Manabu T. Nakamura

About

Manabu T. Nakamura, PhD, is a proud nutritionist and the team leader of the Obesity Lab at the University of Illinois. He is deeply committed to advancing dietary weight loss programs as alternatives to bariatric surgery, with a focus on reaching underserved communities and creating more employment opportunities for dietitians and nutritionists. His research aims to develop effective weight loss strategies that are accessible and sustainable, emphasizing the importance of dietary prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. In addition to his research, Dr. Nakamura teaches graduate courses FSHN 521 and FSHN 522, which cover dietary prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, reflecting his dedication to education and mentorship in the field of nutritional sciences. Dr. Nakamura's work integrates clinical nutrition with community outreach, striving to improve public health outcomes through evidence-based dietary interventions and innovative program development.

Research topics

• Biology
• Medicine
• Chemistry
• Obstetrics
• Polymer chemistry
• Environmental health
• Materials science
• Biochemistry
• Internal medicine
• Pediatrics

Selected publications

• Delta-6 desaturase (Fads2) deficiency alters triacylglycerol/fatty acid cycling in murine white adipose tissue

  Journal of Lipid Research · 2023 · 12 citations

  The Δ-6 desaturase (D6D) enzyme is not only critical for the synthesis of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from α-linolenic acid (ALA), but recent evidence suggests that it also plays a role in adipocyte lipid metabolism and body weight; however, the mechanisms remain largely unexplored. The goal of this study was to investigate if a D6D deficiency would inhibit triacylglycerol storage and alter lipolytic and lipogenic pathways in mouse white adipose tissue (WAT) depots…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• EPA/DHA but Not ALA Reduces Visceral Adiposity and Adipocyte Size in High Fat Diet‐Induced Obese Delta‐6 Desaturase Knockout Mice

  Molecular Nutrition & Food Research · 2024-12-20 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access

  The objective of this omega-3 feeding study was to elucidate the independent effects of α-linolenic acid (ALA) versus eicosapentaenoic (EPA)/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on visceral adiposity and inflammatory signaling in diet-induced obese delta-6 desaturase (Fads2) knockout (KO) mice. Male wildtype (WT) and Fads2 KO mice were fed a high-fat diet (45% kcal from fat) containing either lard (no omega-3s), flaxseed (ALA), or menhaden (EPA/DHA) for 21 weeks. Epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) was…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Hydrolyzed Fat Formula Increases Brain White Matter in Small for Gestational Age and Appropriate for Gestational Age Neonatal Piglets

  Frontiers in Pediatrics · 2020 · 7 citations

  HF enhanced brain development in the neonatal piglet measured by brain volume and WM volume in specific brain regions; however, more studies are needed to assess long-term outcomes.

  DOI

• A reduction of skeletal muscle DHA content does not result in impaired whole body glucose tolerance or skeletal muscle basal insulin signaling in otherwise healthy mice

  American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism · 2023-01-25 · 6 citations

  article

  Skeletal muscle is the primary location of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. EPA and DHA supplementation has been observed to improve skeletal muscle insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in models of metabolic dysfunction. Fads2 −/− knockout mice cannot endogenously produce long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Our results show that the absence of DHA in skeletal muscle is not detrimental to whole body glucose homeostasis in healthy mice.

  PublisherDOI

• Fads2 knockout mice reveal that ALA prevention of hepatic steatosis is dependent on delta-6 desaturase activity

  Journal of Lipid Research · 2024-09-19 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  The production of the omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) relies on the delta-6 desaturase (D6D) enzyme encoded by the Fads2 gene. While EPA and DHA reduce hepatic triacylglycerol (TAG) storage and regulate lipogenesis, the independent impact of ALA is less understood. To address this gap in knowledge, hepatic fatty acid metabolism was investigated in male wild-type (WT) and Fads2 k…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant F32DK009723

  NIH · $82k

Frequent coauthors

• Steven D. Clarke

  Flinders University

  25 shared

• Eisuke Yasuda

  21 shared

• Isao Kanamori

  20 shared

• Katsuhiko Ishizaka

  Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital

  18 shared

• Izumi Koizuka

  St. Marianna University School of Medicine

  17 shared

• Yasuhiko Tanaka

  Shizuoka Children's Hospital

  17 shared

• Hiroyasu Iwasaki

  Nagoya City University

  15 shared

• Hideo Ichikawa

  15 shared

Labs

• Obesity LabPI

  Helping people achieve healthy weight for life

Similar researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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• Michael Millerh-57
• William G. Helferichh-56