ProGuMs – A Novel Gut-Brain Signaling Axis – Global Profiling of Gut Messengers

Lead by Professor Mogens Johannsen, Aarhus University. The main objective of ProGuMs is to globally profile the circulating metabolites derived from gut lactate/SCFAs and examine how they regulate satiety in vivo as part of a novel gut-brain signaling axis. The project was funded 6.715.000 DKK.

DARLING – DAiry polar lipids as Receptor LiGaNds modulating carbohydrate metabolism

Lead by Professor Mette Marie Rosenkilde, University of Copenhagen. The project aims to investigate the importance of dairy products and dairy ingredients as a source of bioactive polar lipids, which can improve glucose metabolism in healthy and diabetic individuals, as ligands of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).  DARLING was funded 5.400.000 DKK.

DIDOF – Quantifying the Health Impact of the Substitution of and Interaction between Dietary Intake of Dairy and Other Food Groups

Lead by Professor Inge Tetens, University of Copenhagen. The project includes Alexandr Parlesak and is a collaboration with Aarhus University with Associate Professor Christina Dahm and Professor Anja Olsen. The main objective of DIDOF is to develop and apply evidence-based tools to quantify and assess the health impact of the interaction of consuming various food groups, particularly dairy, with a special focus on replacement effects. This project received a funding of 2.880.000 DKK.

MILKY WAY – Milk as a natural way to protect and deliver phages to the newborn gut

With Assistant Professor Anders Brunse from University of Copenhagen as principal investigator: In Milky Way a novel role of whole milk and MFGM as phage carriers during early life gut colonization is explored. The project aims to examine to which extent milk 1) protects phages from degradation upon entering the gut, and 2) delivers phages to the mucosa, where they modulate the microbiota, providing protection. MILKY WAY received 4.007.000 DKK.

ChildRAUM – Children’s nutrient requirements, absorption, utilization & metabolic rates with emphasis on dairy protein

Nutrients and not the least protein is important for a child’s health and growth, and protein requirements change during different growth periods and with illness. However, little is known about the exact protein requirements during growth in healthy children.
The ChildRAUM project will determine in detail and in the broadest sense post-absorptive metabolism, post-prandial metabolism and nutrient requirements as well as endocrine responses in children in 3 age categories. For this, protein, amino acids, fat and glucose metabolism will be investigated before and after ingestion of a liquid meal containing a mixture of protein (casein isolate), fat and glucose to establish protein absorption, systemic protein turnover, and amino acids metabolism (including liver function) and endocrine responses next to glucose and oral Chylomicron and liver fat handling (VLDL-TAG) and endogenous lipolysis.
Children in different ages will be included, this will provide knowledge of protein and general nutrient requirements during growth in healthy children, as well as biomarkers for energy requirements to be used at children hospitals.

GutBioMod – Extracellular Vesicles in milk as Biological Modulators of Gut development and function during early life

Milk carry two kinds of bioactive phospholipid particles, milk fat globules and extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs from milk display a distinct molecular composition of lipids, proteins, and an aqueous core with nucleic acids, especially microRNA (miRNA). EVs are thought to deliver not yet fully understood messages to the cells in gastrointestinal tract in the infant, by its content of nucleic acids, which appears to be important for the gut- and immune system development, also later in life. However, EVs are only limitedly present in current infant formulas on the market today. In GutBioMod we want to study how raw milk and dairy derived EVs are influencing the intestinal cells upon uptake and which processes in the gastrointestinal tract that are influenced. By providing a deeper understanding of this milk-born mother-to-child signalling axis during early life, the project will increase our knowledge of the regulatory effects of nutrition and may help to improve the quality of infant formula.

