The Effects Of The Western Diet On Cognition In Rats
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,326.00
Summary
An unhealthy diet can affect how we think. This project will identify mechanisms by which a western diet impairs cognition, and test ways of intervening to reduce the impact of diet on the brain. We will examine changes in inflammation, and markers of nerve growth in a critical brain region, the hippocampus, in response to different periods of diet. We will also test if the diet and our interventions affect the gut biota.
This Project will produce the first map of the brain mechanisms that motivate unhealthy food choices in obesity. This outcome can inform the development of novel treatment approaches for obesity that modify the preference for high-calorie, unhealthy foods by changing the neural bases of such preferences.
Transgenerational Effects Of Male Obesity - Mechanisms And Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$829,143.00
Summary
Childhood obesity is associated with obesity in either parent, and obese children tend to become obese adults, forming an intergenerational cycle that promotes obesity. We have identified paternal obesity as an important novel target for intervention to stop the progression of the obesity epidemic. This project investigates supplementation of obese fathers with folate to prevent the adverse impact of paternal obesity on subsequent generations.
The Role Of Brain Inflammation In Leptin Resistance
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$730,123.00
Summary
Melanocortin neurons control body weight and are regulated by leptin. In obesity leptin cannot regulate the melanocortin system. We will test if leptin action on melanocortin neurons is limited by increased expression of suppressor of cytokine signalling 3 (SOCS3) in obese mice. As an alternative we will test if there are changes in the blood brain barrier, or an increased density of support and immune cells around melanocortin neurons of obese mice that might restrict inputs to these neurons.
Cardiometabolic Risk Trajectories From Childhood To Midlife: Finding Pathways To Better Health
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,531,987.00
Summary
Using data from a large cohort of Australian children followed for over 30 years, this study will investigate how weight status and physical fitness from childhood to adulthood determine early markers of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (cardiometabolic disease) in midlife. It will provide much needed evidence to address the high prevalence of cardiometabolic disease risk factors in young Australians through better targeted disease prevention and early clinical intervention strategies.
Unravelling The Impact Of An Energy-rich Environment On Susceptibility And Resistance To Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$796,754.00
Summary
Obesity in Australia is at a crisis point. It is clear that energy-rich environments and an individual’s genes leads to excessive weight gain, but what we don’t understand is why some individuals are more prone to this than others. Comprehending this biological regulation is imperative if we are to develop more effective drug or dietary treatments to abate this disease. Thus it is the aim of this grant to dissect the biological/genetic/possible epigenetic perturbations leading to common obesity.
Train High Eat Low For Osteoarthritis (THE LO Study): A Randomised Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$592,496.00
Summary
Generic lifestyle prescriptions are both insufficient and unrealistic in a cohort that is obese and markedly impaired in mobility and activity level due to lower extremity pain and abnormalities of gait. Therefore this study will design and test for the first time a novel, evidence-based lifestyle modification program which targets all of the treatable etiologic factors in knee OA: low Glycemic Index/Glycemic Load (GI/GL) diet, high intensity strength training and gait training.
CAN A MEDITERRANEAN DIETARY PATTERN IMPROVE COGNITIVE HEALTH AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$717,301.00
Summary
There is increasing scientific and public interest in the role of diet and lifestyle in the prevention of cognitive decline. Easy to follow, modifiable lifestyle factors, such as diet, that improve cognitive function and reduce cognitive decline are attractive to middle aged and older Australians. We hypothesise that a Mediterranean diet pattern, consumed over 6 months, will improve cognitive function and psychological wellbeing in older men and women.
Effect Of A Four-food Elimination Diet In Children With Eosinophilic Oesophagitis – A Multi-centre, Randomised Controlled Trial And Investigation Of Disease Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$538,792.00
Summary
Eosinophilic oesophagitis (EO) is a recently recognised form of allergic inflammation in the oesophagus. EO is increasingly common in childhood and often linked to food allergy. Its treatment in children mainly relies on complex elimination diets or a liquid elemental formula which may require tube feeding due to poor taste. This Australian multi-centre trial will assess the effects of a four-food elimination diet in children with EO and will investigate novel disease mechanisms.
Management Of Refeeding Syndrome In Critical Illness: An AuSPEN Endorsed Multi-centre Clinical Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,366,987.00
Summary
Critically ill hospitalised patients are frequently malnourished. When feeding is reestablished in malnourished patients, they often exhibit severe electrolyte imbalances and metabolic disturbances that can lead to slower recovery times, increased complications and even death. The purpose of this clinical trial is to investigate the benefits of a conservative approach of managing critically ill patients with refeeding syndrome.