Thien Vinh Luong

M.D., PhD student (enrolled 2020)
thiluo@clin.au.dk

Department: Nuclear Medicine and PET-Centre and Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital
Main supervisor: Lars Christian Gormsen

Research Area

  • Nutrition, obesity and lipid metabolism
  • Pathophysiology and diabetes pharmacology

Research description

  • Effects of the ketogenic diet on cardiac metabolism, perfusion and oxygen consumption. We have shown that the heart is able to switch between the use of different substrates as metabolic fuel depending on the availability of ketone bodies, glucose and fatty acids. Ketone bodies appear to be hemodynamically and metabolically beneficial for the heart, especially the ischemic heart. Our aim is to investigate whether a ketogenic diet, as a measure of endogenous ketosis, promotes the same favorable effects on heart as infusions with ketogenic salts do. Furthermore, we will investigate if the ketogenic diet increases perfusion in the brain. Utilizing state-of-the-are PET techniques, we are able to quantify cardiac substrate metabolism, perfusion and oxygen consumption as well as perfusion in the brain.

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