Sandra Martín Peláez
Assistant Professor
Microbiology and Biochemistry of Metabolism
Scientific research fields
Gut microbiota; Microbial metabolism; Prebiotics, Probiotics and Postbiotics;
Nutritional Epidemiology; Metabolic regulation and Nutrition
Brief CV
Dr. Sandra Martín Peláez holds a PhD from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain) with a European Doctoral
Mention, and degrees in Biology and in Food Science and Technology from the University of Granada (UGR, Universidad de Granada, Spain).
Her teaching and research trajectory includes R&D contracts, research stays, and official academic activity at the University of Reading (UoR, United Kingdom), the
Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC, Spain), the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM, Spain), the
University of Barcelona (UB, Universitat de Barcelona, Spain), the University of Thessaly (UTH, Greece), and the University of Granada. Additionally, she worked in
the R&D Department of Biosearch Life, a biotechnology company that researches, develops, and manufactures probiotics and natural bio-active ingredients.
Her primary research line focuses on the bidirectional interaction between the gut microbiota and food components, as well as their connection to nutrition,
metabolism, and global human and animal health. Her scientific activity has focused on studying the role of microorganisms and their metabolites,
encompassing the design of biofunctional ingredients and dietary patterns. Her methodological expertise includes the use of molecular, biochemical, and
microbiological methods for microbiota identification and characterization, as well as the use of in vitro gastrointestinal simulation models, animal models, and human
clinical trials.
As of July 2026, she has authored 46 scientific articles in peer-reviewed international indexed journals, accumulating 2,218 citations and an h-index of 23 (Scopus). She
has participated in 14 competitive research projects funded by public calls and in 4 R&D contracts with the private sector. At the academic level, she has University
teaching in undergraduate programs including Veterinary Medicine, Pharmacy,
Food Science and Technology, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, and Health Sciences degrees (Medicine, Nursing, Physiotherapy, and Occupational Therapy).
Selected publications (cronological order)
Martín-Peláez S, Costabile A, Hoyles L, Rastall RA, Gibson GR, La Ragione RM,
Woodward MJ, Mateu E, Martín-Orúe SM (2010). Evaluation of the inclusion of a mixture of organic acids or lactulose into the feed of pigs experimentally challenged
with Salmonella Typhimurium. Veterinary Microbiology, 142:337- 345.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2009.09.061
Martín-Peláez S, Covas MI, Fitó M, Kušar A, Pravst I (2013). Health effects of olive oil polyphenols: Recent advances and possibilities for the use of health claims. Molecular
Nutrition and Food Research, 57(5):760- 771. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201200421
Guasch-Ferré M, Babio N, Martínez-González MA, Corella D, Ros E, Martín-Peláez S,
Estruch R, Arós F, Gómez-Gracia E, Fiol M, Santos-Lozano JM, Serra-Majem L, Bulló M,
Toledo E, Barragán R, Fitó M, Gea A, Salas-Salvadó J; PREDIMED Study Investigators
(2015). Dietary fat intake and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause death in a population at high cardiovascular risk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
102(6):1563-73. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.115.116046
*Martín-Peláez S, Mosele JI, Pizarro N, Farràs M, de la Torre R, Subirana I, Pérez-Cano FJ,
Castañer O, Solà R, Fernandez- Castillejo S, Heredia S, Farré M, Motilva MJ, Fitó M (2017). Effect of virgin olive oil and thyme phenolic compounds on blood lipid profile:
implications of human gut microbiota. European Journal of Nutrition, 56:119.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1063-2
Álvarez-Arraño V, *Martín-Peláez S (2021). Effects of Probiotics and Synbiotics on Weight Loss in Subjects with Overweight or Obesity: A Systematic Review. Nutrients,
13(10):3627. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13103627
Martín-Peláez S, Castañer O, Konstantinidou K, Subirana I, Muñoz-Aguayo D,
Blanchart M, Gaixas S, de la Torre R, Farré M, Sáez GT, Nyyssönen K, Zunft HJ, Covas MI,
Fitó M (2017). Effect of olive oil phenolic compounds on the expression of blood pressure-related genes in healthy individuals. European Journal of Nutrition, 56(2):663-
670 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1110-z
Martín-Peláez S, Fitó M, Castañer O (2020). Diet quality benefits on health. The Mediterranean Diet effects on type 2 diabetic subjects prevention, disease
progression and molecular mechanisms. A Review. Nutrients, 12(8), 2236.
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082236
Martín-Peláez S, Martín-de los Reyes LΜ, Cano-Ibáñez N (2026). Prebiotics, probiotics, and synbiotics and maternal mental health during pregnancy and postpartum
period: A systematic review. Frontiers in Nutrition, 13:1776398
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2026.1776398
