MD, PhD, Research Fellow at the Cardiometabolic Risk Unit, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council-CNR, Pisa, Italy. Main field of research activities: the role of diet and dietary components in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases, particularly diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidaemia, ectopic fat and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and sarcopenia.  I have developed specific expertise with human clinical trials aiming to evaluate (1) the effects of functional diets, foods, and bioactive compounds on metabolic parameters and (2) the mechanisms of action behind the observed clinical outcomes. This activity started with involvement in and, subsequently, with the direct responsibility for nutritional intervention studies.