The 5th International Online Conference on Nutrients
Sports Nutrition: Innovation, Performance, Microbiota and Sustainability
The IOCNu 2025 conference closed and Winner Announcement!
Accepted abstracts are eligible for publication in a Special Issue: Selected Papers from the 5th International Online Conference on Nutrients—Sports Nutrition: Innovation, Performance, Microbiota and Sustainability, published in Nutrients (ISSN: 2072-6643, Impact Factor 5), with a 10% discount on the publication fee.
Meet Us In-Person: Nutrients 2026 - Clinical Nutrition: from Research to Practice
Barcelona, Spain | 22 - 24 October 2026 (https://sciforum.net/event/Nutrients2026)
the chairs
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome to this virtual online conference, dedicated to the dynamic and ever-evolving field of sports nutrition. This event aims to provide a comprehensive platform for the discussion of cutting-edge research and innovative strategies that connect nutrition and athletic performance. With an emphasis on both science and practice, the conference highlights how tailored nutritional approaches can optimize performance, recovery, and overall health across diverse athletic disciplines.
This year, we explore critical intersections between sports nutrition and personalized strategies, focusing on the unique physiological and metabolic demands of athletes. Topics will range from macronutrient periodization and hydration strategies to the latest advancements in sports supplementation and the role of nutrition in injury prevention and rehabilitation. Moreover, the conference will address the importance of gender-specific considerations, sustainable dietary choices, and their implications for both elite athletes and active individuals.
The sessions for this conference include the following:
S1. Personalized Nutrition for Athletic Performance;
S2. Innovations in Sports Supplements;
S3. Gender-Specific Strategies in Sports Nutrition;
S4. Nutrition for Recovery and Injury Prevention;
S5. Sustainable Diets in Sports: Balancing Performance and Planetary Health;
S6. Microbiota and sports nutrition: The gut-performance connection.
We extend our warmest welcome to you, esteemed scholars, practitioners, and experts, as we come together to discuss and share insights into how nutrition can support athletes in achieving their goals. Together, we will explore innovative perspectives that not only enhance athletic performance but also contribute to the broader goals of health and sustainability in the world of sports.
Best wishes,
Prof. Dr. Mauro Lombardo
Prof. Elvira Padua
Department of Human Sciences and Promotion of Quality of Life, San Raffaele Open University, Italy
Prof. Dr. David Nieman
Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, USA.
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Meet the Event Chairs
Important Dates
- Abstract submission deadlineSep 10, 2025
- Abstract acceptance notificationOct 10, 2025
Meet Our Speakers
Prof. Dr. David C. Nieman
Director of the Human Performance Laboratory, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC, USA, Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA;
David Nieman is a professor in the Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, at Appalachian State University, and director of the Human Performance Lab at the North Carolina Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, NC. Dr. Nieman is a pioneer in the research area of exercise and nutrition immunology. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the sports nutrition section of the journals Nutrients.
Prof. Dr. Mikel Zabala
Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain;
Mikel Zabala is a Doctor of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences at the University of Granada (Spain) and Liverpool John Moores University (UK). He is a full professor of Cycling at the Faculty of Sports Sciences of the University of Granada, focusing his research on improving sports performance through training, ergogenic aids or nutrition. The knowledge transfer work of more than 20 years to and from the professional elite sport is noteworthy, working from 2000 to 2012 for the Spanish Cycling Federation (reaching various Olympic medals with Spanish athletes) and from 2013 to 2020 for the professional cycling team Movistar Team (getting to be the best team in the world 4 times, as well as countless victories in the most prestigious competitions). He currently also works with one of the best MotoCross riders in the world, Jorge Prado, and since 2021 he has returned to work for the Spanish cycling federation.
Prof. Margarida Castell
Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain;
Margarida Castell (degree and PhD in Pharmacy, Univ. Barcelona) is professor at the Section of Physiology, Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Science at the University of Barcelona (UB). She is the leader of the “Autoimmunity, Immunonutrition and Tolerance group” research group at the Section of Physiology, and also the leader of the research group of “Immunonutrition and gene therapy” consolidated by the Generalitat de Catalunya. She is member of the Institute for Research in Nutrition and Food Safety of the University of Barcelona (INSA-UB), member of the CIBER Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III), member of the International Society of Immunonutrition, and founding member of the International Society of Chocolate and Cocoa in Medicine.
