WP 6.1Spoke 06

Roadmap of malnutrition in vulnerable subjects

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Highlights

Research projects
Outputs

Spoke 06

WP 6.1
WP 6.2WP 6.3WP 6.4
Research projects
WP 6.1 developed a comprehensive national framework for understanding nutritional vulnerability in Italy. The work adopted a multidimensional perspective, analysing malnutrition as the result of interacting biological, social, environmental and behavioural determinants.

Research activities involved children with obesity and cardiometabolic risk, older adults with malnutrition or sarcopenia, and patients affected by chronic and metabolic conditions. The integration of anthropometric, dietary, environmental and molecular data generated new evidence to support early detection and personalised intervention strategies.

Projects such as SENIOR established structured biological and digital biobanks for older populations at risk, while initiatives including PREDICTABILITY and NAOM validated metabolic indices and inflammatory biomarkers for the early identification of paediatric obesity and cardiometabolic complications. Multi-omics approaches further clarified the links between gut microbiota, inflammation and nutritional status.

A major outcome of WP 6.1 was the development of interoperable digital tools. The NUTRIA suite integrates wearable technologies and cloud-based platforms to enable continuous monitoring of dietary habits, physical activity and physiological parameters. These tools form the core of a shared ICT infrastructure designed to harmonise nutritional and clinical data at national level, in collaboration with Spokes 5 and 7.

The legacy of WP 6.1 includes validated biomarkers, harmonised diagnostic criteria, structured biobanks and a digital infrastructure that provides a foundation for future research and public health initiatives.

Task and deliverables

Task 6.1.1.

Profiling of vulnerable targets (in connection with SPOKE 5) through: a) analyses of existing data in children affected by obesity and ageing population at risk of malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) b) screening of socioeconomic factors, lifestyle and dietary habits, environmental factors, food knowledge, nutritional status, body composition, functional status and disability, quality of life, genetic, metagenetic, phenotypic profiles, exposure to endocrine disruptors chemicals (EDCs), immune system functions in children and aging population with malnutrition c) human-derived biological samples analysis (including samples for the gut microbiome structure analysis and function).

Task 6.1.2.

Identification and application of biomarkers of malnutrition (including inflammatory, metabolic, microbiological, genetic and epigenetic ones) and biochemical pathways associated with diet and age-related diseases/ syndromes for early malnutrition detection and quality of life restoration in target specific categories.

Task 6.1.3.

Design of an ICT database for integrating data from different sources (in connection with Spoke 5 and 7): social, environmental, lifestyle including actual dietary patterns, nutritional status,including biochemical and omics data. The database will be shaped after standard terminology concepts currently used to represent clinical information.

Milestones

M6.1.1.1.

List of critical issues that would need consideration for reformulation of sustainable nutritional protocols target specific (M5).

M6.1.1.2.

Collection of biological samples (M24)

M6.1.2.1.

Identifying exogenous and endogenous molecules acting as biomarkers of malnutrition and related to diet in target specific categories with malnutrition (M20)

M6.1.3.1.

Requirement specification of the database representing all the information needed for profiling, treating and following up patients (M18)