Obesity and diabetes-2 increase the risk of serious health problems and reduce quality of life

Lifestyle related diseases threaten globally

Over the last 10-20 years, the number of cases of obesity and diabetes-2 has risen dramatically. The WHO considers obesity-related illnesses to be one of the world's biggest health problems. Obesity and diabetes-2 do not just reduce the quality of life but also dramatically increase the risk of serious health problems, such as cardiovascular diseases. The social and economic consequences of the obesity epidemic are therefore enormous.  

Several researchers at the University of Copenhagen are now cooperating on a large-scale, cross-disciplinary research initiative called Food, Fitness and Farma in order to collect new information about the causes of lifestyle related diseases and to develop new methods of treating and preventing these illnesses.

Groundbreaking cooperation

Food, Fitness and Farma is being funded by a 5-year UNIK grant of 120 million kroner from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation. UNIK grants were created in 2008 as a new instrument offered to Danish universities made available through open competition.

- "We're talking about a groundbreaking new form of cooperation where scientists from 17 departments and faculties work together in completely new synergy-promoting constellations and with cross-disciplinary angles of attack," said Thue W. Schwartz, professor of molecular pharmacology.

- "With this new cooperation, we can for instance focus on getting data from the socio-economic and food industry technology areas to interact with data from the biomedical areas, such as genetics, epidemiology, muscle physiology, pharmacology and liposuction," said Schwartz, who will lead the new research initiative.

The fruits of a successful merger

In addition to research groups from the Faculty of Life Sciences and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences - which were integrated into the University of Copenhagen through the University amalgamation of 2007 - Food, Fitness and Farma will include scientists from the Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Law faculties working in collaboration.

"This unique cooperation and the 120 million kroner grant are the fruits of a very successful amalgamation process, where we created the framework for and the proximity between many research disciplines. By gathering the various researchers together we've not only created the basis for unique innovation, but this concrete cooperation also increases the possibilities for attracting large national and international research grants, where cross-disciplinary work is today an inevitable requirement," said Ralf Hemmingsen, Rector of the University of Copenhagen.