Geschreven door Eline van Haaster, MSc
We are proud to announce that Moritz, a PhD candidate in our Nutrition & Exercise research group, has been awarded the prestigious John Holloszy Young Investigator Award at the IBEC 2024 meeting in Limerick. This award highlights his outstanding research contributions to the field of exercise physiology, particularly focusing on the metabolic effects of physical inactivity.
Moritz’s research centers on the impact of short- and long-term bed rest on human skeletal muscle metabolism, drawing parallels to the conditions astronauts experience during space missions. In collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the European Space Agency (ESA), and NASA, he studied the effects of 60 days of strict bed rest on 24 participants. His findings revealed significant metabolic changes, including rapid intracellular glycogen and lipid buildup, decreased insulin sensitivity, and alterations in mitochondrial structure and function.
Overall, the study confirmed that a nutritional oversupply is a major determinant of negative adaptations in skeletal muscle metabolism during periods of inactivity. Intracellular glycogen accumulation after short-term bed rest led to a rapid decrease in systemic insulin sensitivity and impaired insulin signaling at the muscle cell membrane. Interestingly, the skeletal muscle seemed to protect itself from further nutrient accumulation by making its membrane less susceptible to glucose uptake. This raises the question: Could the decrease in insulin sensitivity be a positive adaptation of the body to prevent further damage caused by local nutrient overload?
Throughout his PhD journey, Moritz has presented interim findings from this project at several international conferences, such as the Scandinavian Physiological Society Meeting 2021 in Stockholm, the Sports Medicine and Health Summit 2023 in Hamburg, and Physiology in Focus 2023 in Tallinn. His contributions were recognized early on when he won the Best Presentation Award at the 6th Human Physiology Workshop organized by the German Aerospace Center in 2021.
Moritz has been deeply involved in this project from its inception, taking on critical roles in data collection, analysis, interpretation, and manuscript preparation. His contributions have also led to extensive collaborations with multiple research facilities and institutes, significantly expanding his network within the field of exercise physiology.
The John Holloszy Young Investigator Award at IBEC 2024 serves as a major milestone in his research career, underscoring his impressive work and marking a highlight in his academic journey. We congratulate Moritz on this well-deserved recognition and look forward to seeing more groundbreaking research from him in the future.
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