The effect of a high fat vs high sugar diet on liver fat accumulation and metabolism
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: RDM OCDEM
Abstract
People are often confused about diet and ask themselves questions such as:
Does it really matter if I eat too many foods high in fat or high in sugar, as long as I don't put on weight? Is it true that saturated fat isn't bad for my health, as reported in the news recently? What is so bad about sugar? Fruit contains sugar, and I thought we should all eat more fruit. Or is it just the sugar that I add to my food that is bad for me?
It has been suggested that the type of food we eat may play a role in changing the way the liver works. In health, the liver can be considered a lean, mean, metabolic machine, but if the liver starts to become filled with fat (something called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD) it can make us more at risk of getting heart disease or diabetes. Why fat starts to build up in the liver isn't clear, but both the amount and type of food eaten may play an important role. There are various theories about how the liver becomes fatty. It has been suggested that eating lots of fat, especially saturated fat, can increase the amount of fat within the liver. It is also thought that consuming a diet rich in added sugars (known as non-milk extrinsic sugars or NMES), such as those found in sweets and soft drinks, also increases the amount of fat in the liver. However, most of the studies that have looked at the effects of dietary fat or sugar on liver fat have fed the volunteers excess calories. Excess calories, whether from fat or sugar, have been shown to increase liver fat. Therefore, we would like to look at the effects of diets rich in fat or rich in sugar, without excess calories, on liver function.
We will study the effect of diet on liver fat accumulation and metabolism by asking healthy, overweight men to eat two experimental diets. These diets will not have excess calories but will be very different. One of the diets will be high in fat, especially saturated fat but low in NMES sugar. The other diet will be low in fat but high in sugar, especially NMES. Participants will eat one of the diets for a period of four weeks and then eat their usual diet for eight weeks before eating the alternate diet for a further four weeks. The order in which the men eat each diet will be chosen at random. We will measure the amount of fat in their liver using a non-invasive, highly specialised technique known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, where pictures will be taken of the liver and the amount of water and fat measured. Each subject will have a total of four MRI scans; one before they start each experimental diet and then another after four weeks of eating each diet. We will also take blood samples from participants before and then after they have consumed the experimental diets to measure changes in blood fat and sugar levels.
The experimental diets may have different effects on liver fat metabolism and these changes may only be observed when a cascade of metabolic events occur, such as after consumption of a meal. To test if the experimental diets have changed liver fat metabolism, we will investigate this in detail at the end of each four week experimental diet. We will do this using specially labelled molecules (stable-isotopes), which are not radioactive and are mixed into a standard test meal. This will be one of the first studies to compare the effects of two experimental diets that have similar calories but very different amounts of fat and sugar on liver fat accumulation and metabolism. The findings from this work will help to provide valuable information for the development of future nutritional guidelines that may play a role in preventing and treating fatty liver disease. This is of importance as there is currently much confusion over the role of saturated fat and NMES in the prevention and treatment of diseases.
Does it really matter if I eat too many foods high in fat or high in sugar, as long as I don't put on weight? Is it true that saturated fat isn't bad for my health, as reported in the news recently? What is so bad about sugar? Fruit contains sugar, and I thought we should all eat more fruit. Or is it just the sugar that I add to my food that is bad for me?
It has been suggested that the type of food we eat may play a role in changing the way the liver works. In health, the liver can be considered a lean, mean, metabolic machine, but if the liver starts to become filled with fat (something called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD) it can make us more at risk of getting heart disease or diabetes. Why fat starts to build up in the liver isn't clear, but both the amount and type of food eaten may play an important role. There are various theories about how the liver becomes fatty. It has been suggested that eating lots of fat, especially saturated fat, can increase the amount of fat within the liver. It is also thought that consuming a diet rich in added sugars (known as non-milk extrinsic sugars or NMES), such as those found in sweets and soft drinks, also increases the amount of fat in the liver. However, most of the studies that have looked at the effects of dietary fat or sugar on liver fat have fed the volunteers excess calories. Excess calories, whether from fat or sugar, have been shown to increase liver fat. Therefore, we would like to look at the effects of diets rich in fat or rich in sugar, without excess calories, on liver function.
