About Stig Bengmark
Stig Bengmark, Professor Emeritus and author of the books Choose Health and Choose Health the Recipe Book, who after a long and successful career as a surgeon, professor and head of clinic, choose to dedicate his time and energy to researching and lecturing on the intestinal flora and the impact of diet on human health.
Stig Bengmark received his University Medical Degree in 1986 from Lund University. Stig then embarked on a 30-year career as a surgeon and later became chief of surgery at Lund University Hospital, specialising in liver surgery.
His time as a surgeon helped Stig gain a deep insight into the human body, but it also raised some questions about the origins of disease and how a person’s lifestyle could affect their health. A problem that Stig and his colleagues constantly struggled with was the susceptibility to infection their patients experienced after their operations – even though they were given antibiotics. A simple mistake that left some of the patients without antibiotics opened Stig’s eyes to the role of gut flora and its importance for the human immune system and overall health.
Stig started to become interested in the gut flora, inflammation and how diet and lifestyle were linked to lifestyle diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s. A couple of years before his retirement in 1999, Stig started a research project that laid the foundation for what would later become Synbiotic 2000 – a mixture of good bacteria and prebiotic fibre whose function is to restore and strengthen the gut flora.
After retiring, Stig continued his work as Professor Emeritus at London University – Synbiotics, gut flora, the anti-inflammatory diet and health became Stig’s new focus areas. Stig has been dedicated to researching, lecturing and making information about gut flora and health available to the public. In the autumn of 2018, Stig also released his book Välj Hälsa where Stig collected his expertise and recommendations to help people take charge of their own health and adopt a healthier lifestyle.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Stig B. S. Bengmark
Born April 10 1929, Östervåla, Sweden
Author of the book Välj Hälsa, published in 2018
MD in 1956 and PhD in 1958 at the Medical Faculty, Lund University.
Honorary Visiting Professor, UCL,London University 1999-
Professor of Surgery, Lund University 1970-1994
Academic Head (Chairman) Department of Surgery, Lund University 1970-92
Surgeon-in-Chief (Chief of Surgical Services), Lund University Hospital 1970-1991
Founder General Secretary World HPB Association 1986-1990
President Elect and President World HPB Association 1990-1994
President European Society of Experimental Surgery1971-1972
President Elect and President Surgical Infection Society, Europe 1987-1989
Member of Executive Council of several international medical associations incl. Europ. Soc Surg Res 1970-1974, CICD 1970-1975, Soc Int Chir 1972-1976
Member or numerous international professional organisations
Editor-in-Chief World Journal of HPB Surgery 1987-1993
Member of editorial board of numerous medical journals
Receiver of several honours and awards
Invited to several honorary travelling professorships, incl. British Journal of Surgery and Australian Surgical Research Society.
Invited member Academia Europaea – the second surgeon to ever have been invited as member.
Honorary fellow of two Surgical Colleges: FRCS Austral (hon) 1990, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow – FRPS Glasgow (hon) 1993
Honorary/Corresponding member of several national and international associations: Brazil, Catalania (Spain), Colombia, Germany (DDR), Italy, Norway and Poland.
Honorary member, International Hepatopancreatobiliary Society.
Honorary member Surgical Research Society of Australia
Honorary member European Society Surgical Research
Honorary member International Hepato-pancreatico-biliary Society
Many honorary lectureships around the world
Produced appr. 1000 original papers, text- and handbook chapters
Examined appr. 110 MDs for PhD of which 98 in Lund 1970-1994
Several collaborators/ex-fellows have been promoted to Professors, Associate Professors, Instructors and Postdoctoral Fellows in Sweden and around the world.