USS researchers stand out at World Nutrition Congress in Paris
Four researchers from the Faculty of Rehabilitation and Quality of Life Sciences at Universidad San Sebastián (USS) presented their studies at IUNS-ICN 2025, the world’s leading nutrition congress, which gathered more than 4,000 specialists from 120 countries.
Four nutrition researchers from the Faculty of Rehabilitation and Quality of Life Sciences at Universidad San Sebastián (USS) took part in the 23rd International Congress of Nutrition (IUNS-ICN 2025), held at the Palais des Congrès in Paris. The congress brought together nearly 4,000 researchers from 120 countries under the theme Sustainable Food for Global Health.
Dr. Samuel Durán, Director of the Master’s in Nutrition and Public Health at USS, participated in three sessions. At a roundtable organized by the European Federation of Nutrition Societies (FENS), he presented preliminary results of a study conducted with Peruvian researcher Roxana Fernández on supplementation for children with anemia in Lima. The six-month study introduced chicken blood (sangrecita) into burgers and sausages for children in a vulnerable area of the Peruvian capital, showing significant improvements in anemia indicators.
He also delivered a presentation on diet and sustainability and took part in the poster exhibition alongside USS academics Dr. Ana Obregón and Dr. Adrián González.
Dr. María Estuardo, researcher at the Concepción campus, presented the study “Viability and antioxidant potential of Lacticaseibacillus casei in blueberry juice formulations,” which evaluated the survival of this beneficial bacterium in refrigerated blueberry juice and changes in its antioxidant properties. She also joined a technology tour on sustainable urban tea plantations, engaging with international experts on innovative urban agriculture practices.
Dr. Ana Obregón, also based in Concepción, presented the research “Olfactory capacity in Chilean adolescents and its association with obesity,” funded by Fondecyt Regular No. 1231260. Conducted with 205 adolescents from the Biobío Region, the study showed that girls with overweight or obesity had reduced odor discrimination capacity, a factor that could influence eating behavior.
Nutrition and childhood health
Dr. Adrián González, PhD in Food Science and Technology and researcher at the School of Speech Therapy, participated with two studies. In an oral presentation, he discussed “Scaling Up the Standardized Production of a Functional Food Ingredient for Targeting Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) Based on Quinoa Peptides,” developed with researchers from Universidad de Los Andes.
He also presented a poster on the impact of diet quality, its components, and nutritional status on hearing loss in adults aged 50–80, also in collaboration with the same institution.
Global challenges, shared commitments
The participation of USS at this world congress reflects the commitment of its academics to interdisciplinary nutrition research and to generating knowledge that addresses global challenges such as childhood malnutrition, obesity, and chronic diseases, while promoting more sustainable and resilient food systems.
At the event, the international nutrition community strongly condemned the use of food as a weapon of war and reaffirmed its commitment to food security, the transformation of food systems, and the protection of the human right to adequate nutrition.