Arne Astrup

Arne Vernon Astrup (born August 1, in Frederiksberg, 1955) is a Danish nutritionist, chief physician, researcher, author and professor. He is known as a researcher, communicator and author and has published more than 900 scientific articles. In 2018 he was internationally recognised as one of the world's most cited researchers. Arne Astrup has contributed to the identification of GLP-1 as a satiety hormone, which has played a key role in the development of GLP-1 drugs for the treatment of obesity, which has contributed to the success of Novo Nordisk A/S and their drug Wegovy.

From 1990 to 2020 was head of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the Faculty of Science at the University of Copenhagen. In the fall of 2016, the department was ranked by the internationally recognised Shanghai Ranking as the world's leading research environment in its field.

Astrup completed his medical studies at the University of Copenhagen in 1981. In 1986, he received his medical doctorate (Dr. med.) for his dissertation on metabolism in humans. Subsequently, he continued his training as a specialist in Internal Medicine. He was at the final stage of his specialist training when he became head of the Danish Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University in 1990. He was made a Knight of the Order of Dannebrog in 1999 by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, and Knight 1st Class of the Order of Dannebrog in 2012.

Since July 1, 2020, Arne Astrup has taken on the role of Senior Vice President, Obesity and Nutritional Sciences, at the Novo Nordisk Foundation. that have made his name publicly known in the wider Danish population.

Recognitions

Public attention: In the 1990s, Arne Astrup gained public attention due to his new methods for measuring appetite and energy intake. Chairman of the National Nutrition Council: From 1993 to 2001, he was the chairman of the National Nutrition Council (replaced by the Council for Physical Activity and Nutrition in 2005) and contributed to the ban on industrially produced trans fats in Denmark in 2004. supported by the EU Framework Program with 15 million euros, which showed that a diet with more protein and fewer carbohydrates could promote weight control in overweight people after weight loss. Together with Master of Science in Human Nutrition Christian Bitz, he has disseminated the principles of Diogenes in the book “The World's Best Diet”, which has sold over 100,000 copies and has been translated into 4 languages.

Criticism and Controversies Astrup has faced criticism for combining his research responsibilities with personal economic interests on several occasions. For instance, he held a dual role with the company Neurosearch, acting as an advisor and owning stocks while publicly endorsing the company’s diet pill in his column, "Doktor Slank" ("Doctor Skinny"). This raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest. Following the negative publicity, Astrup sold his shares in Neurosearch, which were valued at approximately DKK 200,000. Arne Astrup is a member of the Foundation's Executive Leadership Team.

Awards and honours Arne Astrup has received a number of Danish and international awards throughout his career, including: Year Award 1990 Danish Obesity Research Award 1990 Servier’s Award for Outstanding Obesity Research 1994 IASO Andrew Mayer Award 2009 International Association of Business Communicators’ EME Excel Merit Award for Communication Leadership 2010 Nutrition & Santé Weight Management Award (France) 2012 American Society for Nutrition Robert H. Herman Award 2012 Danish Communication Association KomPris´12 to the OPUS Research Centre