James Lind Prize 2021

June 25, 2021

The Vezel-UP study led by Iris Rijnaarts-Modder at Wageningen University and Research has won the James Lind Prize 2021 in the category applied science! Sensus, and other partners such as Bolletje, Sonneveld Group and Kelloggs, together with Maag Lever Darm Stichting (Dutch Digestive Foundation) supported this research on how to increase the fiber intake of people using a personalized nutrition approach.

“I hope that this will enable us to follow up on applying personal nutritional advice in practice, in order to increase the fiber intake in the Netherlands. For our gut health, but also for other applications” – Iris Rijnaarts-Modder - Project leader Vezel-Up study (Wageningen University)

Importance of fiber intake

There is continually mounting evidence for the need to increase our fiber intake. As fibers are not immediately digested, they reach the colon relatively intact, where some of them, namely soluble fibers, are partially or completely fermented by microbiota indigenous to the colon. This results in a wide range of health benefits, including improved gut barrier function and microbiota composition, both of which have well supported health implications across digestive health, general bowel function, immune system function, hormonal regulation, and heart health. Dr Veerle Dam and Dr Elaine Vaughan participated from Sensus to the project.

“Considering the increasing wealth of scientific knowledge associating dietary fiber intake with digestive as well as general health it is important to find approaches to close the fiber gap”- Dr. Elaine Vaughan – Scientific & Regulatory Affairs (Sensus)

The award recognizes and supports scientific research into physiologically active (nutrient) substances and encourages practical applications that can bring health benefits to society.

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