Study to pave way for “personalised” approach to obesity

Tuesday, 8 December 2015

Study to pave way for “personalised” approach to managing obesity

Ethnic differences in New Zealand’s obesity rates are often attributed to consuming too many calories and a sedentary lifestyle. However, a newly funded study may help prove that the adage of ‘eating less and exercising more’ is only part of the story.

Endocrinology doctor Patricia Whitfield of the University of Otago, Wellington, has received a $250,000 clinical research training fellowship from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) to research the differences in energy expenditure between New Zealand’s major ethnic groups.

Dr Whitfield’s study will make use of the country’s first ‘room calorimetry’ facility at the University of Otago, Wellington. Room calorimetry is considered by many to be the most precise and accurate way of measuring total energy expenditure, including basal metabolic rate and activity energy expenditure over a 40 hour period. Dr Whitfield will work with both the University of Otago’s Centre for Translational Physiology and the Centre for Endocrine, Diabetes and Obesity Research at Capital and Coast District Health Board.

According to recent Ministry of Health statistics, almost 1 in 3 adult New Zealanders are obese, however rates are closer to 49 per cent for Māori and 68 per cent for Pacific adults.

“It’s increasingly evident that body weight is actively regulated by complex interactions between genetic, metabolic, and neural mechanisms that favour energy conservation and these are likely to differ between ethnicities,” says Dr Whitfield.

By assessing the differences in energy expenditure between New Zealand’s major ethnic groups Dr Whitfield plans to “pave the way for research into the most effective obesity interventions for each ethnic group, allowing for a ‘personalised’ approach to obesity management that is ethnic-sensitive and thus potentially more effective”.

HRC Chief Executive Professor Kath McPherson says reducing obesity levels, especially among Māori and Pacific populations, is “without a doubt one of New Zealand’s most important health goals over the next 25 years”, and research such as this could play a significant part in helping manage our obesity problem.

Dr Whitfield is one of 10 clinicians awarded a HRC clinical research training fellowship this year, up from six in 2014. These clinical research fellowships, which are worth a combined total of $2.2 million, are part of a record $8.2 million awarded to 73 emerging health researchers through the HRC’s career development awards programme.

“We strongly believe in providing research opportunities for clinicians and involving them in academic research teams as this is one of the best ways to bridge the gap between discovery and delivery to patients,” says Professor McPherson.

“Offering research opportunities for clinicians not only improves the design and uptake of research, but it’s also a vital tool in attracting the best practitioners to our health institutions and universities.”

See below for the list of all the recipients of the HRC clinical research training fellowship*, or go to www.hrc.govt.nz/funding-opportunities/recipients and filter for ‘Career development awards’ and ‘2016’.

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