Veronique Chachay
Name: Veronique Chachay
Research Group/Institute: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics of the Princess Alexandra Hospital, and University of Queensland Diamantina Institute
Research Interest/Field: Lifestyle, aging and obesity-related diseases such as fatty liver, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, chronic inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
What made you decide to work in this field? As a dietitian, I am exposed frequently to the consequences of poor diet and sedentary lifestyle in patients. I because interested in researching lifestyle related diseases because our hospitals must care for such large numbers of patients suffering from these preventable lifestyle and age-related diseases, and this is definitely not a sustainable future for our healthcare system. I am motivated to produce evidence-based treatment approaches and prevention guidelines that can be applied to curb the epidemics of these conditions.
What is the goal and significance of your research that you would like people to know? Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (or NAFLD) is characterized by fat infiltration in the liver, with increased inflammation and insulin resistance. This condition is increasing in the population at an alarming rate, in parallel to the increase of overweight and obesity. The condition may progress to severe end stage liver disease, requiring liver transplant. There is currently no specific treatment for NAFLD other than recommending weight loss. Weight loss does improve NAFLD by reducing the fat in the liver and improving insulin sensitivity, but losing weight and maintaining the weight loss is very challenging and often unsuccessful for most patients.
The food compound resveratrol, found in the skin of grapes, berries and peanuts is principally known for its anti-oxidant properties. Recently, many other health benefits were attributed to resveratrol. When given to rats and mice with NAFLD, it appeared to reduce the fat in the liver, improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the overall inflammation, without any weight loss. The metabolism of the animals receiving resveratrol seemed to behave like the metabolism of animals that were given a low energy diet and were exercised daily.
We will be trialling these promising results in patients with NAFLD, to see if resveratrol could be an agent with therapeutic potential for NAFLD. If the results were positive, this would constitute a significant contribution to the management of NAFLD and obesity related diseases that cost so much to the healthcare system.
If you were at a dinner party and someone asked you what you are researching, what would you say? "I research the possible health potential of a food compound found in the skin of grapes and in your glass of red wine! this compound is resveratrol. In animal studies it was shown to help rats adapt more efficiently to high fat-high sugar diets. In spite of a high energy diet and no exercise, the metabolism of rats receiving resveratrol behaved almost like the metabolism of rats that were exercised and were on an energy restricted diet. They didn't develop the signs of metabolic diseases that normally come with increased weight and a sedentary lifestyle. We are investigating resveratrol in overweight humans to see if it could assist out body to deal more efficiently with our modern lifestyle or poor physical activity and high energy foods".
How does or how has or how will funding from a Foundation help your research project? The funding of the Foundation will make a tremendous difference to this project because we will be able to perform advanced
testing to asses the effect of resveratrol supplementation. The funding will cover the cost of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance spectrometry (MRS) testing of participants before and after the 8 week intervention. MRI and MRS will determine if resveratrol had an effect on the quantity of fat in the liver, and on the topography of fat in the abdominal region. The funding will also help pay for blood tests and laboratory investigations looking at the kinetics of resveratrol when taken over 8 weeks, and its effects on genes that are normally influenced by diet and exercise.
What is on your research wish list? Right now, my list is filled with wished relating to the smooth running of this project! First of all, I need to find rapidly sufficient participants who fit the inclusion/exclusion criteria of the study, because without participants I cannot collect any data. Then, I wish for the smooth running of the project with reliable testing equipment that doesn't breakdown half way through experiments! I wish for compliant participants, smooth-running laboratory experiments and overall clear-cut results. There is nothing worse than obtaining rsults that are not clear or don't reveal much!
I dont't need to wish for good supervision and support in this project because I am already extremely well surrounded by a great team of co-investigators, all experts in their respective field, and the PAH and Diamantina Institute are also ideal to conduct this research.
Once this project is completed, I will build upon the results, and work further at expanding the knowledge on the therapeutic role of bioactive food compounds, providing evidence based guidelines for the use of these nutrients as nutraceuticals, and the consumption of the foods that contain them, for disease prevention and cure.
What do you like to do what you're not at work? Exercise and spend time in nature, have nice dinners with friends, watch documentaries, go to live-music and theatre shows.
What would you be doing if you weren't a researcher? I would work in the lifestyle education and fitness industry, motivating people to move more to prevent lifestyle disease!
What are you most proud of? I usually have persistered in achieving my goals in spite of many life hindrances, and that's why I am able to pursue this interesting project now!
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