"Smart Food" - The fulcrum in the energy balance equation. The overall aim of the project is to establish how nutrients best promote an increase in energy expenditure and therefore weight loss. The experiments will be performed in rats using sophisticated technologies to introduce specific combinations of fats, carbohydrates or proteins directly into the stomach and then measure energy expenditure in a specialised type of energy burning rather than energy storing fat called brown adipose tissue. ...."Smart Food" - The fulcrum in the energy balance equation. The overall aim of the project is to establish how nutrients best promote an increase in energy expenditure and therefore weight loss. The experiments will be performed in rats using sophisticated technologies to introduce specific combinations of fats, carbohydrates or proteins directly into the stomach and then measure energy expenditure in a specialised type of energy burning rather than energy storing fat called brown adipose tissue. These experiments will uncover the mechanisms that relate nutrients in the stomach and activation of brown adipose tissue. They will provide a framework on which this project can build a knowledge of smart diets that will allow the effective control of body weight through modulation of energy expenditure. Read moreRead less
Defining The Optimal Nutrition In Pregnancy And Early Life To Prevent Childhood Obesity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,900.00
Summary
Obesity threatens to reduce the length and quality of life of future generations and prevention is a priority. There is now good evidence that the risk a person has of becoming obese is related to the nutritional environment they experience before birth and in early infancy. My research aims to identify nutritional strategies which can be applied safely during pregnancy and infancy to help reduce body fat mass in children and improve their long term health outcomes.
Nutrition shapes the relationship between genes and health, and failure to attain dietary balance has profound biological consequences leading to disease. This Application proposes an integrated program that harnesses advances in nutritional theory, systems metabolism, and data modelling that evaluates the effects of macro- and micro-nutrients on mice, cells and humans. This will provide the scientific foundations necessary for the development of evidence-based precision nutrition.
Are Dietary Carbohydrates The Key To A Long, Healthy Life? Determining The Impact Of Dietary Carbohydrate Composition On Lifespan And Late-life Health.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
The disease burden associated with old age constitutes a major health challenge and the impact of nutrition on ageing is well established. It has recently been shown that a diet high in carbohydrates and low in proteins leads to increased lifespan and improved metabolic health. The aim of this project is to determine if these advantages are dependent on the type of carbohydrates consumed. This study will reveal the composition of diets that lead to longer and healthier life.
Is Reducing Protein Intake The Key To Health And Longevity?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$314,644.00
Summary
Diet has profound impacts on health and ageing. The reduction of total calorie intake (caloric restriction, CR) by 30-50% improves health and delays the onset of ageing and age-associated diseases. However, CR is unsustainable for the vast majority of humans. Recent studies have shown that manipulating dietary protein content can deliver similar health and longevity benefits as CR, without a reduction in total calories. The role of dietary protein in health and longevity will be investigated.
Interactions Between Protein Leverage, Variety, And Dietary Carbohydrate And Fat Content In The Control Of Energy Intake In Humans
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$580,950.00
Summary
Most attempts to understand human vulnerability to obesity have focussed on fat and carbohydrate, yet recent studies have shown a powerful role for protein: we eat more calories when dietary protein concentration is low. But how does protein interact with other aspects of the diet, notably the prodigious variety of foods available in modern environments and the balance of fat to carbohydrate? We will use controlled trials to investigate how these factors contribute to excess energy intake.
Dietary Intake Of Highly Processed Foods As A Contributor To Type 1 Diabetes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$558,953.00
Summary
Modern food processing imparts desirable functional properties such as emulsification and longer shelf life. These biochemical modifications in our food may cause the body to turn on itself and destroy the cells which produce the sugar storage hormone insulin. This is important for survival and characterizes childhood onset diabetes and can also be seen in type 2 diabetes. This research will test some dietary and pharmaceutical interventions to slow the development of diabetes.
Achieving More Effective Weight Loss With Intermittent Energy Restriction
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,373,874.00
Summary
Part of the difficulty in achieving lasting weight loss is that the body responds to dieting with compensatory changes in appetite, metabolic rate & blood hormone levels. We have shown in men that alternating phases of energy restriction with periods of greater food intake markedly improves weight loss by overcoming this “famine reaction”. This study will examine if the intermittent diet also produces more effective weight loss in women, and whether it is applicable to the wider community.
Breaking The Intergenerational Cycle Of Obesity Through Nutritional Interventions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$477,180.00
Summary
The nutritional environmental experienced by an individual before birth and in early infancy is a critical determinant of their risk of obesity and assocaited metabolic disorders in later life. Over the course of this fellowship, I will focus on defining the nutritional factors which are the key drivers of this metabolic programming. My ultimate aim is to identify nutritional interventions during pregnancy and/or early infancy which can improve the long-term health outcomes of the child and redu
How Does Exercise Ameliorate Programming Of Metabolic Dysfunction In Offspring Of Obese Mothers?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$524,121.00
Summary
Obesity is a worldwide disease, reflecting an interaction between our environment (diet, physical activity) and genes. We know that a mother's unhealthy diet can predispose offspring to diabetes, and exercise can improve this, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we will examine how exercise can benefit offspring of obese mothers, and test a drug that mimics the effects of exercise. The proposed research will provide insight into ways of reducing the obesity epidemic.