29th July 2009

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Heather Parr from the  Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health

A University of Ulster researcher  has teamed up with a World Health Organisation Centre of Excellence to explore possible links between obesity, body fat distribution and stress as part of a new study based in the ‘diabetes capital of the world’ – India.

Heather Parr, a postgraduate researcher in the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE) at Ulster is investigating whether abnormally high levels of obesity amongst urban South Indians may be associated with certain psychological profiles and dietary patterns.  
 
She has teamed up with the Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre – a World Health Organisation Centre of Excellence – to carry out the research, and has secured a travel bursary from the UK Federation of Business and Professional Women, NI Division, to enable her to travel to south-east Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras).
 
Heather will explore the possible psycho-social factors such as stress and the pressures of urban living which are associated with obesity and the metabolic syndrome.
 
“Metabolic syndrome is a term given to a collection of factors which include mid-waist obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and poor blood sugar control, which increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and/or coronary heart disease. Stress has also been identified as potentially contributing to the syndrome,” explains Heather.
 
“The rising incidence of obesity and corresponding increase in Type 2 diabetes levels has earned India the dubious title of ‘diabetes capital of the world’. This is having a huge impact and is a substantial drain on already pressurised health care systems in this vast country.”
 
Although research into the links between lifestyle and the rise in Type 2 diabetes is well documented in Europe and the United States, few studies have been carried out in India.
 
Results from Heather’s pilot study conducted during the spring of 2009 have revealed high levels of perceived stress among urban dwellers, especially women, in Chennai.
 
She will return to India next month to survey a cross-section of the population in the city to assess whether the abnormally high levels of obesity amongst urban South Indians are associated with identifiable psychological profiles and dietary patterns.
  
In collaboration with top researchers from Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre she will also compare results with a sample already collected from across Europe as part of an EU funded project investigating metabolic syndrome.
 
Heather said: “While research into diabetes has previously been conducted in Chennai city, few studies have investigated links between body fat distribution, diet, health, lifestyle and psychological wellbeing.
 
“This study has the potential to identify health problems associated with certain psychological factors, lifestyle and dietary habits. Appropriate strategies to prevent and treat metabolic syndrome can then be put in place.”
 
Further details of the study can be obtained from Heather Parr by emailing:  hj.parr@ulster.ac.uk or Dr. Barbara Stewart: b.knox@ulster.ac.uk.

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter