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Paula Ravasco Lab

Nutrition and Metabolism Lab
CatólicaMed - Paula Ravasco Lab

Paula Ravasco, MD, RD, MSc, PhD pravasco@ucp.pt ORCID: 0000-0002-6056-8269

We are a multidisciplinary team focused on clinical/translational research in nutrition and metabolism, and modulation of disease outcomes.

Our research has consubstantiated the major impact of active and personalised medical nutrition on cancer prognosis, thus contributing to change in clinical practice and integrated cancer patient’ management.

Our goal is to explore the potential and magnitude of nutrition as disease mediator, and nutrition/life-style related risk factors in Cancer, Quality of Life, metabolic dysfunction, body composition, nutrients, disease modulation and survival.

We also aim to clarify the predictive role of body composition, muscle attenuation variables and functional scores in cancer survival, and the role of protein and immune-modulating nutrients.


Keywords: Nutrition; Body composition; Cancer; Diet; Chemotherapy; Radiotherapy; Immunotherapy; Medical nutrition therapy
 

Ongoing projects

  1. Sarcopenia, inflammation and body composition: predictors of cancer prognosis
  2. Multimodal approach in patients with cancer during first-line oncological treatment 
  3. Validation and global utilization of imageology and impedance techniques to assess body composition
     

Selected references

  1. Arends J, Strasser F, Gonella S, Solheim TS, Madeddu C, Ravasco P, Buonaccorso L, de van der Schueren M A E, Baldwin C, Chasen M, Ripamonti CI, ESMO Guidelines Committee. "Cancer cachexia in adult patients: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines; ESMO Open 2021 Jun; 6(3):100092. doi: 10.1016/j.esmoop.2021.100092
     
  2. Ferrão B, Neves PM, Santos T, Capelas ML, Mäkitie A, Ravasco P. Body composition changes in patients with head and neck cancer under active treatment: a scoping review. Support Care Cancer. 2020 Oct;28(10):4613-4625
     
  3. Orell-Kotikangas H, Österlund P, Saarilahti K, Ravasco P., Schwab U, Mäkitie A A. “Nutritional Counseling for Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing (Chemo) Radiotherapy-A Prospective Randomized Trial”; Frontiers in Nutrition 2019; 18(6):22. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2019.00022. eCollection 2019
     
  4. Capitão C, Coutinho D, Neves PM, Capelas ML, Pimenta NM, Santos T, Mäkitie A, Ravasco P. Protein intake and muscle mass maintenance in patients with cancer types with high prevalence of sarcopenia: a systematic review. Support Care Cancer. 2021. doi: 10.1007/s00520-021-06633-8