Webinars

2026 ESPEN 48th Congress Symposium: Targeting Early Metabolic-Muscle Decline - Rethinking Nutritional Intervention in Disease-Related Malnutrition

How can clinicians identify and address metabolic-muscle decline earlier to improve nutrition care and disease management?

Presenter(s): Jose M Garcia, MD, PhD; Maurizio Muscaritoli, MD

Moderator: Maria D Ballesteros, MD, PhD

Date: 05 September 2026

Time: Noon-1:30 PM CET

Location: Estrel Congress Center, Berlin, Germany

Summary

Rethink nutritional risk through the lens of early metabolic-muscle decline. Learn how earlier recognition and intervention may help support patients at risk of disease-related malnutrition.

Note: 2026 ESPEN Congress registration is required to attend this in-person educational symposium.

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Targeting Early Metabolic-Muscle Decline: Rethinking Nutritional Intervention in Disease-Related Malnutrition

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Key Takeaways:

  • Nutritional risk may emerge before traditional phenotypic manifestations of malnutrition become apparent.  
  • Inflammation and muscle loss are important considerations in the development of metabolic-muscle decline.
  • Nutrition can be considered a proactive component of prehabilitation and chronic disease management.

Related Questions:

  • Why is early identification of nutritional risk important in disease-related malnutrition?
    Early identification may help clinicians recognize biological changes associated with inflammation and muscle loss before more visible manifestations of malnutrition occur. Earlier recognition can support timely nutritional assessment and intervention strategies.
  • What is meant by metabolic-muscle decline?
    The symposium describes metabolic-muscle decline as an early biological process associated with inflammation and muscle loss that contributes to nutritional risk. This perspective encourages earlier consideration of nutrition in patient management.
  • How can nutrition be incorporated into prehabilitation and chronic disease management?
    Nutrition may be integrated proactively as part of broader care plans designed to support patients before significant functional or nutritional decline occurs. Prehabilitation and chronic disease management approaches may benefit from earlier nutrition-focused assessment and intervention.

Presenter Bio(s):

Jose M Garcia, MD, PhD

Professor, Department of Medicine 
Division of Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine 
University of Washington School of Medicine 
Seattle, WA, USA

Dr Jose M Garcia, MD, PhD, is a Physician-Scientist at the Puget Sound VA Health Care System and a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, WA, USA. He is also the Director of the Clinical Research Unit and the Director of the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Puget Sound VA Health Care System. His current research focuses on the role of ghrelin, androgens, and other anabolic pathways in different wasting conditions, including sarcopenia of aging and cancer cachexia. His basic laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular underpinnings of muscle wasting, fat atrophy, and anorexia in these settings, and on developing novel targets for these conditions. His group also participates in several human trials in patients with cancer, aiming to characterize the pathways involved, identify the mechanisms of action of different potential therapies, and test them in multicenter trials. He also serves as the President of the Cancer Cachexia Society.

Maurizio Muscaritoli, MD

Professor, Internal Medicine 
Director, Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition Unit 
Sapienza University of Rome 
Rome, Italy

Dr Muscaritoli is a full professor of Internal Medicine and the director of the Unit of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition at the “Policlinico Umberto I” University Hospital of the Sapienza University of Rome. Director, Home Artificial Nutrition Unit, at the “Policlinico Umberto I” University Hospital of the Sapienza University of Rome.

Director, Residency Program in Internal Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

Vice-President, Degree Course in Medicine and Surgery "F" - International Medical School, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.

President of SINuC, the Italian Society of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Chief Editor, Frontiers Clinical Nutrition. Associate Editor, Clinical Nutrition. Associate Editor, Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Coordinator, Cachexia-Anorexia Special Interest Group of ESPEN. Coordinator, NESG/Nutrition Education in Medical Schools (NEMS) of ESPEN.

Dr Muscaritoli’s research mainly focuses on Clinical Nutrition in chronic diseases and on the study of the metabolic changes occurring in chronic diseases, with a particular focus on cancer and the mechanisms of cancer cachexia and the loss of muscle mass and function in experimental models of cancer cachexia and in cancer patients.

Dr Muscaritoli is the author of more than 250 national and international publications, including peer-reviewed articles, papers, and ESPEN clinical guidelines, including the latest ESPEN Practical Guideline: Clinical Nutrition in Cancer.

Maria Ballesteros-Pomar, MD, PhD

Chief of Endocrinology and Nutrition 
University Hospital Complex of León (CAULE) 
León, Spain

Dr María D Ballesteros Pomar is Chief of Endocrinology and Nutrition at the University Hospital Complex of León and a leading authority in clinical nutrition and obesity management. She also serves as Deputy Scientific Director at the Biomedical Research Institute of León and Vice President of Spain’s National Commission for Endocrinology and Nutrition. Dr. Ballesteros Pomar has authored over 160 peer-reviewed articles and 58 book chapters. She is Editor-in-Chief of the SEEN Manual and a faculty member of ESPEN. Her research focuses on obesity, metabolic surgery, sarcopenia, and disease-related malnutrition. A dedicated educator and mentor, she has supervised multiple doctoral theses and led numerous clinical trials. Her work continues to shape the future of endocrine and nutritional science both in Spain and internationally.

Category
Older Adult Disease State