• Question: does your reseach effect your family's lifestyle i.e. your diet and exercise

    Asked by rfreeman to Loan, Cristina, Gemma, Michael, Praveen on 10 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by Lclark.
    • Photo: Gemma Barron

      Gemma Barron answered on 10 Nov 2015:

      Hi @rfreeman,
      Thank you for your interesting question. Yes, I believe that my research does affect mine and my husband’s lifestyle. My work at the moment focusses on a process called angiogenesis which is the growth of new blood vessels in the body and it is an important natural process used in healing (especially if you have hurt yourself and have a cut in your skin) or in reproduction. However, what is more interesting to me is abnormal blood vessel growth, which can either be aggressive or insufficient, and is linked to many health conditions, including cancer, skin disease, blindness in old age, diabetes, stroke and also heart disease. The list of diseases that are linked to angiogenesis are growing every year. I look at blood vessel formation using blood taken from people who are overweight or obese and look at the effects that molecules present in the blood of these individuals can affect blood vessel growth and potential that this may have to increasing the risk that these individuals may have to cancer etc. Therefore, I make sure that I eat a healthy diet with a few treats every now and then (!!) and exercise. I love to swim so you will find me in the pool several times a week.
      I hope this answers your question. Thanks, Gemma

    • Photo: Michael Schneider

      Michael Schneider answered on 10 Nov 2015:

      I am afraid I’m not at all athletic, even knowing that exercise would be good for me. I do watch my diet, so that my blood fat levels do not get too high. But, it’s a reasonable and balanced diet — no more than a few eggs per week, pasta not meat a few evenings per week, cutting back on the cheeses I love. Nothing extreme.

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