PhD defence: The role of diet in one-carbon metabolism and epigenetics

A metabolic syndrome perspective

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Mads Vendelbo Lind

PhD thesis

Metabolic syndrome is an increasing public health challenge worldwide. One-carbon metabolism has been implicated in metabolic syndrome, partly because of its role in regulating epigenetics. Altering diet may be one way of altering one-carbon metabolism, affect epigenetics and prevent metabolic syndrome.

This PhD thesis investigates the role of diet in one-carbon metabolism regulation and the potential association between one-carbon metabolism, epigenetics and metabolic syndrome. Different dietary components such as fish and whole grain have been investigated in depth. The present thesis further substantiated the link between one-carbon metabolism and metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, we found associations between fish and whole grain intake and a more favorable one-carbon metabolism. However, increasing whole grain over an 8-week period did not affect one-carbon metabolism compared to consuming refined grain.

We also investigated how supplementing 9-month old children with fish oil affected the epigenetic code and found differences even though these were small.  These results are interesting in regard to prevention of metabolic syndrome but further examinations into dietary interventions that can alter one-carbon metabolism and epigenetics are needed.

2016, 225 pages.

Time

21 October 2016, 13:00

Venue

Auditorium A1-01.01, Festauditoriet, Bülowsvej 17, Frederiksberg.

Opponents 

Associate Professor Lesli Hingstrup Larsen (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professor Graham Burdge, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, UK.

Professor Helga Refsum, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway.

Supervisors

Associate Professor Lotte Lauritzen, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Alastair Ross, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden.

Associate Professor Mette Bredal Kristensen, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.