Understanding how food leads to fat

The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a collection of risk factors including high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressue and insulin resistance, that are associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes (DM2) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although it is well recognised that lifestyle factors such as poor diet are implicated in the development and progression of MetS, the molecular mechanisms involved in this pathogenic process are still unclear. Our research aims to expand our understanding of how the foods we eat interact with the MetS at the tissue level. Through great understanding of this process we hope to develop better treatment strategies for this disorder and potentially reduce the contribution of the MetS to the increasing global health burden of CVD and DM2.