Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology
Quarterly Newsletter

Dear colleagues, 

I’m excited to share some important updates with you as we roll out a new format for the Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology (NUIP) newsletter. Going forward, we’ll release four shorter newsletters each year, each issue focusing on one of our department’s primary focus areas: Research and Discovery, Innovation in Education, and Community Engagement and Service. This approach will allow us to highlight key developments in a more focused and impactful way.

I'd like to thank our faculty for their continued contributions to our department’s success, including Madeleine French who put this newsletter together. I look forward to seeing all that we will accomplish together in the year ahead. This first issue is focused on Research and Discovery, and we have many exciting updates to share.

Best regards, 

Scott Summers, Chair

Katsu Funai, PhD, and his team developed a novel mouse model of physical inactivity to study metabolic syndrome. In parallel to obesity, inactivity is a risk factor for many metabolic diseases, yet mechanistic understanding for this process is much more poorly understood. The traditional mouse models for inactivity, such as unloading, denervation, and immobilization, are excellent to study muscle atrophy; however, the traditional mouse models  have very different metabolic responses to human sedentary behavior.

In a new paper published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Funai team developed a small mouse cage model which induced insulin resistance and a metabolic portfolio that more closely resembled observations that occur with human sedentary behavior. The team further showed that reduced energy demand by inactivity is decompensated by decreased glycolytic flux into the Krebs cycle, likely contributed by reduced activity of the mitochondrial pyruvate carrier.

Sedentary behavior reduces the ability of muscle to import pyruvate

The lab of Dr. Anandh Velayutham recently unveiled remarkable findings on the critical role of gut microbes in metabolizing dietary phytonutrients and mediating cardiovascular benefits. Published in Gut Microbes, these findings reveal that gut microbes are essential for metabolizing strawberry phytonutrients, facilitating the production of beneficial metabolites that support vascular health.

In a preclinical model, the team showed that the depletion of gut microbes with antibiotics disrupted the production of strawberry-derived metabolites and suppressed the positive effects of dietary strawberries on vascular health. Moreover, the study highlighted a strong association between dietary strawberries, gut microbes, and vascular well-being, with strawberry-derived metabolites found to be negatively associated with vascular inflammation while positively associated with beneficial gut microbes.

This research offers new insights into the complex interaction between diet, gut health, and cardiovascular function, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a healthy gut microbiome in achieving the health benefits of dietary phytonutrients. The study was supported by grants from the USDA National Institute of Foods and Agriculture. Notable, Dr. Velayutham received the University of Utah's 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award, in recognition of his significant contributions to the teaching mission of the University.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) has emerged as the greatest unmet medical need in cardiovascular medicine, comprising 50% of all heart failure cases. HFpEF is associated with high morbidity and mortality, with no current evidence-based therapies. The most common form of this disease is cardiometabolic HFpEF (cMet HFpEF), where the main comorbidities are obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Preliminary data by the Blackwood team supports the notion that the heart is a primary regulator of metabolic syndrome through the serine-threonine kinase, serum glucocorticoid kinase 1 (SGK1).

In this proposal, the Blackwood team will focus on cardiac-specific SGK1 in cMet HFpEF with the hypothesis that SGK1 promotes increased mTORC1 activity in the heart via phosphorylating PRAS40, the negative regulator of mTORC1 which exacerbates cardiac pathology and subsequent metabolic dysfunction in cMet HFpEF. The hypothesis will be addressed using cardiac-specific targeting of SGK1 and PRAS40 in a mouse model of cMet HFpEF with a focus on assessments of cardiac function and metabolism, as well as mechanistic studies in primary cardiomyocytes. These studies present the opportunity to identify novel secreted factors from the heart that regulate metabolic health, as well as to test new therapeutic targets for both HFpEF and obesity-related diseases. Dr. Blackwood joined the department in October 2024, as an Assistant Professor in the tenure track. His new laboratory is housed within the University of Utah Cardiovascular Research Training Institute.

In 2023, NUIP researcher Dr. Will Holland partnered with colleagues Drs. Kalani Raphael and Marcus Pezzolesi from the Division of Nephrology to open doors for students passionate about Pacific Islander health. This program, named Haumana 'O Pasifika by the inaugural class of Haumana (Hawaiian for "student") Scholars, provides research experience, clinical exposure, career development, and community outreach in a summer internship.

After obtaining the first ever NIH R25 grant (Holland as PI) focused on Pacific Islander health in the Continental United States, the program aimed to expand in 2024, partnering with the College of Dentistry and Cardiovascular Research Training Institute to provide training opportunities in oral health and cardiovascular disease. The program celebrated the acceptance of their first Haumana Graduates into dental, medical, and graduate programs. With the strong support of groups throughout the Salt Lake Valley and University leadership, the goal is to continue to seek grants that will keep the program running in perpetuity, as well as support trainees interested in studying cardiovascular health and diabetes.

NUIP is currently 6th in NIH funding and 7th in federal funding amongst Nutrition Departments in the U.S.

Semaglutide-induced weight loss improves mitochondrial energy efficiency in skeletal muscle

Healthy School Meals for All in Utah

Time-Restricted Feeding Reduces Atherosclerosis in LDLR KO Mice but Not in ApoE Knockout Mice

Metabolic phenotype and risk of obesity-related cancers in the Women's Health Initiative

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Bilingual Nutrition Education Program in Partnership with a Mobile Health Unit

Sequestosome 1 (p62) mitigates hypoxia-induced cardiac dysfunction by stabilizing hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2

A Retrospective Chart Review Suggests That Coordinated, Multidisciplinary Treatment for Patients with Anorexia Nervosa Improves Odds of Weight Restoration

Comparison of Transportation Use Among Older and Younger Persons Experiencing Homelessness

In addition to Erick Blackwood, PhD, previously mentioned, NUIP has had the great fortune to welcome three additional researchers to our faculty this year.