Dr. Arne Astrup is a distinguished Danish medical researcher whose career has spanned clinical practice, academic leadership, and groundbreaking nutritional science. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Obesity and Nutritional Sciences at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, a position he assumed on July 1, 2020. After completing his medical studies at the University of Copenhagen in 1981 and earning his medical doctorate in 1986, he established himself as a leading authority in nutrition science during his thirty-year tenure as head of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen. His leadership transformed this department into the world's leading research environment in its field, as recognized by the Shanghai Ranking in 2016. Dr. Astrup's career demonstrates a remarkable progression from clinical medicine to influential leadership in global nutritional science and obesity research.
Dr. Astrup's most significant scientific contribution came in 1996 when, together with Professor Jens Holst, he discovered that GLP-1 functions as a satiety hormone in humans, a breakthrough that proved instrumental in the development of GLP-1 drugs for obesity treatment and diabetes management. This seminal work has directly contributed to the success of Novo Nordisk's pharmaceutical innovations, including the groundbreaking obesity medication Wegovy. His research portfolio encompasses over 900 peer-reviewed scientific articles, with his work consistently appearing in top-tier journals including The BMJ, The Lancet, Nature, and the New England Journal of Medicine. In 2018, Clarivate Analytics recognized him as one of the world's most cited researchers, reflecting the substantial impact of his work with an H-index of 108 in Web of Science and an impressive Google Scholar H-index of 146 with over 111,000 citations. His scientific rigor extends beyond GLP-1 research, including pivotal contributions to understanding appetite regulation and the metabolic underpinnings of obesity.
Beyond his research achievements, Dr. Astrup has been instrumental in shaping public health policy, notably playing a major role in Denmark's 2004 prohibition of industrially produced trans fats in foods, a policy that has influenced global nutritional guidelines. He has held significant leadership positions including President of the World Obesity Federation and founding editor-in-chief of Obesity Reviews, while also serving as editor of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Throughout his career, Dr. Astrup has mentored 44 PhD students and fostered international collaborations that have advanced the understanding of obesity as a complex metabolic condition rather than simply a lifestyle issue. His work continues to have profound translational impact, bridging the gap between basic science and clinical applications in the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders. Dr. Astrup remains at the forefront of nutritional science, guiding strategic research initiatives at the Novo Nordisk Foundation that aim to transform the prevention and treatment of obesity worldwide.