Dr. Francisco J. Pérez-Cano
Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Food Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, Nutrition and Food Safety Research Institute (INSA), Santa Coloma de Gramenet, Spain;
Francisco J Pérez-Cano was born and educated in Barcelona. He studied the degree of Pharmacy (1999) at the University of Barcelona (UB) where he also studied different masters in higher education. He joined in 1996 to the “Autoimmunity, Immunonutrition and Tolerance Research Group” in the Department of Physiology. He moved to the Center for Immunology at the University of California-Irvine in 2003-2004 to complete his training and he defended his PhD about “Mucosal Immunity Acquisition in Early Life” in 2004. After that, he was hired as associate professor (2005), Lecturer (2007) and finally as a Permanent Associate Professor (2011) in the Department of Physiology of the University of Barcelona. He is currently teaching different subjects in the Degrees of Pharmacy, Food Science and Technology, Human Nutrition and in several University Masters. He performed a post-doctoral training (2009) at the University of Reading (UK) and has participated in more than 50 research projects with public funding but also in collaboration with industry. Francisco has more than 120 peer-review manuscripts, a book and several book chapters in the field. Francisco’s research interests are Immunonutrition in early life. He has focused, on the one hand in the impact of cocoa, and its components, in immunity and microbiota in health conditions but also in disease by using models of acute/chronic inflammation and allergy. On the other hand, he has studied the impact of several components present in breast milk (whey proteins, lactoferrin, CLA, oligosaccharides, probiotic bacteria, etc.) at preclinical level on the developing immune function of infants but also under viral infections. His current line of research is focused on the effect of prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics and its combinations on the neonatal immune system and the impact of maternal diet on immunity programming. Dr. Pérez-Cano is the director of the Research Institute for Nutrition and Safety-UB (INSA-UB), Ambassador of the Spanish Society of Immunology (SEI) and Section Chief Editor of “Nutritional Immunology”.
Prof. Antonio Paoli
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy;
Antonio Paoli is a Full Professor of Exercise and Sports Sciences and Director of the Nutrition & Exercise Physiology Laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Padua, Italy. He also serves as Professor of Strength Training and Sport Nutrition at UCAM University (Murcia, Spain). Since 2021, he has held the position of Vice Rector for Wellness and Sport at the University of Padua. His research focuses on the ketogenic diet, fasting, the interaction between exercise and diet, and the molecular mechanisms underlying exercise training adaptations.
Prof. Ahmed El-Sohemy
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada;
Ahmed El-Sohemy, PhD Dr. Ahmed El-Sohemy is a Professor and Associate Chair at the University of Toronto and held a Canada Research Chair in Nutrigenomics. He is also the Founder of Nutrigenomix Inc. and serves as Chief Science Officer. Dr. El-Sohemy obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard. He has published in the top scientific and medical journals with over 200 peer-reviewed publications and has given more than 360 invited talks around the world. Dr. El-Sohemy has been a member of international expert advisory panels and the scientific advisory boards of several organizations. His research has garnered considerable media attention and has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, Vogue, GQ and Prevention magazine, as well as several other international TV and print media. Dr. El-Sohemy is the recipient of several awards for research excellence by the Canadian Nutrition Society, the American College of Nutrition, and the American Nutrition Association. He is on the editorial board of 10 scientific and medical journals and served as an expert reviewer for more than 30 other journals and 12 granting agencies. Last year he was appointed Editor-in-Chief of the journal Genes & Nutrition, which is one of the leading journals in the field of personalized nutrition. He has over 8,900 citations with an H-index of 53 and is one of the most highly cited researchers in the field of personalized nutrition. Dr. El-Sohemy has served on Health Canada’s Scientific Advisory Board and several international expert advisory panels. He has made numerous appearances on TV, radio and in print media, and was voted one of the top 10 people to watch in 2004 by the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper, and in 2007 was nominated for Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award. In 2013, Dr. El-Sohemy was named one of the top 10 inventors of the year by the University of Toronto and received multiple awards.
Prof. Dr. Paola Palestini
School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy, POLARIS Research Centre, University of Milano-Bicocca,Monza, Italy;
Paola Palestini is Associate Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Milano-Bicocca and Director of the Master’s Program in Nutrition and Applied Dietetics.
Prof. Paola Palestini's scientific interests focus on understanding how environmental factors, including air pollution and nutrition, impact our health.
Regarding this last point, recent research is addressed in the analysis of the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of phytoextracts of different origins in inflammatory diseases such as IBD.
She is the author of approximately 100 articles published in international journals and of 140 communications from international and national congresses. Author ID: 7003442377 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1045-8838 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=palestini+p
Dr. Sandrina Heleno
Centro de Investigação de Montanha (CIMO), La SusTEC, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB), 5300-253 Bragança, Portugal;
Sandrina A. Heleno is a senior researcher at the P|olytechnic University of Bragança, Portugal. She holds a PhD en Chemistry and works mainly with the development and application of functional agents in different industries, namely the food sector. S. Heleno has been participating in national and international financed research projects, being the PI of 7 financed projects composed of a multidisciplinary consortia with several renowned enterprises and research centers. Her research activity resulted in the publication of more than 100 papers in indexed journals, 9 book chapters, 7 patents, related with the development of natural preservatives and functional foods including 1 patent related with the development of hipocholesterolemic extracts; and participated in more than 100 conferences having an h-index of 40. One of the international patents was transferred to the industry, leaded to the creation of a spin-of dedicated to the exploitation of the developed technology, a natural preservative. She is also an Associate Editor of the Frontiers in Nutrition Journal and guest editor of several special issues in indexed journals. She was also editor of a book entitled: Natural Secondary Metabolites - From Nature, Through Science, to Industry, from Springer Nature. She is also a member of the team that awarded the first place of the European Social Innovation prize (50.000 Euros) and with three National prizes (2 BornFromKnowledge,1 CA Crédito agrícola (10.000 Euros). I am in the list of the 2% most cited researchers in the food area in a study perform by the Stanford University. She currently supervises Pos-doctoral (2 ongoing), PhD students (12 ongoing), master (3).
Prof. Richard Kreider
Exercise & Sport Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management, Texas A&M University, Texas, USA;
Dr. Kreider serves as Professor and Director of the Exercise & Sport Nutrition Lab and Director of the Human Clinical Core at Texas A&M University. He is regarded as a leading scholar on the safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation for health and athletic performance.
Prof. Dr. Ildus Akhmetov
Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK;
Dr. Ildus I. Ahmetov (MD, PhD, DSc) is a Reader in Genetics and Epigenetics at the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom. His research interests encompass sports genomics, nutrigenomics, obesity, molecular physiology, behavioural genetics, ageing, sarcopenia, longevity, and sports medicine.
Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Santarpino
Department of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy;
Giuseppe Santarpino was born and educated in Naples at the Second University (now Vanvitelli University), where he began attending the Cardiac Surgery Department led by Professor M. Cotrufo in 2000. He graduated cum laude with a thesis on the use of the heart–lung machine in cardiac surgery and completed his residency, also with honors, at Monaldi Hospital in Naples.
During his training, he spent a year at the Cardiac Surgery Unit of Magna Græcia University under Professor Attilio Renzulli—an experience that strengthened his passion for integrating scientific research with clinical practice.
After specialization, Dr. Santarpino broadened his experience abroad, working in England and the Netherlands before joining the Cardiac Surgery Department of Nuremberg Hospital in late 2008—Germany’s largest public hospital. Under Professor T. Fischlein, he specialized in minimally invasive cardiac surgery and innovative aortic valve technologies, working full-time as an operating surgeon until 2017.
At Nuremberg, he also pursued an academic career, earning a Doctorate in Cardiac Surgery from the University of Erlangen, a Master’s in Medical Teaching, and habilitation at the University of Salzburg, before being appointed Associate Professor of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Nuremberg in 2017.
His research, publications, and the creation of a cellular research laboratory fostered collaboration between Nuremberg Public Hospital and Paracelsus Medical University. Alongside his scientific work, he completed a Master’s in Management and Leadership in Healthcare Systems and served for nearly a decade as Head of Academic Affairs, contributing to teaching, research, and the development of new surgical technologies.
- S1. Personalised nutrition for athletic performance
- S2. Innovations in sports supplements
- S3. Gender-specific strategies in sports nutrition
- S4. Nutrition for recovery and injury prevention
- S5. Sustainable diets in sport: Balancing performance and health
Sponsors and Partners
organizer
co-organizer
media partner
Nutrients 2026 - Clinical Nutrition: from Research to Practice
22-24 October 2026, Barcelona, Spain - Submission Deadline Is Approaching!
Submit Your Research and Register with Early Bird Price: https://sciforum.net/event/Nutrients2026
On behalf of the chairs of IOCNu 2025, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Best Oral Presentation Awards and Best Poster Presentation Awards!
The Best Oral Presentation Awards have been awarded to:
| Presenter | Title |
|
Alessia Bartolacci |
|
|
Elsa Blanco-Ferran |
|
|
Dingkang Wang |
Fatty Acid-Primed S. Boulardii Enhances Obesity Treatment by Improving Gut Survival and Microbiota |
The Best Poster Award has been awarded to:
| Presenter | Title |
| Mónica Castillo Martínez | Characterization of the Gut Microbiota in Elite Female Futsal Players Throughout the Season |
| Paula Barciela | Nutrigenomic Modeling of Performance Phenotypes in Sport: An Evidence-Based Systematic Review |
| Rocio Gonzalez Soltero | A Multi-Omics Approach to Investigating the Role of Fecal miRNAs in the Gut Microbiota in Response to Physical Exercise: A Pilot Study |
IOCNu 2025
Day 1
Session 3 – Gender-Specific Strategies in Sports Nutrition
Session 1 – Personalized Nutrition for Athletic Performance
Day 2
Session 5 – Sustainable Diets in Sport: Balacing Performance and Health
Session 2 – Innovations in Sports Supplements
Day 3
Session 4 –Nutrition for Recovery and Injury Prevention
Session 6 –Microbiota and Sports Nutrition: The Gut–Performance Connection
Ms. Ioana Vintila
Mr. Ionut Spatar
Email: iocnu2025@mdpi.com
For inquiries regarding submissions and sponsorship opportunities, please feel free to contact us.