PLENARY SESSION: Impact of Obesity Beyond Diabetes

Obesity and Muscle

James McKendry, Ph.D.
CIHR & McCall-MacBain Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Protein Metabolism Research Laboratory - EMRG
Department of Kinesiology
McMaster University
Ivor Wynne Centre

Dr. James McKendry is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)-funded postdoctoral research fellow in Professor Stuart Phillip’s Protein Metabolism Research Laboratory (PMRL) in the Department of Kinesiology and a former McCall-MacBain Postdoctoral Fellow in teaching and leadership at McMaster University. Dr. McKendry’s research focuses on exploring the adaptive response of human skeletal muscle to use (i.e., resistance and aerobic exercise), disuse (i.e., immobilization/bed rest), aging, and disease. With a particular interest in studying unique populations (such as master athletes), Dr. McKendry’s research seeks to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern skeletal muscle adaptation by using stable isotopic tracers. Dr. McKendry is also keen to employ nascent nutritional interventions to augment muscle hypertrophy and mitigate losses in response to resistance exercise and aging/disuse, respectively. 

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Presentation Overview:

Obesity is a growing societal problem with severe and well-established health complications, including the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, the influence of obesity on skeletal muscle and how muscle is regulated is less well known. Fluctuations in muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle protein breakdown (MPB) dictate muscle mass. But as we accumulate adipose tissue, particularly ectopic adipose tissue with skeletal muscle, our muscles become less sensitive to the growth-promoting effects of protein ingestion and exercise – a term commonly referred to as muscle ‘anabolic resistance.’ This impairment in the capacity to increase MPS is considered a primary contributor to the accelerated loss of muscle often observed with aging. Thus, developing clinically viable interventions to combat muscle anabolic resistance will reduce healthcare costs and promote healthy, independent aging.