Philip Calder, Associate Editor for Nutritional Immunology, was named as the 10th recipient of the Danone International Prize for Nutrition. The award was for his “cutting edge” research on fatty acid metabolism and functionality, focusing notably on the immune, inflammatory and cardiometabolic systems.

“A particular strength of his research is its translational approach, extending the results of research in mechanistic and basic nutrition science to studies in humans, thereby influencing the development of nutritional guidelines and innovative treatments;” says the Danone Institute, Nutrition for Health.

Prof. Calder’s findings have shown that fatty acids – or a lack of them – are involved in a broad spectrum of common diseases ranging from diverse allergies through to atherosclerosis and inflammatory conditions such as Crohn’s disease.

The Danone Institute continues: “Prof. Philip Calder has made important contributions, has deepened the scientific community’s understanding of the underlying mechanisms that explain the relationship between nuDanone Prize Ceremony Preview-015trition and immunity, the important first step in the formulation of nutritional advice for better feeding the immune system.”

In his Prize Lecture for Danone, Prof. Calder previewed his most recent unpublished findings on the value of omega-3 fatty acids to pregnant women and their offspring

Prof. Calder is Professor of Nutritional Immunology within Medicine at the University of Southampton. He explains: “My work aims to understand how nutrition affects the functioning of the human body. Better understanding is key to developing strategies to improve human health and well-being, to lower disease risk and to treat nutrition-related illnesses.”