Martijn Katan

Nutrition scientist, VU (emeritus)

ScienceNL

Longevity

Last updated: 7 October 2026

At a glance

Martijn Katan is a Dutch professor emeritus of nutrition at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He previously worked at Wageningen University.
With Ronald Mensink he showed in 1990 (New England Journal of Medicine) that trans fats raise ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and lower ‘good’ HDL. This research helped drive trans fats out of the food supply.
His group also discovered that cafestol in unfiltered coffee raises cholesterol.
In the DRINK study (2012) children received a sugary or sugar-free drink every day; those on the sugar-free drinks gained less weight.
He wrote Dutch popular-science books including Wat is nu gezond? and Voedingsmythes, and was a columnist for NRC from 2009 to 2025. He is known as a level-headed debunker of nutrition myths.
For longevity, he matters because he helps separate nutrition advice built on solid evidence from advice that is not.
Takeaway: drink water instead of sugary drinks, prefer filtered coffee and be sceptical of miracle products.