My colleagues and I, in the Molecular Nutrition and Diabetes Research lab, investigate the molecular and metabolic basis of complications associated with obesity and diabetes. Our current focus is on the role diet plays in the onset and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a major global health problem.
The central theme of our research is that dietary fat plays a central role in the control of transcriptional regulatory networks regulating carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. Consumption of high fat diets or diets with insufficient polyunsaturated fats (omega 6 and omega 3 fats) contribute to the complications associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Such changes in dietary fat content disrupts regulatory networks controlling cell function. These events lead to complications of diabetes, such as hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease.
Our experimental approach employs a preclinical mouse model to assess the impact of specific dietary factors on the onset, progression and remission of NAFLD. Our goal is to develop a nutritional strategy to attenuate disease progression and promote disease remission.
The National Institutes of Health supports our research (DK112360).
A list of our publications can be found at the US National Library of Medicine (PUBMED):
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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