1-carbon metabolism has a profound impact on healthy development through multiple physiological processes (DNA synthesis, Amino acid metabolism, epigenetics, lipid metabolism, redox defense). An adequate supply of dietary 1-carbon nutrients (methionine, choline) and vitamins (cobalamin, folate, pyridoxine, riboflavin) is essential for maintaining balance in these pathways. We now understand that both under- and over-consumption of these nutrients impact the development of cardiometabolic health (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease). This session will focus on our current understanding regarding how the nutritional supply of the different forms of folate and choline can impact disease development. In our first presentation, we will learn how folic acid supplementation during pregnancy impacts maternal and offspring metabolic physiology. Specifically, we will understand how excess folic acid can contribute to the development of Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The second speaker will provide an overview of the importance of dietary choline in early programming of metabolic health. We will also learn about how the source/type of choline in the diet may impact risk factors of cardiovascular disease. At the end of the session, participants will have an excellent understanding of the potential benefits and harms of supplementing with 1-carbon metabolites.
Dr. René Jacobs completed his PhD in 2002 under the supervision of Drs. John and Margaret Brosnan. His post-doctoral training was completed at the University of Alberta in Dr. Dennis Vance’s Laboratory. During this time, he studied factors that regulate hepatic lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. In 2009, Dr. Jacobs accepted an academic position in the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science at the University of Alberta. His research program seeks to understand the complex relationship between one-carbon metabolism and the development of obesity, liver disease, dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis. His research has been supported by grants from CIHR, NSERC, CFI, and ALMA. He has also received awards from CIHR (New Investigator), CLC (Stewart Whitman and Simon Pierre Noel Award), ASN (EKR Stoksad), and CNS (Young Investigator), and has published over 100+ peer-reviewed manuscripts. Currently, Dr. Jacobs is the current Director of the Group on the Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids.