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Principal Investigator

DULLOO Abdul

Lecturer and
Research Fellow
Physiology

Questions addressed

Research in our laboratory centers upon understanding the mechanisms that interlink thermogenesis, body composition regulation and skeletal muscle insulin resistance with implications for elucidating the pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as in the search of bioactive food ingredients with thermogenic and insulin-sensitizing properties for managing obesity and diabetes. In studies conducted in both in vitro and in vivo models (animals and humans), the issues and questions that are currently being addressed fall into two main categories:
► I. Regulation of fat storage and glucose homeostasis
What are the molecular-physiological mechanisms that lead to suppressed thermogenesis in skeletal muscle and redirect the energy conserved towards fat storage in adipose tissue? What are the mechanisms that cross-link skeletal muscle thermogenesis and insulin sensitivity? How are these mechanisms modified by dietary composition and impact upon insulin resistance and blood glucose homeostasis?
► II. Nutraceuticals in obesity/diabetes management
In the context of developing functional foods or nutraceutical strategies for both prevention and treatment of obesity/diabetes, our research is directed at screening specific nutrients and phytochemical ingredients (e.g. polyphenols) with quantitatively important impact on thermogenesis, fat oxidation and insulin sensitivity, and in studying the underlying mechanisms of action of potentially useful candidate bioactive food ingredients.