Inaugural lecture: On how following your academic passion “can take you places” ... both literally and metaphorically

When I was a postgraduate student, I did not care much about my diet and I only liked researching exercise, rather than doing it.

Results from a series of experiments led me to propose a mechanistic model by which exercise decreases blood triglyceride concentrations. Hypotriglyceridemia after exercise is the net result of changes in lipid metabolism in the periphery (accelerated triglyceride removal rate), which are initiated by remote changes in protein metabolism in the liver (decreased lipoprotein particle secretion rate). This highlights the intricate coordination between different organs in the integration and regulation of metabolism at the whole-body level in humans. 

Obesity disrupts this fine metabolic regulation, so I wondered why. Traditionally, the metabolic complications of obesity have been associated with accumulation of fat in the visceral adipose tissue (the “metabolic villain”). By contrast, I demonstrated that accumulation of fat in the liver is a more important determinant - or cause - of metabolic dysfunction than visceral fat, and that changes in liver fat are likely key for worsened metabolic function after weight gain and improved metabolic function after weight loss.

Subsequently, I realized that accumulation of fat in the liver and visceral adipose tissue can also occur in people with normal body weight and no excess total body fat, and this is accompanied by metabolic dysfunction which is characteristic of obesity. Although weight loss rescues this phenotype, it is not a practical treatment modality for people who are already lean.

Therefore, I asked whether qualitative changes in the diet, independent of weight loss, can affect metabolic function. I tested higher-protein lower-carbohydrate diets under a variety of physiological scenarios and found that these diets reduce liver fat and improve metabolic risk factors independent of concomitant changes in body weight.

At this point in my academic journey, I became a professor who watches what he eats and exercises a lot! 

Area of expertise

The study of human metabolism lies at the core of Faidon’s research interests and activity. His studies have shed light into the effects of diet and exercise on insulin sensitivity and lipid kinetics; the importance of ectopic fat deposition in the liver in metabolic dysfunction in people with and without obesity; the beneficial effects of weight loss on insulin action and beta-cell function; and the role of low-carbohydrate/high-protein diets in weight loss maintenance and the management of type 2 diabetes. 

Educational and professional background

Faidon holds a Bachelor in Nutrition and Dietetics, a Master in Nutrition and Exercise, and a PhD in Metabolism.  He completed postdoc appointments at Harokopio University (Athens) and Harvard Medical School (Boston).  Earlier, he served as Assistant Professor in Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Assistant Professor in the National University of Singapore, and Associate Professor in the University of Copenhagen. 

See Faidon Magkos’ UCPH profile here.