I am a medical doctor with a specialization in Biochemistry and a master’s in public health (nutrition concentration).
My research work in the past decade and a half has spanned both cellular metabolism and public health nutrition ranging from antioxidants and alternative therapies, mitochondrial metabolism in leukemia, lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in CAD alongside community-based research on maternal and child health nutrition, trans fatty acids in the food system and Indigenous nutrition. My interest in nutrition as a scientist specifically encompasses the various aspects of nutritional science and metabolism including understanding its impact on cellular homeostasis and metabolic pathways, nutritional biomarkers, and the nutrient composition of foods. At a personal level, I am passionately interested in food and cuisines across cultures and their evolution over time and across geographical regions.
In the IAMD project, I want to explore the impact of the diet on various biomarkers related to inflammation, glycemic control, insulin response and satiety. Thus, this project provides an exciting opportunity to get an in-depth understanding of various components in commonly available and consumed food items and their effect on the cells, tissues and metabolic pathways in the human body. In simple terms, this means that I would like to understand the effects of the food items that are part of the anti-inflammatory diet on improving cardiovascular health. I am also interested in devising innovative recipes within this project to help the participants adapt to dietary modifications to increase the anti-inflammatory potential of their diets without necessarily losing out on the joy associated with food and its taste.
The IAMD project aligns with my long-term goal of understanding the mechanisms underlying the role of metabolism in chronic diseases. This can help in designing evidence-based frameworks for metabolic status assessment and metabolic disease management through lifestyle change.