We will study the effect of diet on liver fat accumulation and metabolism by asking healthy, overweight men to eat two experimental diets. These diets will not have excess calories but will be very different. One of the diets will be high in fat, especially saturated fat but low in NMES sugar. The other diet will be low in fat but high in sugar, especially NMES. Participants will eat one of the diets for a period of four weeks and then eat their usual diet for eight weeks before eating the alternate diet for a further four weeks. The order in which the men eat each diet will be chosen at random. We will measure the amount of fat in their liver using a non-invasive, highly specialised technique known as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, where pictures will be taken of the liver and the amount of water and fat measured. Each subject will have a total of four MRI scans; one before they start each experimental diet and then another after four weeks of eating each diet. We will also take blood samples from participants before and then after they have consumed the experimental diets to measure changes in blood fat and sugar levels.
The experimental diets may have different effects on liver fat metabolism and these changes may only be observed when a cascade of metabolic events occur, such as after consumption of a meal. To test if the experimental diets have changed liver fat metabolism, we will investigate this in detail at the end of each four week experimental diet. We will do this using specially labelled molecules (stable-isotopes), which are not radioactive and are mixed into a standard test meal. This will be one of the first studies to compare the effects of two experimental diets that have similar calories but very different amounts of fat and sugar on liver fat accumulation and metabolism. The findings from this work will help to provide valuable information for the development of future nutritional guidelines that may play a role in preventing and treating fatty liver disease. This is of importance as there is currently much confusion over the role of saturated fat and NMES in the prevention and treatment of diseases.
Technical Summary
The proposed work aims to compare the effect of two experimental isocaloric diets with notably different amounts of fat (specifically saturated fat) and carbohydrate (specifically non-milk extrinsic sugars (NMES), also called free or added sugars), on liver fat accumulation and metabolism in healthy, overweight men. Sixteen men will consume the diets 1) a high-fat (specifically saturated fat) low NMES diet and, 2) a low-fat, high NMES diet in random order for four weeks, with an eight week washout period in between, before crossing over to the alternate diet for four weeks.
Liver fat content will be measured, by MRS prior to starting the experimental diets and then four weeks after consuming the diet. Fasting blood samples will also be taken at this time. As the diets may differ in their effect on intrahepatic fatty acid partitioning and these will only be observed once a cascade of metabolic events occur, such as after consumption of a mixed meal, participants will undergo postprandial study day at the end of each dietary phase. On the postprandial study day stable-isotope tracer methodologies will be utilised to probe the effect of the dietary regime on intrahepatic fatty acid partitioning. Blood and breath samples will be taken prior to and then regularly after consumption of a standard test meal, for 6 hours.
This will be one of the first studies to compare the effects of isocaloric diets enriched with either saturated fat or NMES on liver fat content and metabolism. By undertaking a postprandial study day at the end of the each dietary regime, key mechanisms that play a pivotal role in development of fatty liver disease and effect risk of CVD, will be elucidated. The findings will aid in underpinning future nutritional guidelines that may play a role in preventing and treating NAFLD. This is of importance as there is much confusion over the role of macronutrients in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases, including NAFLD.
Liver fat content will be measured, by MRS prior to starting the experimental diets and then four weeks after consuming the diet. Fasting blood samples will also be taken at this time. As the diets may differ in their effect on intrahepatic fatty acid partitioning and these will only be observed once a cascade of metabolic events occur, such as after consumption of a mixed meal, participants will undergo postprandial study day at the end of each dietary phase. On the postprandial study day stable-isotope tracer methodologies will be utilised to probe the effect of the dietary regime on intrahepatic fatty acid partitioning. Blood and breath samples will be taken prior to and then regularly after consumption of a standard test meal, for 6 hours.
