The Cambridge Initiative: Proposal to enhance linked research in human fat metabolism and pathophysiology between MRC HNR, MRC MDU and MRC Epi

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Obesity is one of the causes of type 2 diabetes. However, some people with obesity do not develop type 2 diabetes, while others seem particularly vulnerable to the disease. This project sets out to examine human fat metabolism to understand this.Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique used to identify different chemicals by how much they weigh. We can also use naturally occurring, non-radioactive heavy nuclei of certain elements (called 'stable isotopes') to label chemicals, and detect where these labels end up in the body. These techniques are helping us develop the concept of personalised nutrition and medicine - the tailoring of diets and treatments to an individual to maximise their effects. The aim of this project is to investigate how fats are absorbed by the body from the body, processed in the liver, metabolised and stored. People will be fed meals containing labelled fats to see where the label goes and what effects the fat has on metabolism. We will also study how different foods affect the fate of the fat eaten in a meal - for example whether fats from milk are treated differently to those from meat. By understanding how fat metabolism is controlled in healthy and diabetic people we will understand better the causes of type 2 diabetes and identify new ways to prevent and treat the disease.