DACAPRO – Dairy calcium to promote prebiotic effects in the gut

Calcium is a characteristic constituent of milk and dairy products, which are recognized as a key calcium sources providing support for bone health. In addition, calcium may also exert important effects that promote gut health, via its ability to influence gut microbiota (GM) composition and functionality. Through controlled in vitro fermentation studies where different calcium sources and prebiotics are combined as substrates, the DACAPRO project aims to generate fundamental evidence on the potential of dairy calcium to promote the effects of prebiotics and thereby improve gut health. This will be achieved through integrated metabolomics, metagenomics and gene expression analyses to identify the detailed effects of calcium and prebiotic combinations on in vitro simulated GM composition and its metabolic capacity and activity. This knowledge will be a cornerstone to understand the role of dairy as a unique biofunctional food segment targeted at gut health promotion.

YourGutBrain – Yoghurt to alter gut movements and brain function

Increasing evidence suggest that bowel habits are linked to mental health. Consumption of fermented dairy has been reported to accelerate intestinal transit time and to affect cognitive performance, respectively. The YourGutBrain project will investigate whether intake of fermented dairy in comparison with non-fermented dairy increases weekly bowel movements and concordantly improves cognitive performance. This will be investigated through a dietary intervention study including healthy women with few bowel movements per week. A wide range of measures related to the gut and the brain will be assessed upon consumption of fermented dairy and non-fermented dairy, respectively. Together, this will provide insights into whether fermented dairy can affect bowel habits and cognition, as well as potential underlying mechanisms linking the gut and the brain.

LAMETA – Lactate – the link between fermented dairy products and metabolic health?

Intake of fermented dairy products is associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Since fermentation increases the content of lactate, lactate may be the previously unknown link between fermented dairy intake and metabolic health. In a recent study, we have found that oral intake of lactate slows gastric emptying, inhibits appetite, and also inhibits the appetite hormone ghrelin and stimulates the secretion of the incretin hormone GLP-1 and insulin. Therefore, the aim of the LAMETA project is to investigate how the addition of lactate to meals affects hormone secretion, nutrient absorption, and substrate utilization in individuals with obesity and insulin resistance. This will be done through both animal and human studies and with a new PET scan method to measure organ-specific meal fat uptake. The results of the LAMETA project will elucidate whether lactate and lactate‐containing dairy products could prevent and treat metabolic diseases such as diabetes type 2, obesity and insulin resistance.

CASGUT: Caseins for gut comfort in infants

Most infant formulas (IF) are based on processed milk proteins, consisting of bovine whey proteins added to skimmed milk powder to obtain whey/casein (CN) ratio of 60/40 to approach the ratio in human milk (HM). The project aims to clarify the potential benefits of gently-processed intact or hydrolyzed micellar casein isolate (MCI) in IFs and how they compare to HM in terms of mild gastric clotting for improved gut comfort and motility and the release of bioactive peptides for improved gut health. It is currently unknown how the widely studied rennet-induced coagulation of bovine milk in relation to cheese-making properties translates into clotting properties in the infant stomach. This is studied in the CASGUT project; by combinations of piglet studies and lab based pilot experiments in the context of the established CASGUT AU/UCPH project consortium.

SMiL – Special Milk Lipids for Improving Metabolic Health

Medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCSFAs) comprise about 10% of the fat found in cow milk. MCSFAs have been shown to increase satiety and improve metabolic syndrome. We have two aims. One, by using different transgenic mouse models and by conducting mechanistic human experiments, we want to identify the mode-of-action underpinning the health benefits of MCSFAs. Two, we will create a novel dairy product that is highly enriched in MCSFAs and assess its potential health benefits in humans.

Scientific publications

Mathiasen et al. Novel milk fat fractions for health and functionality obtained by short-path distillation. LWT – Food Science and Technology, 2024.

Kanta et al. Dietary medium-chain fatty acids reduce food intake via the GDF15-GFRAL axis in mice. Molecular metabolism, 2023.

DAIPRO-NAFLD – A randomized controlled trial of effects of DAIry PROtein products on liver disease severity and metabolism in patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

The project will investigate the effects of novel dairy protein products on liver disease severity and metabolism in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This may procure novel treatments and dietary guidelines for patients with NAFLD and holds potential for extrapolation to obesity and diabetes.

Scientific publications

Sandby K et al. Efficacy of Dietary Manipulations for Depleting Intrahepatic Triglyceride Content: Implications for the Management of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Metabolism, 2021. 

