This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956146.

Christophe Matthys

Associate Professor KU Leuven, Scientific coordinator Clinical Nutrition University Hospitals Leuven

(Co-)supervisor of ESR 3, (co-)lead research and transferable skills training, member of the outreach team.

Assoc. Prof. Christophe Matthys (°1975) is currently working part-time as associate professor human nutrition at KU Leuven and part-time as scientific coordinator of the Clinical Nutrition Unit, University Hospitals Leuven. He obtained both his bio-science engineer degree (1998) and his PhD in Medical Sciences (2006) from Ghent University, Belgium. Following his appointment at Ghent University he moved to the Institute of Food Sciences and Health, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand where he was appointed as a lecturer. Between April 2009 and September 2011, he worked as Senior Scientific Project Manager at ILSI Europe (private sector). He took on his current positions in October 2011.

His research focuses on both trans-nutritional care and secondary prevention, while understanding the underlying mechanisms. His scientific vision is to provide scientific evidence through nutrition/food/diet to tackle metabolic imbalance and consider nutrition/food/diet as an adjuvant therapy to the current medical therapy. He is part of a unique academic group that combines pre-clinical and clinical research tools on the interplay of nutrition and different chronic pathologies.

He brings to AGePOP the opportunity to collaborate with the Academic Center for Research On Nutritional health In Man (ACRONIM) unit allowing to perform studies using e.g. Smartpill to observe the pH, pressure and temperature of the gastrointestinal tract along with absorption tests. Further, together with co-supervisor Tim Vanuytsel, he has access to endoscopy of the upper and lower GI tract of patients and healthy volunteers.

Christophe Matthys is (co-)author of over 100 peer-reviewed articles, co-author of 3 books, (co-)author of 9 book chapters (H-index: 25). Currently he is (co-)supervisor of 10 PhD students.

Publications

  • Steenackers, N., Vanuytsel, T., Augustijns, P., Tack, J., Mertens, A., Lannoo, M., Van der Schueren, B. and Matthys, C. The Gastrointestinal Physiology After Bariatric And Metabolic Surgery. The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Accepted 2020.
  • Gesquiere, I., Steenackers, N., Lannoo, M., Foulon, V., Mertens, A., Gils, A., de Hoon, J., Augustijns, P,. Matthys, C. and Van der Schueren, B. (2019) Predicting iron absorption from an effervescent iron supplement in obese patients before and after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a preliminary study. International Journal Of Trace Elements In Medicine And Biology, 52, pp. 68-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2018.12.002
  • Jans, G., Devlieger, R., De Preter, V., Ameye, L., Roelens, K., Lannoo, M., Van der Schueren, B., Verhaeghe, J. and Matthys, C. (2018) Breast milk composition in the first six weeks postpartum is not altered after bariatric surgery. Journal Of Nutrition, 148(7), pp. 1096-1102.
  • Gesquiere, I., Foulon, V., Augustijns, P., Gils, A., Lannoo, M., Van der Schueren, B. and Matthys, C. (2017) Micronutrient intake, from diet and supplements, and association with status markers in pre- and post-RYGB patients. Clinical Nutrition, 36(4), pp. 1175-1181. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2016.08.009
  • Jans, G., Matthys, C., Bogaerts, A., Lannoo M., Verhaeghe J., Van der Schueren B. and Devlieger, R. (2015) Maternal Micronutrient Deficiencies and Related Adverse Neonatal Outcomes after Bariatric Surgery: A Systematic Review. Advances In Nutrition, 6, pp. 420-429. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2016.08.009