New Faculty Profile: Dr. Michael Zulyniak
Dr. Michael Zulyniak is the newest faculty member to join the Human Nutrition group as Associate Professor. His research is focused on how diet, metabolism and genetics integrate to affect health and disease risk across populations. At UBC, he will work with families at all stages of pregnancy to tease apart how changes in lifestyle can counter unavoidable biological risks, and improve the overall health of parents and their offspring.
Dr. Zulyniak’s academic history began at the University of Saskatchewan with an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology. His interest in the molecular responses to exercise and health benefits took him to the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, and then to a PhD at the University of Guelph to study the effects of nutrition on metabolic pathways linked to diabetes. It was at Guelph that he first noticed that certain nutrients associate with metabolic health differently between ethnic groups.
During his postdoctoral fellowship at McMaster University, Dr. Zulyniak studied how a mother’s risk of developing diabetes during pregnancy (i.e., gestational diabetes) could affect their offspring’s health at birth and in later life. The proportion of people with gestational diabetes within certain ethnic groups (e.g., South Asian, Saudi Arabian) can be twice as high, compared to white Europeans.
These outcomes are driven by a mix of genetic, environmental, and cultural factors, which are difficult to analyze due to differing
amounts of existing data for ethnic minority groups. Dr. Zulyniak joins us after seven years at the University of Leeds where his work confirms that differences in metabolism—partly driven by unique genetic features—account for some of the disparity in gestational diabetes risk between ethnic groups.
In addition, prevailing diet recommendations might not be amenable for everyone, due to factors like culture, family dynamics, or affordability—which were rarely considered in the past. A portion of Dr. Zulyniak’s work looks at barriers faced by people, and facilitates new health strategies that appreciate their fundamental lifestyle.
He hopes his research can lead to a deeper understanding of the biological systems that mediate disease risk within diverse populations, inform national and global strategies towards equitable health, and reduce the disease risk disparity between
population groups.
“UBC is perfectly suited to lead this area of research with a collaborative, multi-ethnic, and culturally sensitive research community,” Dr. Zulyniak says. “Here, we can be on the cutting edge of appreciating and harnessing the uniqueness of different groups to improve research and health.”
Tagged with: 2024, Faculty, Food Nutrition and Health
