Mireia Alcázar López and Giulia Fiore are early-career nutrition scientists focusing on the relationship between the gut microbiome and obesity in children. Dr. Alcázar trained at Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Reus campus) in Catalonia, while Dr. Fiore trained at multiple institutions in Milan and conducted collaborative research in Reus with Dr. Alcázar.

Their research investigates how caregiver dietary interventions and counselling can influence the gut microbiome and whether these changes correlate with shifts in metabolic risk. They explore both what has been learned to date and what gaps remain, with the goal of informing clinical strategies for managing childhood obesity.

Selected Literature:

• Alcázar M et al. Effectiveness of a motivational intervention to improve gut microbiota diversity in children with obesity: A randomized clustered open-label intervention trial. Presented, ESPGHAN 2025.
• Fackelmann G et al. Gut microbiome signatures of vegan, vegetarian and omnivore diets and associated health outcomes across 21,561 individuals. Nat Microbiol 2025;10(1):41–52.
• Fiore G et al. Effects of dietary interventions on gut microbiota and related cardiometabolic changes in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity: A meta-analysis of intervention trials. Presented, ESPGHAN 2025.
• Houtman TA et al. Gut microbiota and BMI throughout childhood: The role of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and short-chain fatty acid producers. Sci Rep 2022;12(1):3140.

Dr. Alcazar & Fiore´s favourite song: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - Beatels

ESPGHAN favourite Songs can be found on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0YIHKjxITLEm9XNyHyypTo