Emilio Greenberg

Hi, my name is Emilio Greenberg and I work on obesity research. I graduated in Biology and later did my Master’s degree in Madrid, where I met Sarah (“How I’ve met Emilio“). I now hold a PhD in Molecular Biology and am Assistant Professor at the University, so I spend my time between the bench and the classroom.

My research focuses on human metabolism, obesity and the influence of different diets in our health. I try to understand how our bodies process the food that we eat and how our eating habits influence our susceptibility to disease.

One of the things I do is to study what people eat in places with a high proportion of centenaries, such as the Japanese city of Okinawa or the Italian island of Sardinia. It is probably no coincidence that were people live the most, the diets and food habits are healthier.

I also study how to fight disease through food. The number of calories that we ingest, the origin of those calories and even the time of the day when we eat them, can all affect our health. Did you know that laboratory animals that are fed 40% less calories live up to 50% more? And that they are protected against conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease? It may sound as a cliché, but we really are what we eat.

A lot of people come to me for advice on how to lose weight to look better. Being happy about one’s looks is important to keep a good state of mind. But looks are just a part of the problem. Obese people are more prone to many diseases. Obesity has been linked with a higher risk of suffering from diabetes, cancer, stroke and cardiovascular disease. We are currently living an epidemics of obesity that needs to be tackled. According to recent data, more than one in three adults in the U.S. are considered to be obese.

I love teaching and talking about food and metabolism. I think that knowledge should be easily available for anyone eager to learn and am happy to share what I know with the readers of Days to Fitness. I appreciate every chance I get to discuss science and I think that the “Nutrition Science Series” of articles will be a great opportunity to talk about healthy food habits. I’m sure we will learn a lot from each other.