This will be one of the first studies to compare the effects of isocaloric diets enriched with either saturated fat or NMES on liver fat content and metabolism. By undertaking a postprandial study day at the end of the each dietary regime, key mechanisms that play a pivotal role in development of fatty liver disease and effect risk of CVD, will be elucidated. The findings will aid in underpinning future nutritional guidelines that may play a role in preventing and treating NAFLD. This is of importance as there is much confusion over the role of macronutrients in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases, including NAFLD.
Planned Impact
This proposal will further understanding of how dietary sugars and fats impact on liver fat accumulation and metabolism, providing much needed evidence in an emerging area of concern. The British Liver Trust states that liver disease is the only major cause of death that is still increasing year-on-year and is the fifth 'big killer' in England & Wales, after heart disease, cancer, stroke and respiratory disease. This increasing prevalence is having not only a huge impact on the lives of sufferers, but also results in a substantial cost to the National Health Service. In 2011, the direct healthcare costs of liver disease were estimated to be in excess of £0.5bn per annum.
The present study addresses the accumulation of liver fat, a common condition termed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This has been estimated to affect over 30% of adults and can be a precursor to more serious forms of liver disease such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which is a risk factor for cirrhosis, liver failure and more rarely, liver cancer. NAFLD is often associated with obesity and several studies have now shown the level of fat in the liver to be markedly reduced by weight loss and this remains a cornerstone for the current treatment and management of the disease. What is less clear is the role of different dietary components, and there is a real paucity of evidence of how fat accumulates in the liver.
Policy makers and health professionals work together to provide the public with advice on disease prevention and health practitioners need the best information available to aid the effective treatment of patients. The findings from the current study will be shared with these important audiences via presentations at policy maker and health professional seminars and briefing notes, which Sugar Nutrition UK send to MPs and peers along with articles in the relevant professional press.
The results of the proposed research will also be of relevance to the wider medical and pharmaceutical industry as there is a paucity of research investigating the mechanisms responsible for the accumulation of fat in the liver, with very few pharmaceutical strategies recommended to help address the issue. The information from this study may therefore aid the development of other treatment options.
In addition to the academic beneficiaries described in the previous section, this research will be of benefit to policy makers, the food industry, and the general population. Initiatives such as the Responsibility Deal rely on evidence-based dietary guidelines and policies to ensure that the food industry make the optimum changes to improve the health benefits of the products they manufacturer. More evidence is therefore needed on the impact of specific constituents of foods on relevant health outcomes.
It is also vital that consumers have access to the best available evidence to help them make informed choices as to which foods and products to consume. In particular, the recent media coverage of the controversy on the role of saturated fats and sugars in health causes real difficulty for the consumer to make these decisions. It is therefore vital that research directly addresses these controversies to provide evidence to clarify the impact of dietary components on health. Press releases of the study results, along with the study authors providing journalists with briefings and interviews will encourage accurate reporting to the public, with clear take home messages. Researchers will also explore the opportunity to speak to interested patient groups, where dietary advice may be advantageous.
The present study addresses the accumulation of liver fat, a common condition termed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This has been estimated to affect over 30% of adults and can be a precursor to more serious forms of liver disease such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, which is a risk factor for cirrhosis, liver failure and more rarely, liver cancer. NAFLD is often associated with obesity and several studies have now shown the level of fat in the liver to be markedly reduced by weight loss and this remains a cornerstone for the current treatment and management of the disease. What is less clear is the role of different dietary components, and there is a real paucity of evidence of how fat accumulates in the liver.
Policy makers and health professionals work together to provide the public with advice on disease prevention and health practitioners need the best information available to aid the effective treatment of patients. The findings from the current study will be shared with these important audiences via presentations at policy maker and health professional seminars and briefing notes, which Sugar Nutrition UK send to MPs and peers along with articles in the relevant professional press.
The results of the proposed research will also be of relevance to the wider medical and pharmaceutical industry as there is a paucity of research investigating the mechanisms responsible for the accumulation of fat in the liver, with very few pharmaceutical strategies recommended to help address the issue. The information from this study may therefore aid the development of other treatment options.
