Molecular Nutritional Sciences
Research Focus
The research group Molecular Nutrition Science investigates how nutrition, individual dietary components, and dietary habits affect metabolism, the gut, the liver, and the immune system as well as the brain. At the center of our research is the question of how dietary components act at the molecular and cellular level, and what role they play in the development, progression, and prevention of chronic diseases.
A particular focus of our work is the gut–liver axis. We study how nutritional factors such as sugar and alcohol, as well as bioactive compounds found in foods interact with the intestinal barrier, the gut microbiota, inflammatory signaling pathways, and hepatic metabolism. These processes are of central importance for the development of metabolic and alcohol-associated liver diseases, as well as for inflammatory and age-associated changes.
Our aim is to add to the understanding of the molecular basis of nutrition-related disease processes and to use this knowledge to establish a scientific foundation for new prevention and treatment strategies. To this end, we combine experimental models with human studies in healthy individuals and patients. In close collaboration with national and international partners, we pursue a transdisciplinary approach to translate research findings into practice.
Publications
Kromm F, Bozkir HÖ, Brandt A, Yergaliyev T, Camarinha-Silva A, Bergheim I. Aging-related decline in the liver and brain is accelerated by refined diet consumption. GeroScience. 2026 Jun;48(3):4275-4294. Epub 2025 Sept 26. doi: 10.1007/s11357-025-01897-y
Bergheim I, Cadranel JF, Chen JG, Ding WX, Eferl R, Garcia-Ruiz C et al. Understanding Liver and Digestive Diseases: A Paved Road to Improve Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment. Exploration of Digestive Diseases. 2026 May;5.
Csarmann K, Jung F, Baumann A, Simbrunner B, Schweiger K, Burger K et al. A single oral dose of an iso-alpha acids rich hop extract dampens the lipoteichoic acid mediated immune response of monocytes in healthy individuals. European Journal of Nutrition. 2026 Mar 7;65(3):84. doi: 10.1007/s00394-026-03931-x
Brandt A, Staltner R, Baumann A, Burger K, Jelleschitz J, De Oliveira Prada P et al. Toll-like receptor 2 drives liver senescence and fibrosis in aging through gut-derived microbial signaling. Cellular & molecular biology letters. 2026 Mar 3;31(1):50. doi: 10.1186/s11658-026-00881-4
Bozkir HÖ, Brandt A, Csarmann K, Baumann A, Burger K, Yergaliyev T et al. TNFα is a trigger of aging-associated liver inflammation in mice. npj aging. 2026 Jan 13.
Head
Ina Bergheim
Privatdoz.
Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2 (UZA II)
1090 Wien
Raum: 2F504
+43-1-4277-54981
PubMed
ORCID
Non-scientific Staff
Beate Gärtner, MSc
Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2 (UZA II)
1090 Wien
Raum: 2F505
+43-1-4277-54986
