The members of the emerging field “Movement, nutrition, health: (digitally) supported health promotion with consideration of ethical aspects” deal with prevention and drug-free treatment approaches (non-pharmaceutical interventions) for non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.
NCDs are a major health issue and leading cause of death worldwide. Until the 20th century, infections were the leading cause of death.
Developments in evidence-based medicine, such as antibiotics and vaccines, have made it possible to treat many diseases such as polio or smallpox and thus almost eradicate them.
As life expectancy increases, the number of chronically ill people has been rising for decades. NCDs are often caused by preventable risk factors such as lack of exercise, an unhealthy diet and substance abuse.
Source: Created with DALL-E from OpenAI
A healthy lifestyle with regular exercise and good nutrition can reduce many of these risks. Technological tools such as wearables and smartphone apps have the potential to positively influence health behavior, but must be used ethically and responsibly to protect privacy. In addition, social differences, especially in rural areas, are often the cause of health inequalities, which requires targeted research and measures to improve health promotion.
The objectives of the emerging field are, on the one hand, to deepen knowledge and, on the other, to strengthen cooperation between scientists at the University of Potsdam who are working on these topics. Over the next three years, joint projects and publications are to be developed, which should ultimately lead to a cross-faculty group proposal.
The aim is to create a cross-faculty research area at the university, which will be flanked by joint degree programs. The FGW Master’s degree course at UP Public Health, Exercise and Nutrition, which started in the winter semester 2024/25, is also part of this initiative.
The emerging field Movement, Nutrition, Health is open to new partners and collaborations. If you are interested, please contact the coordinator or spokesperson of the potential area.
Head of the Chair of Digital Health – Connected Healthcare at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI)
Website: https://hpi.de/arnrich/people/prof-dr-bert-arnrich.html
Photo: Kay Herschelmann/HPI
Head of the Professorship of Molecular and Experimental Nutritional Medicine
Website: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/mem/index
Photo: Thomas Roese/ZIM
Medical Director of the University Outpatient Clinic
Website: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/sportmedizin/
Photo: Thomas Roese/ZIM
Head of the Chair of Degenerative & Chronic Diseases, Movement
Photo: private
Head of the Department of Nutrition and Gerontology at the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE)
Website: https://www.dife.de/en/person/kristina-norman/
Photo: David Aussenhofer/DIfE
Head of the Junior Professorial Chair of Medical Ethics
Website: https://www.fgw-brandenburg.de/en/members/professorial-chairs/medical-ethics/
Photo: Marcel Wogram for VolkswagenStiftung
Head of the Chair of Social and Preventive Medicine
Website: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/soz-praev-med/index
Photo: private
Head of the Chair of Rehabilitation Medicine
Website: https://www.fgw-brandenburg.de/en/members/professorial-chairs/rehabilitation-medicine/
Photo: Gordon Below
Head of the Chair of Counseling Psychology
Website: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/beratungspsychologie/index
Photo: Tobias Hopfgarten/ZIM
Head of the Chair of Medical Sociology and Psychobiology
Website: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/de/medizinischesoziologie-psychobiologie/index
hoto: Karla Fritze/ZIM
(AG Kleinridders, AG Wippert)
Short summary:
Mental illnesses, particularly depression and anxiety disorders, are among the main causes of health impairments worldwide. Particularly striking is the increased prevalence of depressive disorders in people with diabetes, which points to common pathophysiological mechanisms. Studies show that neurobiological processes such as neurotransmitter dysregulation, neuroinflammation, a disturbed HPA axis as well as epigenetic changes and oxidative stress play a central role. These mechanisms can be triggered by hormonal resistance as well as by stress-related influences during critical developmental phases, leading to far-reaching changes in neuronal and glial interaction.
A decisive risk factor for the development of depressive symptoms is an unhealthy, high-calorie diet. Research has shown that insulin-resistant, obese or diabetic mice exhibit depressive behavior and that people with diabetes have a threefold increased risk of depression. One promising approach is to investigate the microbiome and the possible protective effect of probiotic food supplements. The bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR) in particular could play a role as an intervention.
In this project, we investigate the concept of allostatic load (AL) – a measure of the physiological and emotional burden of chronic stress. While AL has been demonstrated in depressed patients, it remains unclear whether this concept can be translated to diet-induced emotional changes in animal models. So far, this has been a methodological challenge due to high blood volume requirements for the measurement of neuroendocrine, metabolic and immunological markers.
