dr. MR (Marco) Mensink

Dr. Mensink earned his MSc in Health Sciences, specialization Movement Sciences, and Medicine from Maastricht University, where he also completed his PhD in 2003 on the interplay between diet, physical activity and skeletal muscle fatty acid metabolism in the development of type 2 diabetes. Following postdoctoral research on muscular fat accumulation and insulin action, he joined Wageningen University’s Division of Human Nutrition and Health in 2008.

Since 2019 his work is positioned in the chair Nutritional Biology, which primarily focuses on the significance of nutrition to maintain or improve a persons’ physical and cognitive performance during ageing, recovery and rehabilitation. Dr Mensink is responsible for the research theme ‘Nutrition, Physical activity and Sports’, and involved in the research themes ‘Protein Digestion & Absorption’ and ‘Nutrition and aging’; and he is responsible for body composition and energy metabolism methodology in the division of Human Nutrition & Health (Health Research Unit). In addition to academic teaching he developed the MOOC “Nutrition, Exercise and Sports”, and coordinates postgraduate courses on energy metabolism, body composition and stable isotope methods in nutrition research. Dr. Mensink serves since 2021 as board member of the European Nutrition Leadership Platform (ENLP); until 2025 as co-director of the annual ENLP Essentials Seminar, and since 2025 as secretary to the board.

Research interest is how nutrition and physical activity can regulate energy metabolism and affect health and performance. In the research theme Protein digestion and absorption, the focus is on dietary protein quality. How well are proteins and amino acids digested and utilised, and what is their role in the preventing muscle mass loss during ageing or disease or in optimizing (exercise) performance. Within the research theme Nutrition, Physical activity and Sports, the goal is to understand how nutritional status is linked to exercise and training adaptation. Target group ranges from patients and persons with a sedentary lifestyle to recreationally-active and elite athletes.

Research theme Nutrition, Exercise and Sports
Research theme Protein digestion & Absorption
Research line Nutrition and Ageing
Chairgroup Nutritional Biology
Division of Human Nutrition and Health