Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

The number of type 2 diabetes cases is increasing worldwide and is largely attributed to changes in dietary patterns and lack of physical activity. Currently, management of metabolic conditions relies mainly on drug therapy but is limited by low adherence and undesired side-effects of long-life treatment, thus unveiling a need to explore non-pharmaceutical approaches, such as the use of functional foods or nutraceuticals. Food-derived peptides are generated from food sources and have potential to be used for the development of alternative approaches to treat patients with obesity and diabetes. Egg proteins are a well-known source of bioactive peptides with multiple biological effects, exerting nutritional and physiological benefits. In cell culture, we observed that egg white (EW) peptides improved the response of fat tissue to insulin. Studies in rats further showed that EW peptides improved glucose metabolism. However, the exact mechanism of action on glucose metabolism, and the interaction between peptides and their molecular targets remain unclear. Based on our previous results, I hypothesized that EW peptides cause those effects by acting on fat tissue. I intend to study their mechanisms of action in the fat tissue of mice with pre-diabetes. The findings from this project will contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of EW peptides towards glucose metabolism, providing the scientific basis for future applications in clinical studies and potential expansion of the functional food market.