Michael Hermanussen (born 26 April 1955 in Hamburg) is a German pediatrician and professor[1] at the University of Kiel. He is known for his work on growth and nutrition.
Hermanussen studied medicine and worked as a pediatrician at the University of Kiel from 1982 until 1989. He investigated growth and child development (auxology) and first described mini growth spurts.[2] Since 1990 he cooperates in international joint projects with scientists and also works in a general pediatric office. He organizes national and international meetings on growth and nutrition. From 2003 to 2011 he was a member of the scientific board of the German society for Anthropology[3] and he is chief editor of ”Human Biology and Public Health”.[4] He is the founder and head of the Auxological Society.
Hermanussen developed new mathematical methods for improved diagnostics of growth disorders[5][6] and a new technique for estimating final adult height.[7] He developed mini-knemometry, a new and accurate technique for growth measurements in children. This device determines the lower leg length at an accuracy that growth becomes measurable within a few days.[8][9][10][11] In addition he developed a similar technology for measuring growth in rats within intervals of a few hours. This technology was important for the better understanding of the effects of growth hormone.[12][13] His investigations resulted in a significant improvement of growth hormone therapies.[14][15] For the first time, Hermanussen showed that anorexia nervosa patients do not only stop growing they even can shrink.[16]
Since 2002 he works in nutrition and obesity, with particular respect to monosodium glutamate on appetite regulation.[17][18] During this project Hermanussen showed for the first time that convenience food contains neurotransmitters.[19] In the global debate on the causes of stunting, he argues that stunting is not a synonym of malnutrition, but is socially conditioned.[20]