The CutDM mealbox – Cut down on carbohydrate usage in the diet of type 2 diabetes

The project objective is to examine whether 12 months of provision of a carbohydrate-reduced high-protein (CRHP) diet as compared to dietary counseling to follow a CRHP diet or provision of a conventional diabetes (CD) diet can reduce medication and improve blood glucose control and key risk factors for metabolic and cardiovascular disease in patients with T2D.

Scientific publications

Kjeldsen S et al. Markers of Glucagon Resistance Improve With Reductions in Hepatic Steatosis and Body Weight in Type 2 Diabetes. J Endocr Soc, 2023.

FerMetS – Matrix characterization and effect of different types fermented dairy products on liver fat, cardiometabolic risk and gut microbiome in men with metabolic syndrome.

The project aim to characterize the matrix of different types of fermented dairy products and investigate their effects on liver fat, cardio metabolic risk and gut microbiome when compared with a dairy-control in men with metabolic syndrome. 

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Scientific publications

Correia B et al. Changes in Plasma, Urine, and Fecal Metabolome after 16 Weeks of Consuming Dairy With Different Food Matrixes – A Randomized Controlled Trial. Mol Nutr Food Res, 2024.

Sandby K et al. The effect of dairy products on liver fat and metabolic risk markers in males with abdominal obesity – a four-arm randomized controlled trial. Clin nutr, 2023.

Nielsen SD et al. Chemically acidified, live and heat-inactivated fermented dairy yoghurt show distinct bioactive peptides, free amino acids and small compounds profiles. Food Chem, 2021. 

Sandby K et al. Efficacy of Dietary Manipulations for Depleting Intrahepatic Triglyceride Content: Implications for the Management of Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Metabolism, 2021. 

Geiker et al. Impact of whole dairy matrix on musculoskeletal health and aging–current knowledge and research gaps. Osteoporos Int., 2020.

ENMET – Milk proteins as regulator of obesity through modification of the ENergy METabolism and gut microbiota

This project investigates to what extent milk proteins modulate energy metabolism and thereby may improve weight management. The project aims in addition to investigate the molecular mechanisms governing the effect of protein on host metabolism in consort with gut bacteria.

MAINHEALTH

The influence of maternal health on human breast milk composition with downstream effects on infant metabolism and gut colonization.

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Scientific publications

Thesbjerg M et al. O-linked glycosylations in human milk casein and major whey proteins during lactation. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2024.

Astono J et al. Metabolic maturation in the infant urine during the first 3 months of life. Scientific reports, 2024.

Poulsen K et al. Influence of maternal body mass index on human milk composition and associations to infant metabolism and gut colonisation: MAINHEALTH – a study protocol for an observational birth cohort. BMJ Open, 2022.

Popular publications

Modermælk er skræddersyet – men hvordan bruges den af barnet?

Gravide kan hjælpe med at forberede fremtidens modermælkserstatning

Finalized research projects

MiPUAge – Milk Protein Utilisation and Age

Whey and casein-derived protein ingredients: gastro-intestinal absorbption, whole body utilizatoin, and hormonal and metabolic regulation: a metabolomics approach.

MAGNUS

At any time at least 50 mill. children suffer from malnutrition, which has huge consequences for their future life – if they survive. Optimal nutrition support is needed to bring children out of this devastating state of hunger and impaired growth and development. This project examines how milk protein and whey permeate rescue linear and ponderal growth as well as child development in Moderate Acute Malnutrition.

Scientific publications

Pesu H et al. Correlates of Plasma Citrulline, a Potential Marker of Enterocytes Mass, among Children with Stunting: A Cross-Sectional Study in Uganda. J Nutr, 2024.

Mbabazi J et al. Correlates of early child development among children with stunting: A cross-sectional study in Uganda. Matern Child Nutr, 2024.

Mutumba R et al. Effect of lipid-based nutrient supplements on micronutrient status and hemoglobin among children with stunting: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial in Uganda. AJCN, 2024.

Mutumba R et al. Micronutrient Status and Other Correlates of Hemoglobin among Children with Stunting: A Cross-Sectional Study in Uganda. Nutrients, 2023.

Mutumba R et al. Correlates of Iron, Cobalamin, Folate, and Vitamin A Status among Stunted Children: A Cross-Sectional Study in Uganda. Nutrients, 2023.

Mbabazi J et al. Effect of Milk Protein and Whey Permeate in Large-Quantity Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplement on Early Child Development among Children with Stunting: A Randomized 2 × 2 Factorial Trial in Uganda. Nutrients, 2023.

Mbabazi J et al. Effect of milk protein and whey permeate in large quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement on linear growth and body composition among stunted children: A randomized 2 × 2 factorial trial in Uganda. PLos Med., 2023.

Lewis J et al. Calibration of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Against Deuterium Dilution for Body Composition Assessment in Stunted Ugandan Children. J Nutr, 2023.

Pesu H et al. The role of milk protein and whey permeate in lipid-based nutrient supplements on the growth and development of stunted children in Uganda: a randomized trial protocol (MAGNUS). Current Developments in Nutrition, 2021.

DAIRYMAT

A food item is more than the content of its single nutrients. The structure of the food at all levels affects the digestion and uptake of the nutrients in the human gut. In this project, we study how the dairy matrix influences nutrient uptake with specific focus on post-prandial lipaemia. The perspective is to be able to design better foods with a more targeted structure for nutrient availability by understanding of the effects of this relationship in dairy foods.

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Scientific publications

Thøgersen R et al. Effect of Dairy Matrix on the Postprandial Blood Metabolome. Nutrients, 2021. 

Thøgersen R et al. Progression of Postprandial Blood Plasma Phospholipids Following Acute Intake of Different Dairy Matrices: A Randomized Crossover Trial. Metabolites, 2021. 

Kjølbæk L et al. Matrix structure of dairy products results in different postprandial lipid responses: a randomized crossover trial. Am J Clin Nutr, 2021.

Schmidt JM et al. Influence of type of dairy matrix micro- and macrostructure on in vitro lipid digestion. Food Funct, 2020. 

Popular publications

Fast eller flydende – hvad betyder madens struktur for næringsoptaget?

Madens struktur påvirker din optagelse af fedt.

Bertram & Hammershøj. Forunderlige fødevarematriceeffekter, Dansk Kemi, 102, 3, 21-23, 2021.

D-pro

Effects of milk protein and vitamin D on children’s growth and health.

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Scientific publications
Stounbjerg et al. Vitamin D status of 3-year-old children in Denmark: determinants and associations with bone mineralization and blood lipids. Eur J Nutr, 2023.

Thams L et al. Vitamin D supplementation and increased dairy protein intake do not affect muscle strength or physical function in healthy 6-8-year-old children – the D-pro randomized trial. Eur J Nutr, 2022. 

Thams L et al. Effects of high dairy protein intake and vitamin D supplementation on body composition and cardiometabolic markers in 6-8-y-old children – the D-pro trial. Am J Clin Nutr, 2022.

Thams L et al. Test-Retest Reliability of Muscle Strength and Physical Function Tests in 6–9-Year-old Children. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 2021.

Stounbjerg NG et al. Effects of vitamin D and high dairy protein intake on bone mineralization and linear growth in 6- to 8-year-old children: th D-pro randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr, 2021. 

Popular publications

Tilskud af D-citamin om vinteren styrker børns knogler

Mørke måneder forude: Fødevarestyrelsen har et råd til alle

OmniSaM: The Omnibus Satiety Metric

A multimodal metric for predicting the satiating effects of real foods and drinks

Satiation depends on many human factors related to e.g. physiology, perception and psychology and as such has proven very difficult to measure and predict accurately. Healthy foods that fill faster and for longer are desirable for public health, but current methods for measuring the satiating capacity of foods have very weak predictive val-ues. This ambitious project proposes to combine the primary processes underlying the satiety cascade, including brain, blood and behavior measurements to develop a meth-od which can accurately predict future caloric intake. The Omnibus Satiety Metric will enable the development of superior satiety optimized foods in the context of weight and lifestyle management for the consumer, as well as enabling the future development of a rapid measurement for satiation with wider applicability in the nutrition and medical sectors.

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Scientific publications
Which factors decide how much we eat? DCA –Center for Food and Agriculture. April 2019. Popular science.

Popular publications

Hvad afgør hvor meget vi spiser?

Take

When sick and hospitalized muscle wasting often take place due to inflammation and lack of appetite. This project investigates the optimal combination of milk proteins and ketone bodies to counteract post-inflammatory protein and muscle waste in a new clinical human model combining inflammation(LPS), bed rest and fasting. The goal is to be able to support healing and recovery with targeted nutrition, which would improve quality of life for patients and reduce health care costs.

Scientific publications

Smedegaard SB et al. β-Lactoglobulin Elevates Insulin and Glucagon Concentrations Compared with Whey Protein-A Randomized Double-Blinded Crossover Trial in Patients with Type Two Diabetes Mellitus. Nutrients, 2021

Mose M et al. A model mimicking catabolic inflammatory disease; a controlled randomized study in humans. PLoS One, 2020. 

Mose M et al. β-lactoglobulin is insulinotropic compared with casein and whey protein ingestion during catabolic conditions: A human double-blinded randomized crossover trial. J Nutr, 2021.

Popular publications

Individualiseret ernæring skal få patienter på benene igen med muskelmassen i behold

Stimune

This projects investigates if a diet with bioactive milk ingredients protects against gut inflammation. This is of huge relevance to improve infant formula but may also be applicable to adults suffering from intestinal inflammation.

Scientific publications

Alinaghi M et al. Direct Implementation of Intestinal Permeability Test in NMR Metabolomics for Simultaneous Biomarker Discovery-A Feasibility Study in a Preterm Piglet Model. Metabolites, 2020. 

Muk T et al. Prenatal Endotoxin Exposure Induces Fetal and Neonatal Renal Inflammation via Innate and Th1 Immune Activation in Preterm Pigs. Front Immonol. 2020.

Oral Supplementation with Bovine Colostrum Prevents Septic Shock and Brain Barrier Disruption During Bloodstream Infection in Preterm Newborn Pigs

Prenatal Intra-Amniotic Endotoxin Induces Fetal Gut and Lung Immune Responses and Postnatal Systemic Inflammation in Preterm Pigs

Rapid Cerebral Metabolic Shift during Neonatal Sepsis Is Attenuated by Enteral Colostrum Supplementation in Preterm Pigs

Gut and Immune Effects of Bioactive Milk Factors in Preterm Pigs Exposed to Prenatal Inflammation

Rapid Proteome Changes in Plasma and Cerebrospinal Fluid Following Bacterial Infection in Preterm Newborn Pigs

Prenatal inflammation Suppresses Blood Th1 Polarization and Gene Clusters Related to Cellular Energy Metabolism in Preterm Newborns

Direct Implementation of Intestinal Permeability Test in NMR Metabolomics for Simultaneous Biomarker Discovery—A Feasibility Study in a Preterm Piglet Model

Postnatal gut immunity and microbiota development is minimally affected by prenatal inflammation in preterm pigs

Common and distinct variation in data fusion of designed experimental data

InfantBrain

A large project in which work package 1 is funded by Arla Food for Health. This work package aims to identify and optimize processing conditions which allow efficient and high quality separation of Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM) from cream or dairy side streams.

Scientific publications

Hansen SF et al. Disulfide bond formation is not crucial for the heat-induced interaction between β–lactoglobulin and milk fat globule membrane proteins. J Dairy Sci, 2020​

Placing pasteurization before or after microfiltration impacts the protein composition of milk fat globule membrane material

Microfiltration of raw milk for production of high-purity milk fat globule membrane material

Impact of industrial cream processing on the protein composition of the milk fat globule membrane

CutDM – Cut down on carbohydrate usage in the diet of type 2 diabetes

Mechanisms of effective therapy of diabetes by selective choice of macronutrients

Reduction of carbohydrate intake improved type 2 diabetics’ ability to regulate blood sugar