allow for a rigorous, evidence-based approach to issues related to the gut microbiota, digestive well-being, and the role of supplements in current nutritional interventions. The closing session of the international week will feature Cristina Garagarza, a nutritionist and professor at the University of Lisbon, who will focus her presentation on nutrition in chronic kidney disease. Her talk will review the role of potassium and phosphorus in the dietary management of these patients and will highlight the need to move beyond rigid and generalized restrictions towards more individualized strategies. The session will emphasize a more up-to-date approach to renal nutrition, based on nutrient bioavailability, the overall nutritional value of foods, and each patient’s specific clinical situation, with the aim of improving safety and quality of life. With this program, the 5th International Nutrition Week will bring together experts from leading academic, scientific, and technological institutions at ADEMA, solidifying Palma as a meeting place for analyzing the major challenges of contemporary nutrition. This initiative also reinforces ADEMA’s commitment to internationalization,
ADEMA awards the work of 70 companies and institutions of the Health and Fine Arts sector for their involvement in the educational program of external internships.
The president of ADEMA, Diego González, has pointed out the importance of this event since “these collaborations not only enrich academic training, but also provide valuable practical experience that prepares students for the job market”. “From here my sincere thanks to the management teams of the companies and institutions and tutors who are committed to their work and make a great effort to help them complement the development of their practical skills and acquire deeper knowledge of their field of study, discovering new opportunities and strengths. Throughout our 31 years of experience they have become more than 400 companies and institutions, training almost 5,000 university and VET students”. Every year at ADEMA, 9 out of 10 students find a job at the end of the course with a high level of job placement. Professional internships, in the words of Diego González, are an integral part of the educational process, “providing students with the opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in the classroom to real-world situations. However, this enriching process would not be possible without the commitment and collaboration of external companies. They are a fundamental part of the education-society binomial”. For González, “the internship opportunity represents much more than just work experience. It gives them the chance to make valuable industry connections that often open doors to the job market. Entities are not only investing in the future of working talent, they are also enriching their own teams with new ideas, perspectives and skills.” The Ministry of Education and Universities of the Balearic Government has joined the act of recognition to the collaborating entities of ADEMA with the presence of the councilor, Antoni Vera, and the general director of Universities and Artistic Education, Sebastià Massanet. During his speech, Councilor Vera stressed the importance of the presence of companies in the education system to help prepare qualified students adapted to the needs of the productive fabric and thanked them for their involvement. On the other hand, the president of ADEMA has argued that “academic training is not the exclusive task of the educational center. It is true that we have a task among our objectives, but the process of guaranteeing specialized, comprehensive and quality training also needs the impulse of many business alliances. For months, companies become the natural space for the expansion of the classroom, where, necessarily, theoretical training converges with the practical development of the knowledge acquired.” González also highlighted the work done by ADEMA students at the school thanks to an innovative educational methodology based on service learning projects, where they connect with the real world. “Academic internships are not only a training activity, but also an excellent complement to avoid talent leaks by connecting with the business sector, which promotes innovation and achieves on multiple occasions that research, a great asset in ADEMA, is more focused on the needs of the sector”. According to Dr. Pilar Tomás, academic secretary and head of Career Counseling, internships provide students with contacts, skills development, general and cross-cutting competencies, “help them to deepen their understanding of the area in which they want to develop their professional career and, in some cases, are followed up with an employment contract when they finish their degree. Students who have completed internships have an easier time finding employment. Download here all the photos DISTINGUISHED COMPANIES AND ENTITIES Balearic Union of Health Entities (UBES) IB SALUT SAINT JOHN OF GOD Son Espases Hospital QUIRÓN GROUP INCA Hospital JUANEDA GROUP MANACOR Hospital SAMU IMAS Sar Ca’n Carbonell Residence Serra Farell Pharmacy Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ADIBA (Association of people with Diabetes of the Balearic Islands) ALCER (Asoc. Fight Against Kidney Diseases) Alimentòmica S.L. AGROMALLORCA BIOLINEA INT, SL (BIOLINEA INT, SL) BOISA Nutrition General Directorate of Public Health IdisBa School of Hospitality of the Balearic Islands (EHIB) Eurest Collectivities (Compass Group Spain) Glutify Son Espases Hospital-Concesionaria Real Club Deportivo Mallorca SERUNION S.A. Research Department-University of the Balearic Islands Aragon Dental Clinic 33 COPED Dental Clinic García Moris & Magallanes Dental Clinic Dr. Mateu Dental Clinic Dental Clinic Dr Plomer Ignacio Yarza Mayol Dental Clinic ZIVING Dental Clinic Tomás Sastre DENTALAB Clinic Kinda Halwani Rado Clinic Luis Martínez Barceló Clinic Ortigosa Clinic Plato Clinic Enrique Martínez Cabrera Garcias & Pereira Dental Clinic Obrador Dentist UDEMAX Arcodental PEDRO MAS Dental Lab Lab DENTAL TECNIC PROART DENTAL Lab TECHNOLAB Lab Lab TOT DENTS MARQUES ESTADES Dental Lab. Lab. Dnt. DENTS PRODUCTES DENTALS Lab. Dnt. STUART BESTEND Francisco Morales dental prosthesis laboratory Dental Laboratory BALEAR S.L ORTODENT Sports center Son Valentí SL, MEGASPORT CENTRE COS ACADEMY EL GYM IBERIA Vivagym Nuredduna EL GYM IBERIA S.L.U., VIVAGYM SON FUSTER University-Business Foundation of the Balearic Islands (CAMPUSESPORT) Illes Centres de Fitness SL (Illes Marratxi) Official College of Dentists of the Balearic Islands College of Dietitians-Nutritionists of the Balearic Islands Balearic Association of Hygienists of the Balearic Islands Official College of Pharmacists of the Balearic Islands Barceló Foundation Art Palma Contemporani