CQUniversity Australia - Romeo Batacan Jr.

STUDY
ENGAGE
ABOUT US
RESEARCH
ACADEMIC

Research Details

Thesis Name: Mechanisms Linking Sedentary Behaviour to Cardiometabolic and Cancer Risks

Thesis Abstract:

Rapidly increasing evidence suggests that sedentary behaviour is associated with increase health risks. However, most of the studies in sedentary behaviour do not provide insight on the mechanisms that may be driving the adverse health outcomes associated with prolonged and uninterrupted sitting. The most direct effect of sitting elucidated so far is that sitting for prolonged periods causes suppression of skeletal muscle lipoprotein lipase activity and reduced glucose uptake contributing to metabolic dysfunction. Although this mechanism has remained to be the prevailing theory explaining the health effects of sedentary behaviour, increased adiposity, oxidative stress and inflammation are now receiving increasing attention as potential mechanisms mediating the sedentary behaviour-disease risk association. This project, therefore, aims to elucidate the putative mechanisms linking sedentary behaviour to cardiometabolic disease and cancer risks by using animal and human models.

Why my research is important/Impacts:

The majority of the evidence demonstrating the health risks of sedentary behaviour comes from cross-sectional studies based on self-reports of sedentary behaviour which are limited by confounders and inability to draw causal inferences, and several prospective studies demonstrating inconsistent associations. This study will provide the experimental evidence on the effects of sedentary behaviour on the biomarkers of metabolic health and cancer risk by using laboratory controlled animals. Knowledge on how sedentary behaviour affects health can then be used to promote public health interventions to modify health outcomes and reduce the burden associated with chronic disease.

Funding/Scholarship: Strategic Research Scholarship