Title: NUtritional Therapies for Recovery of Insulin-resistance-mediated Cognitive Impairment and Aging
Acronym: NUTRICIA
NUTRICIA is a 36-month research initiative that tackles one of the most pressing challenges of population ageing: the link between peripheral insulin resistance and cognitive decline. By exploring how disrupted insulin signalling accelerates brain ageing, the project seeks nutritional solutions that can delay or even prevent dementia-related disorders.
The work unfolds along a three-pillar pathway. First, investigators mine data and biobank samples from over 7,000 participants in the long-running Rotterdam Study to map dietary patterns, metabolic biomarkers and gut-brain interactions that foreshadow memory loss. Second, advanced pre-clinical models of diet-induced obesity probe the molecular circuits—from autophagy to neuroinflammation—that couple insulin resistance to neuronal damage. Finally, a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will enrol 350 adults with subjective memory complaints to test D-Pinitol, a patented inositol derivative recognised by EFSA for its insulin-sensitising and neuroprotective properties.
All datasets flow into an explainable AI platform that fuses human, animal and molecular read-outs, producing predictive signatures for early intervention and personalised nutrition. By uniting epidemiology, translational neuroscience and machine learning, NUTRICIA aims to deliver actionable biomarkers and a readily translatable dietary therapy for healthier brain ageing.
Financed by: ERA4HEALTH
Project Duration:
36 months (01/04/2025 - 31/03/2028)
Budget:
- Total Budget: 1.1M€
- Holisun Budget: 286k€
Steps and reports:
- Analysis of design requirements and implementation data from partners -1
- AI model development and integration 1 -1
- Model testing and validation 16/12/2026 - 15/12/2027
Partners:
Malaga Foundation for Research in Biomedicine and Health. Biomedical Research Institute of Malaga (IBIMA, Spain)
Erasmus MC, Department of Epidemiology (ERASMUS, Netherlands)
Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology “V. Erspamer” (UNIROMA, Italy)