In addition to the academic beneficiaries described in the previous section, this research will be of benefit to policy makers, the food industry, and the general population. Initiatives such as the Responsibility Deal rely on evidence-based dietary guidelines and policies to ensure that the food industry make the optimum changes to improve the health benefits of the products they manufacturer. More evidence is therefore needed on the impact of specific constituents of foods on relevant health outcomes.
It is also vital that consumers have access to the best available evidence to help them make informed choices as to which foods and products to consume. In particular, the recent media coverage of the controversy on the role of saturated fats and sugars in health causes real difficulty for the consumer to make these decisions. It is therefore vital that research directly addresses these controversies to provide evidence to clarify the impact of dietary components on health. Press releases of the study results, along with the study authors providing journalists with briefings and interviews will encourage accurate reporting to the public, with clear take home messages. Researchers will also explore the opportunity to speak to interested patient groups, where dietary advice may be advantageous.
Organisations
- University of Oxford (Lead Research Organisation)
- Maastricht University (UM) (Collaboration)
- Technische Universität Braunschweig (Collaboration)
- University of Bath (Collaboration)
- Karolinska University Hospital (Collaboration)
- University of Southern Denmark (Collaboration)
- University of Helsinki (Collaboration)
- Sugar Nutrition UK (Project Partner)
- World Sugar Research Organisation (Project Partner)
Publications
Gamwell JM
(2023)
An optimised protocol for the investigation of insulin signalling in a human cell culture model of adipogenesis.
in Adipocyte
Pinnick K
(2019)
Challenging metabolic tissues with fructose: tissue-specific and sex-specific responses
in The Journal of Physiology
Nagarajan SR
(2022)
Determining the temporal, dose, and composition effects of nutritional substrates in an in vitro model of intrahepatocellular triglyceride accumulation.
in Physiological reports
Yki-Järvinen H
(2021)
Dietary carbohydrates and fats in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
in Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology
Nagarajan SR
(2022)
Dysregulation of hepatic metabolism with obesity: factors influencing glucose and lipid metabolism.
in The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Rosqvist F
(2019)
Fasting hepatic de novo lipogenesis is not reliably assessed using circulating fatty acid markers.
in The American journal of clinical nutrition
Hodson L
(2019)
Hepatic fatty acid synthesis and partitioning: the effect of metabolic and nutritional state.
in The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society
Parry SA
(2017)
Influence of dietary macronutrients on liver fat accumulation and metabolism.
in Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
Parry SA
(2020)
Intrahepatic Fat and Postprandial Glycemia Increase After Consumption of a Diet Enriched in Saturated Fat Compared With Free Sugars.
in Diabetes care
Dearlove DJ
(2022)
Intrahepatic triglyceride content: influence of metabolic and genetics drivers.
in Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care
Description | Diet has been suggested to play a role in the development of diabetes and heart disease. One of the reasons for this is if we eat too many foods that contain a lot of sugar or fat, then we may gain weight. When we increase weight, we may start to store fat in organs in the body, that are not designed for fat storage; one of these organs is the liver. Fat accumulation in the liver is known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Both dietary fats and sugars have been suggested to cause the liver to get fatty, even without gaining weight. We compared two diets, one enriched in carbohydrate/free sugars and the other enriched in fat/saturated fatty acids on liver fat content and metabolism in overweight males. The diets were designed so that the participant did not gain a large amount of weight and each participant consumed both diets, in a random order, for a 4-week period. We found when participants consumed the saturated fat enriched diet they gain a little bit of weight (?1.5kg) whereas on the sugar enriched diet they did not gain any weight. Consuming the diet enriched with saturated fat lead to an accumulation of liver fat, however when consuming a diet enriched with sugars liver fat did not accumulate. We also found that having a diet enriched with saturated fat caused blood sugar levels to remain elevated for a longer period of time, after consuming a test meal. Consuming the test meal after the diet enriched with sugars did not cause blood sugar levels to become elevated. Our findings are important as there has been much controversy about the role of saturated fat and free sugars in the risk and development of metabolic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Recently, low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets have been promoted for weight loss and for the management of diabetes and although the evidence to date, suggests that these diets are safe and effective over the short-term, they are not superior to other dietary strategies. Our findings suggest that consumption of a saturated fat enriched diet, in the absence of weight loss, is more harmful to metabolic health when compared to a diet enriched in free sugars; this may have implications for those who are not aiming for weight loss but choose to adopt a relatively high-fat diet. |
