Is There a Relationship Between Fats and Diabetes-Related Heart Disease?
Dr. Sanjoy Ghosh is a young investigator whose promising career has been funded by the Canadian Diabetes Association for several years, starting with a Postdoctoral Fellowship (2007-2010), then a Scholar Award (2010-2015) and, most recently, an Operating Grant (2012-2015).
Dr. Ghosh’s current research examines how diet can cause some of the serious complications of diabetes, such as heart disease. During his Scholar Award and, more recently, his Operating Grant, Dr. Ghosh wants to know if heart disease is made worse by eating a diet rich in the types of fats that are found in vegetable cooking oils. A type of fat called omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-6, for short) is mainly found in vegetable oils. Omega-6 is generally thought to be a “healthy” fat, but recent studies have shown that too much omega-6 could damage heart muscle, cause inflammation (the way the immune system reacts to infection, damage or irritation), and may even cause certain cells to die.
Dr. Ghosh believes that, when people are obese, too much omega-6 causes the energy-producing “engines” of the cells to make damaging molecules called free radicals, similar to how a run-down car engine produces harmful exhaust fumes. Free radicals are molecules that cause damage in the body. In this case, they cause heart cell damage which can lead to heart disease. Dr. Ghosh and his team are investigating specifically how omega-6 causes damage in the energy-producing engines.
He is feeding mice with diabetes a sunflower oil-based diet to measure their stress and how well their hearts work. He is then supplementing this diet with “good” fats found in fish oils to find out if the fish oil can reduce the damage from the vegetable oil diet. This research will find out if simple dietary changes could prevent or reduce diabetes-related heart disease in Canada.
Dr. Ghosh explains his new way of looking at fats and heart disease, and what Canadian Diabetes Association funding has meant to him: “I have always believed in the saying, ’If you don’t have a consensus that it’s nonsense, you don’t have a breakthrough.’ ” My research on dietary fats over the past decade has been very innovative and, as a result, has also been very controversial. Starting with my postdoctoral fellowship, the Canadian Diabetes Association has consistently funded my studies. The Association believed in me when other agencies balked at my ideas for going against perceived norms. Now, when studies are increasingly supportive of my earlier conclusions, I want to thank the Association for funding me through some trying times in my career. Having received both the Scholar Award and the Operating Grant from the Canadian Diabetes Association has helped me secure a faculty position at the University of British Columbia-Okanagan and establish a research lab there to further my line of questioning. It reflects on the courage and commitment of the Association to fund and support truly innovative research that could eradicate diabetes in the future.”
As a way of expressing his gratitude, Dr. Ghosh gives back to the Association. He is a member of a volunteer panel of experts that adjudicate research grant and award applications.
Dr. Ghosh initially became interested in diabetes research because of his close ties with family, friends, and neighbours who are affected by the disease.
“I was born and raised in India. When I was a young boy, my mother was the only person I knew who had diabetes. Twenty years later, most of my relatives and most adults in my neighbourhood had developed diabetes. When I finished my pharmacy undergraduate degree, as an upcoming health professional, my curiosity was sparked by this observation.”
Although it was this personal tie that initially interested Dr. Ghosh in diabetes research, it is a love of research and the thrill of the hunt that brings him back to his lab day after day.
“I think research is like gambling, in many ways. As a gambler, one speculates and gets a rush upon winning. As scientists, we also gamble on ideas and speculate. This demands a lot of effort, preparation, and time. However, at the end, when we see our ideas proven correct or experiments succeed, our satisfaction is enormous.”
For Dr. Ghosh, the ultimate goal is to improve the lives of people who are affected by diabetes. “My research interests are to figure out how daily diet or physical activity affects heart disease in people with diabetes. I try to ask common-sense questions to guide my research. As an example, most people with type 2 diabetes are either overweight or belong to an aging population. We know that vigorous exercise is beneficial at any age but what I want to know is what is the ’minimum‘ that can provide a benefit so that even overweight and aged patients with less ability to exercise can have a benefit. Another question that I ask is whether antioxidants in the diet are good for people with diabetes? If so, which one—among the hundreds that are available at the health-food counter at any pharmacy—is most suitable? Accordingly, to give diabetes research even more attention in our new campus, I have named my new lab the D.I.A.B.E.T.E.S (Dietary Interventions And Better Exercise Through Experimental Science) Centerein UBC-Okanagan.”
When asked what a cure for diabetes would mean to him, he said “freedom.”
“People with diabetes are faced with lifelong restrictions. A cure for diabetes would mean an end to this life sentence and freedom for millions around the globe.”