The goal of the Nutrition Winter School is to gather early-career researchers and experienced scientists from various backgrounds to enjoy scientific lectures and fruitful discussions under the magical atmosphere of Lapland.
The program is designed to cover the topics from different perspectives: from basic science to the latest advances in the field of gut microbiota in health and disease. Additionally, we will delve into current discussions on food structure and explore new types of food sources and their effects on health.
Join us for an enriching experience that combines cutting-edge science with the magical charm of the Arctic!
Confirmed Speakers
19:00 Get-together (unofficial)
12:00–14:00 Seminar registration
Location: Conference hotel lobby
14:00–14:15 Welcome to Nutrition Winter School 2026
Organizing committee
Session 1: Foundations of Health, Diet and the Microbiota
Chair: Prof. Karl-Heinz Herzig, Oulu University, Finland
14:15–15:15
Opening lecture: Integrating diet, microbiota, and physical activity for lifelong health
Speaker: Prof. Karl-Heinz Herzig, University of Oulu
15:15–16:15
Is there an anti-inflammatory diet?
Speaker: Prof. Philip Calder, University of Southampton
16:15–17:15
Networking session: Meet the participants of Nutrition Winter School 2026
EVENING PROGRAM
17:30–18:30
Dinner at the Conference hotel
18:30–19:30
Candlelight lecture: Särestöniemi story and old way of living in Lapland
Speaker: Anne Koskamo, Museum director, Särestöniemi-Museum, Finland
20:00–21:00
Guided walking tour of Saariselkä
08:30–08:45
Recap of Day 1
Session 2: Microbiome, Nutrition and Lifestyle
Chair: Prof. Gerald Clarke, University College Cork
08:45–9:45
Early life nutrition and microbiota development
Speaker: Adj. Prof. Anne Salonen, University of Helsinki
9:45–10:00
Coffee break
10:00–10:45
Nutritional approaches to mitigate age related immune decline
Speaker: Prof. Philip Calder, University of Southampton
10:45–11:30
Can we use diet to manipulate the gut microbiota and how do we know we have?
Speaker: Prof. Julian Marchesi, Imperial College, London
11:30–12:00
Poster session
Chair: Prof. Perttu Arkkila, Helsinki University Hospital
12:00–15:00
Lunch & outdoor activities
14:30–15:00
Coffee & snack at the Conference venue
Session 3: The Gut-Brain Axis
Chair: Prof. Stine Ulven, University of Oslo
15:00–16:00
Gut microbiome’s role in brain health and neurological diseases
Speaker: Adj. Prof. Filip Scheperjans, Helsinki University Hospital Neurocenter
16:00–16:45
Mind and mood in health through microbiota
Speaker: Prof. Gerard Clarke, University College Cork
16:45–17:45
Short presentations
Exploring the Estonian Gut Microbiota: Composition, Structure, and Research Potential
Speaker: Jekaterina Kazantseva
Appetite – and gut hormones in Anorexia Nervosa: Effects of Treatment and Associations with Dietary Intake
Speaker: Ida Heir Hovland
Associations Between Habitual Coffee Intake and Hormonal and Cardiometabolic Markers: the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966
Speaker: Luca Verroest
EVENING PROGRAM
18:00–19:00
Dinner at the Conference hotel
19:15–20:00
Candlelight lecture: Strategies for successful grant applications
Speaker: Dr. Richard Forsgård, Grant Writer, HAMK
08:45–09:00
Recap of Day 2
Session 4: Personalised Nutrition
Chair: Prof. Julian Marchesi, Imperial College, London
09:00–10:00
Postprandial responses to meals and precision nutrition strategies
Speaker: Prof. Stine Ulven, University of Oslo
10:00–10:15
Coffee break
10:15–11:00
Predicting metabolic responses by precision nutrition
Speaker: Prof. Rikard Landberg, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Session 5: Lifestyle Factors and Microbiome
11:00–11:30
The fitter the muscle, the healthier the gut: emerging evidence or coincidence?