Exploitation Route | This study was only done in men and we now would like to study women, along with investigating the effects across a bigger age spectrum. |
Sectors | Healthcare |
Description | BBRSC Response Mode |
Amount | £527,550 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/N015665/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2016 |
End | 06/2019 |
Description | Novo Nordisk Postdoctoral Fellowship programme |
Amount | £256,330 (GBP) |
Organisation | Novo Nordisk |
Sector | Private |
Country | Denmark |
Start | 10/2016 |
End | 09/2019 |
Description | Novo Nordisk Radcliffe Department of Medicine Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Amount | £213,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Oxford |
Department | Novo Nordisk – Oxford Fellowship Programme |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 10/2019 |
End | 09/2022 |
Description | Project grant_CoI |
Amount | £167,770 (GBP) |
Funding ID | PG/19/43/34432 |
Organisation | British Heart Foundation (BHF) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 12/2019 |
End | 11/2021 |
Description | Senior Basic Science Research Fellowship |
Amount | £1,043,543 (GBP) |
Funding ID | FS/SBSRF/21/31013 |
Organisation | British Heart Foundation (BHF) |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2022 |
End | 12/2026 |
Description | Strategic Programme in Food Innovation and Health |
Amount | £6,700,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2018 |
End | 08/2022 |
Title | Modifying nutritional substrates induces macrovesicular lipid droplet accumulation and metabolic alterations in a cellular model of hepatic steatosis |
Description | Developed an in vitro physiological model of intrahepatocellular lipid accumulation |
Type Of Material | Model of mechanisms or symptoms - in vitro |
Year Produced | 2020 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | Had requests for collaborations to be able to use this model and also adapt it to primary cells, which we have now done |
URL | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32643289/ |
Title | Stable isotope tracing |
Description | Inclusion of stable isotopes to trace fatty acid and glucose metabolic pathways in cells. Atlhough publication based on heavy water expanded to other tracers for fatty acids, glucose and non-lipid precursors. |
Type Of Material | Model of mechanisms or symptoms - in vitro |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | This has lead to more collaborations, with researchers asking for advice and also sending samples for analysis. |
URL | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30315461/ |
Description | Collaboration with Camilla Pramfalk |
Organisation | Karolinska University Hospital |
Country | Sweden |
Sector | Hospitals |
PI Contribution | Provide samples for analysis |
Collaborator Contribution | They genetic manipulated cell-lines so we could investigate specific pathways of lipid metabolism |
Impact | Manuscripts under review PMID: 29263118 PMID: 30825648 |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Collaboraton with CS Ejsing |
Organisation | University of Southern Denmark |
Country | Denmark |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Provide samples and advice on analysis for developing new mas spectrometry methodologies |
Collaborator Contribution | Developed new, more efficient methods for analysis of plasma fatty acids by mass spectrometry |
Impact | PMID: 30591667 |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Collaboraton with Martjin Brouwers |
Organisation | Maastricht University (UM) |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Undertake sample analysis |
Collaborator Contribution | Provide samples from individuals with genetic mutations that may influence hepatic lipid metabolism |
Impact | Manuscripts are under review. PMID: 30901028 |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Hannele YJ |
Organisation | University of Helsinki |
Department | Faculty of Medicine |
Country | Finland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have helped design a recruit-by-genotype approach study to investigate postprandial hepatic fatty acid partitioning. We are undertaking specialised sample analysis. |
Collaborator Contribution | They are recruiting individuals with a specific genotype from their well-characterised cohort. |
Impact | PMID: 29844096 PMID: 31434800 other manuscripts under review |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Hannele YJ |
Organisation | University of Helsinki |
Department | Faculty of Medicine |
Country | Finland |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have helped design a recruit-by-genotype approach study to investigate postprandial hepatic fatty acid partitioning. We are undertaking specialised sample analysis. |
Collaborator Contribution | They are recruiting individuals with a specific genotype from their well-characterised cohort. |
Impact | PMID: 29844096 PMID: 31434800 other manuscripts under review |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Javier Gonzalez |
Organisation | University of Bath |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Co-I on successful BHF grant and will be providing advice on study design and undertaking sample analysis |
Collaborator Contribution | will be undertaking sample analysis |
Impact | Collaboration just started |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Metabolic Flux analysis in response to dietary sulforaphane |
