Sexual dimorphism in the context of nutrition and health
It is well established that the diets we consume and the individual dietary constituents within them significantly influence our health and risk of disease. Intriguingly, current evidence suggests that these effects are modulated, in part, by biological sex. However, our understanding of the interactions between sex and diet, and how they impact health and disease, has been limited by the historical underrepresentation of females in research and a lack of sex-stratified analytical approaches.
These interactions are complex, but gaining deeper insights into them holds the potential to enhance the effectiveness of dietary guidance and interventions, tailoring them to better meet the distinct needs of both men and women as we move toward more personalised and precise nutrition strategies.
This webinar will provide a summary of the current evidence and highlight key findings on this topic.
What will I gain from this webinar?
- You will be able to identify and describe the limitations in past and current research practices related to the consideration of sex differences.
- You will gain an understanding of the importance of sex differences and be able to illustrate this with examples from disease, pharmacology, and nutrition.
- You will be able to explain how sex differences influence health and disease outcomes, with a specific focus on nutritional factors.
Curriculum
- 1 Section
- 2 Lessons
- Lifetime
- Sexual dimorphism in the context of nutrition and health2
Instructor
Dr. Matthew Pontifex is a biomedical research scientist with a background in Molecular Biology and Nutrition. He completed his PhD in 2020 at the University of East Anglia, where his thesis focused on “The interactive impact of omega-3 fatty acids, APOE genotype, and sex hormones on cognition.” He remained at the university for three years as a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Professor Michael Müller, working on projects related to “Nutrition and the gut-brain axis.” In 2023, he advanced to the role of lecturer and independent researcher. Dr. Pontifex is the module organiser for Applied Physiology, Biochemistry, and Nutrition, a core component of the dietetics course at the University of East Anglia. His research lies at the intersection of nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics, and brain health, with a particular emphasis on how sex differences (often overlooked in biomedical research) modulate the relationship between nutrition and disease. His current projects, supported by the Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Award and the RANK Prize New Lecturer Award, investigate the role of menopause in contributing to these sex-based differences.
