Menzies Exercise and Diabetes Research

014 American College of Sports Medicine Visiting Scholar Award. Dr Ryan Russell, from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), will work with Dr Michelle Keske’s diabetes research group at the Menzies for seven months. Inactive lifestyle and improper diet are among the largest contributors to developing type 2 diabetes, but recent research suggests that simply having a parent with type 2 diabetes substantially increases your chance of developing the disease, but there is currently no evidence to fully explain why. Dr Russell has identified that healthy people with a family history of diabetes already display the same “metabolic inflexibility” as those who have gone on to develop type 2 diabetes. “Metabolic flexibility” is the term used to describe the speed at which the body shifts between fat and carbohydrate as the preferred fuel source. While at Menzies, Dr Russell will test his theories of how circulation through tiny blood vessels in muscle might be responsible for the metabolic inflexibility seen in people with a family history of type 2 diabetes.

“It is fantastic to be able to come to Hobart to join a team of researchers who are internationally known in this field,” Dr Russell said.

“Our aim is to identify the earliest known metabolic and cardiovascular problems associated with type 2 diabetes before it becomes a health problem. If we can identify the earliest problems associated with its development, then we will be able to look into ways of stopping its onset altogether.”

Dr Keske said the addition of Dr Russell to her research group meant that a new line of inquiry into type 2 diabetes could be pursued at Menzies.
“Ryan’s work complements the work we are already doing but it also broadens our focus to take into account factors in the development of diabetes that we previously haven’t examined at Menzies,” Dr Keske said. More than 4% of the Tasmanian population has type 2 diabetes, with the figure increasing to almost 13% for those aged over 60. The rate of the disease has increased in line with levels of obesity, population ageing and, reduced population physical activity levels. Dr Russell and the research group will be recruiting research participants with a family history of type 2 diabetes – those who have developed the disease and those who have not - to determine whether specialised exercise programs can prevent its development and whether symptoms can be reversed in people that already have the disease. In addition to his training as an exercise physiologist Dr Russell is a varsity representative in rowing and athletics. To donate to our research, go to the following link and specify it is for our diabetes and exercise work!