Organisation | Braunschweig University of Technology |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We have formed this collaboration in order to extend our capabilities in assessing metabolic flexibility of the diet. We have formed a mechanistic hypothesis for the redirection of glucose in liver in response to diet. We are providing the source of the the dietary bioactive, sulforaphane, that will be used to undertake the in vitro experiments to profile metabolites of key metabolic pathways. We also contribute the expertise in dietary modulation of metabolic pathways for the interepretation of the results. |
Collaborator Contribution | Professor Hiller is the director of the department of Bioinformatics and Biochemistry and will undertake assessment of glucose and glutamine metabolism in repsonse to dietary sulforaphane in hepatocytes. His team will contribute stable-isotope (13C glucose and 13C glutamine) assisted metabolomics by GC-MS to assess metabolic fluxes. |
Impact | No outputs yet |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | A talk in workshop on utilising stable-isotope methodologies to assess human metabolism |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | 50 researchers attended a nutrition society workshop on the utilisation and application of stable-isotope tracers tin human nutrition research which reaised a lot of interesting discussion |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.nutritionsociety.org/events/application-stable-isotope-techniques-human-nutrition-resear... |
Description | Corpus Christi Virtual Summer School |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Gave a talk to students who were attending Oxford for a summer school about my work and career |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Headington Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | As part of the local festival the general public (adults and children) were invited to take part in interactive activities to learn more about the amount of fats and sugars in foods and beverages. They were also able to discuss the risk factors for diabetes and heart disease; there was a lot of stimulating discussion over the course of the day. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | IF Oxford Science Fair |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Did online presentionation on dietary sugars and health at science festival |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://if-oxford.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IF-2021-PROGRAMME.pdf |
Description | In2Science |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Gave a talk and had a discussion about careers in science |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Lab visit by Coporate Sponsors of the BHF |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Supporters |
Results and Impact | 25 adults, who worked for corporations that provided sponsorship to the British Heart Foundation attended an institution/laboratory visit to the research organisation. Over the course of the morning there was a lot of lively discussion and questions about the research undertaken. The BHF reported that the corporate sponsors were very interested in the work and there were requests for further information regarding the work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | North West Science Network Launch Lecture |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | I was the keynote speaker at the launch of the North West Science Network for 2018 - I gave a presentation about my career, my science and there was a discussion about careers in science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | OCDEM Open Day |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Over 200 people attended the OCDEM open day to learn more about Diabetes and the research that was being undertaken. This sparked a lot of question and discussion between researchers and the public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Pariticipation in Cheltenham Science Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | In collaboration with the BHF, we had a stand for a day a the Cheltenham Science Festival where we had activities that visitors to could partake in to understand more about the effects of fats and sugars on the liver and adipose tissue metabolism. We discussed and answered questions relating to nutrition and health. The BHF received very good feedback about our participation. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Pint of Science Talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 40 people attended a talk where I spoke about 'following the fat' and what fat is and where we find it and how human metabolism occurs. I had a lot of interest and questions after the talk. The co-ordinator reported very positive feedback about my talk. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Royal Society Culture Change Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | I was invited to give a lightening talk with a postgraduate student in my group about developing a supportive research culture |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2018/10/research-culture-conference/ |
Description | Summer School |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Provided a talk about my career in science and also about my research to school students thinking of coming to university. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Talk to stakeholders in WSRO |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Provided an update on the current literature and science around sugar and health |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |