TORONTO, January 16, 2012 − Can exercise turn back the clock for aging muscles? Is aerobic or resistance exercise better for decreasing the risk of diabetes in youth? Those are among the questions York University researchers will discuss at a research event on Tuesday.
Four researchers from York University’s Faculty of Health will discuss the role muscles play in everything from obesity and diabetes to osteoarthritis and reversing the aging process. The event will highlight innovation in York’s Muscle Health Research Centre.
Professor David Hood, Canada Research Chair in Cell Physiology, a professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science and Department of Biology, and director of York University’s Muscle Health Research Centre, will discuss “Can Exercise 'Rescue' Aging Muscles?” Skeletal muscle occupies about 40 per cent of body weight but, as we age, we lose muscle mass. One prominent theory for this change involves an increase in malfunction of the mitochondria within muscle cells – the organelles that supply energy that cells need to survive, says Hood. Research has shown that exercise is a potential non-pharmacological therapy which can be used to reduce the loss of muscle mass by improving mitochondrial function, thereby preserving muscle function.
Professor Rolando Ceddia, a professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science at York and Canadian Institute of Health Research New Investigator, studies the effect of exercise, either alone or in combination with nutritional and pharmacological interventions, on glucose and lipid metabolism in diet-induced obesity. He will focus on the role of exercise and diet in the prevention and/or treatment of obesity and its co-morbidities.
Professor William Gage, associate dean research & innovation in York’s Faculty of Health, will examine “Muscles and Sore Joints: Arthritis and Muscle Activity.” Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, affects more than half of those over the age of 65. Recent research in Gage’s lab has examined how different strategies during walking may influence the amount of loading in the knee joint and how muscles around the joint respond to loads that are imposed on the knee joint.
Professor Jennifer Kuk, of the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, will speak about the effectiveness of aerobic and resistance exercise for improving insulin resistance in youth. Insulin resistance at the site of the muscle is one of the hallmark characteristics of pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. Increasingly, youth are presenting with insulin resistance, says Kuk, so it is more important than ever to develop non-pharmacological interventions for treating insulin resistance.
Robert Haché , York's vice-president research & innovation, and Harvey Skinner, dean of York’s Faculty of Health, will host the Research Celebration.
WHAT: Muscle Research at York University
WHEN: Tuesday, January 17, 2-4pm
WHERE: Scott Library Atrium, Keele campus.
MAP: Building 25 on Keele campus MAP
York University is a leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto – Canada’s most international city. The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 55,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 250,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 Faculties and 28 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries. This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.
Media Contact:
Arielle Zomer, Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation, York University, 416 736 2100 x21069, azomer@yorku.ca
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101, wallsj@yorku.ca
