Professor HUI Chi-Chung 
Program in Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
The Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Molecular Genetics
University of Toronto, Canada

Date: Mon, 17-July-2017
Time: 4:00 PM
Venue: Room A2-08, Mrs Chen Yang Foo Oi Telemedicine Centre 
2/F, William MW Mong Block, Faculty of Medicine Building 
21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

Summary:
Intermittent fasting (IF), a periodic energy restriction, has been shown to provide health benefits equivalent to prolonged fasting or caloric restriction. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of IF-mediated metabolic benefits is limited. In this talk, I will present evidence that isocaloric IF improves metabolic homeostasis against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction through adipose thermogenesis in mice. IF-induced metabolic benefits require fasting-mediated increases of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). Furthermore, periodic adipose-VEGF overexpression could recapitulate the metabolic improvements of IF in non-fasting animals. Importantly, fasting and adipose-VEGF induce alternative activation of adipose macrophage, which is critical for thermogenesis. Human adipose gene analysis further revealed the positive correlation of adipose VEGF-M2 macrophage-WAT browning axis. Uncovering the molecular mechanism of IF-mediated metabolic benefit, our results suggest that isocaloric IF can be a preventive and therapeutic approach against obesity and metabolic disorders.

ALL ARE WELCOME