Speaker: Prof. Viktor Bielik, Comenity University Bratislava, Slovakia
11:30–12:00
Short presentations
Chair: Adj. Prof. Filip Scheperjans, Helsinki University Hospital Neurocenter
Associations of cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular strength with gut microbiota composition in early adulthood in the STRIP Study
Speaker: Anna-Katariina Aatsinki
The Impact of Dance Intervention on Gut Microbiota, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Quality of Life in Obese Breast Cancer Survivors
Speaker: Libuša Nechalová
12:00–15:00
Lunch & outdoor activities
14:30–15:00
Coffee & snack at the Conference venue
15:00–16:00
Short presentations
Chair: Prof. Rikard Landberg, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Effect of different sources of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids on postprandial inflammation: a double-blind randomized crossover trial
Speaker: Naman Limani
Gut microbiota in familial transmission of obesity - A multigenerational study across three generations (microbes)
Speaker: Eveliina Munukka
Gastrointestinal symptom expectation and subjective perception to food images in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Speaker: Sanna Nybacka
16:00–16:45
Psychobiological properties of probiotics, and the nuances of nutritional neuroimaging
Speaker: Dr. Julia Rode, Örebro University, Sweden
16:45–17:45
Psychobiotics: Stress, sleep, mood and mind
Speaker: Prof. Gerald Clarke, University College Cork
EVENING PROGRAM
18:00–19:00
Dinner at the Conference hotel
19:30 –
NWS Winter Olympics
08:45–09:00
Recap of Day 3
Session 6: Microbes and the Future of Food
Chair: Prof. Philip Calder, University of Southampton
09:00–10:00
Alternative proteins and new nutrient sources
Speaker: Dr. Emilia Nordlund, Research Manager, VTT
10:00–10:15
Coffee break
10:15–11:15
The fate of plant-based proteins and fibre in the gastrointestinal track – from protein digestibility to impact on gut microbiome
Speaker: Professor Anne-Maria Pajari, University of Helsinki
11:15–12:00
Short presentations
Chair: Dr. Richard Forsgård, Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK)
Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods in Sweden and Its Association with Diet Quality and Weight Status: Cross-Sectional Analyses from Three National Dietary Surveys
Speaker: Torsten Sällström
Interaction of selenium and copper in healthy mice and during intestinal inflammation
Speaker: Nora Meinhardt
A dietary mouse model reflecting human nutritional risk factors for early MASLD and its application in dietary interventions
Speaker: Anja Geisler
12:00–15:00
Lunch & outdoor activities
14:30–15:00
Coffee & snack at the Conference venue
Chair: Prof. Anne-Maria Pajari, University of Helsinki
15:00–15:30
Traditional foods – Case: milk
Speaker: Dr. Anu Turpeinen, Valio
15:30–16:15
Short presentations
Temporal Associations between human milk metabolites and the infant gut microbiome and metabolome
Speaker: Heidi Isokääntä
The role of human milk oligosaccharides in shaping and restoring infant gut microbiota
Speaker: Minka Ovaska
16:15–16:45
Regulatory aspects of new food systems
Speaker: Dr. Anne Kivimäki, Medfiles
16:45–17:30
Poster session
Chair: Assistant Prof. Natalia Drabińska, Polish Academy of Sciences
EVENING PROGRAM
18:00–22:00
Dinner at restaurant Kaunispään Huippu
08:15–08:30
Recap of Day 4
Session 7: Emerging Topics and Open Questions
Chair: Adj. Prof. Anne Salonen, University of Helsinki
8:30–9:00
Fecal microbiota transplantation: Mechanisms and clinical applications
Speaker: Prof. Perttu Arkkila, Helsinki University Hospital
9:00–9:30
Ketogenic diet as a solution to treat obesity? Where we are now
Speaker: Assistant Prof. Natalia Drabińska, Polish Academy of Sciences
9:30–9:45
Coffee Break
9:45– 11:45
Pitches for a healthy nutrition
Chairs: Professor Philip Calder and Professor Karl-Heinz Herzig
11:45 - 12:00
Closing words
12:00–13:00
Lunch
End of official program
The Program is under construction! Changes are possible.