Concluding comments

N.M. Delzenne MD/FARM/PMNT Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium

Nathalie Delzenne is Professor at the Université catholique de Louvain, School of Pharmacy. She is a lecturer in Nutrition and Biochemistry and is the leader of the research group in Experimental Nutrition in the Unit of Pharmacokinetics, Metabolism, Nutrition and Toxicology.

She is involved in international scientific committee (editor for the British Journal of Nutrition and publication of the Nutrition Society, member of the Scientific Board of the European Academy of Nutritional Science, member of the Scientific Council for several food industry (Orafti / Beneo, Danone Belgium, Alpro Soja…).

After a PhD in Pharmaceutical sciences obtained in 1991, and a post-doctoral certificate in Nutrition (Lausanne, CH), she performed a post-doctoral research in Paris (Inserm Unit 342) to analyse the effect of nutrients on gene expression in the field of obesity.

Back at the Université catholique de Louvain, she started an academic carrier and has been involved in the experimental approach allowing to assess the functional effect of prebiotic-type nutrients, and in several International European Project devoted to functional food (AIRII-CT94-1095; FAIR CT 97 3001; BIO4-CT97- 2145; GLK-2000-0086; grant from international Life Sciences Institute in 1998).

By working with inulin-type fructans as model prebiotics, her group has published paper showing their effect on glucose/lipid metabolism and obesity-related disorder and inflammation. The current hypothesis is the involvement of intestinal peptides in the modulation of food intake and glucose metabolism by dietary fructans.