8th Danone International Prize for Nutrition

:: 8th Danone International Prize for Nutrition: A new approach for understanding obesity and undernutrition rewarded on July 13th, 2011, on the occasion of the XIth Asian Congress of Nutrition in Singapore. American research scientist Jeffrey I. Gordon, Director of the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has just received the Danone International Prize for Nutrition for his outstanding discoveries about the mutually beneficial relationships that exist between the human body and the tens of trillions of bacteria living in our intestines, known today as the gut microbiota.

Knowing our gut is home to 100 000 billion microbes that benefit us in many ways, Professor Jeffrey I. Gordon and his students is providing new views of the complex interrelationships between our varied diets, the structure and functions of our gut microbial communities, the nutritional value of the foods we eat, and our nutritional status. This new approach (a pioneering work in a new area of research, metagenomics) has implications for understanding obesity and undernutrition. It will provide another paradigm to enhance the health of children and adults representing varied cultural traditions.

Set up by Danone in 1997, with the support of the French Medical Research Foundation (FRM), the Danone International Prize for Nutrition is one of the initiatives undertaken by the Danone Institute International to support nutritional research. It rewards every two years a research scientist or research team conducting outstanding studies in human nutrition. In addition to the renown associated with the prize, currently recognized as the most prestigious in the field of nutrition, the Danone International Prize for Nutrition carries a cash reward of 120,000 € which contributes to carry out new research works.

Health has been historically linked to Danone products. Research has consistently been a major pillar of the group in meeting its objective to provide consumers with products combining optimal flavour, nutritional benefits and safety guarantee. Beyond Danone our investments to promote research for our own its products, it is also essential to support academic research in the field of nutrition, since this activity opens up new avenues for improving health in various populations.