The aim of the study is to validate the concept of allostatic load in a mouse model. Three groups will be compared:
We analyze whether HFD is associated with an increased allostatic load and whether depressive behaviors occur. In addition, we investigate whether supplementation with Lactobacillus rhamnosus reduces the allostatic load and thus protects against HFD-induced depressive symptoms. Finally, we compare the collected data with a previously studied human sample by Wippert et al. to better understand translationally relevant relationships between stress load, metabolism and behavior.
This interdisciplinary project within the potential area combines animal models with human research and contributes to the elucidation of the molecular basis of allostatic load and its influence on mental and physical health.
(AG Rapp, AG Warschburger)
Regular physical activity has been proven to have positive effects on the physical and mental health of children and young people. Nevertheless, only around a third of young people meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) physical activity recommendations. Of particular concern is the link between a lack of physical activity and the increasing risk of overweight and obesity – a health policy problem with far-reaching consequences for adulthood. In addition to physical health risks, there is also a close link between weight status and mental health, with both low physical activity and a high body mass index (BMI) being associated with an increased risk of depression and behavioral problems.
The aim of this research project is to investigate the temporal relationship between physical activity, weight status and mental health from childhood to young adulthood. In particular, the following questions are addressed:
To answer these questions, three large longitudinal data sets are combined:
These data sets include objective measurements of motor performance and physical activity as well as anthropometric and psychological surveys over several years. The combination of this extensive database enables a precise analysis of long-term developments and the underlying mechanisms.
This interdisciplinary project in the area of potential is being carried out through close cooperation between two research teams with proven expertise in the fields of sports science, psychology and obesity research. The knowledge gained should help to develop targeted preventative measures to promote the physical and mental health of young people in the long term and thus lay the foundations for healthy ageing at an early age.
The area of potential has a variety of modern research methods that are used to comprehensively investigate health, exercise and nutritional behavior as well as relevant influencing factors. These include, among others:
o Electrophysiological parameters such as brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).
o Microvascular parameters using retinal vessel analyses.
o Biomechanical examinations such as gait analyses and muscle strength measurements.
o Performance diagnostics using bicycle and treadmill ergometry as well as respiratory gas and blood lactate analysis
o Activity and behavior tracking using activity sensors in combination with Ecological Momentary Assessments.
o Computer-assisted neurocognitive testing and neurostimulation, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS).
These interdisciplinary research methods enable a well-founded analysis of the relevant factors influencing health, exercise and nutrition and contribute to the development of innovative and sustainable strategies for health promotion.
Niederer, D., Pfeifer, A.-C., Engel, T., Block, A., Schäfer, R., Floessel, P., Beck, H., Platen, P., Schiltenwolf, M., Schneider, C., Wippert, P.-M., Vogt, L., & Mayer, F. (2023). Dose-response relationship and effect modifier of stabilisation exercises in nonspecific low back pain: a project-wide individual patient data re-analysis on 1483 intervention participants. Pain, 164(5), 1087–1095. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002801
Block, A., Schulze, S., Deeken, F., Häusler, A., Rezo, A., Rapp, M. A., & Wippert, P. M. (2021). Effects of inflammatory markers and biographical stress on treatment response in depression. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 131, 105535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2021.105535
Schraplau, A., Block, A., Häusler, A., Wippert, P.-M., Rapp, M. A., Völler, H., Bonaventura, K., & Mayer, F. (2021). Mobile diagnostics and consultation for the prevention of the metabolic syndrome and its secondary diseases in Brandenburg-study protocol of a regional prospective cohort study: the Mobile Brandenburg Cohort. Pilot and feasibility studies, 7(1), 166. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-021-00898-w
Niederer, D., Engel, T., Vogt, L., Arampatzis, A., Banzer, W., Beck, H., Moreno Catalá, M., Brenner-Fliesser, M., Güthoff, C., Haag, T., Hönning, A., Pfeifer, A.-C., Platen, P., Schiltenwolf, M., Schneider, C., Trompeter, K., Wippert, P.-M., & Mayer, F. (2020). Motor Control Stabilisation Exercise for Patients with Non-Specific Low Back Pain: A Prospective Meta-Analysis with Multilevel Meta-Regressions on Intervention Effects. Journal of clinical medicine, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9093058
