Effects of diet on metabolic programming of glucose homeostasis

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The long-term objective of my NSERC-funded research program is to understand the impact of nutritional intake during sensitive periods of growth and development on processes in the body controlling blood glucose at different times across the lifespan. My work is grounded in an experimental paradigm called the "Developmental Origins of Health and Disease" (DOHAD) and focuses on the metabolic effects of dietary fructose (FR) intake during sensitive periods of growth and development across the lifespan; control of adipose tissue deposition is important in my work. The working hypothesis is that exposure to FR during these periods negatively affects the metabolic systems that coordinate the control of blood glucose. I study dietary FR because it is known to induce insulin resistance and high circulating levels of insulin, and because it is relevant in today's society. Canadians consume ~21% of their total daily calories from sugars, of which ~50-60 g is FR. More than 35% of sugar consumed is from added sugars (i.e. added during preparation, processing or at the table). I chose to study the effects of FR in pregnancy because gestation and lactation are the most sensitive periods of growth development known, and sugar intake increases during pregnancy.