Metabolic Health

O le ā le metabolic disease? (What is a metabolic disease?)

O metabolic diseases o fa`afitāuli ia e fa`alavelaveina ai a tatou metabolism, o le fa`agāsologa lea o le fa`aliliuina o a tatou mea`ai ma vai e inu ina ia maua ai le malosi`aga. O se tasi o fa`ata`ita`iga o le tele o le suka i le toto mai le ma`i suka. O isi fa`ata`ita`iga e aofia ai le toto maualuga, fa`ama`i tumau o le fatuga`o ma le gugu.

Metabolic diseases are disorders that disrupt our metabolism, which is the process of converting our food into energy. One example is when we have too much sugar in the blood from diabetes. Some other examples include high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and gout.

Aiseā e tāua ai? (Why does it matter?)

O le tulaga o le ma`i suka itu`aiga 2 ua fa`atupula`ia fa`atasi ma le puta ma o lo `o avea ma fa`afitāuli tele o le soifua maloloina i Aotearoa. O le ma`i suka ua mautinoa o le māfua`aga lea o le fa`atelevaveina ai o isi fa`ama`i, peita`i e lē `o manino lava pe fa`apefea ona feso`ota`i nisi o nei suiga i le tatou metabolism ma le tino puta, le ma`i suka ma le ma`i fatu.

The rate of type 2 diabetes is increasing hand-in-hand with obesity and poses a major health problem in Aotearoa. Diabetes is known to accelerate many other disease processes, however it is still unclear exactly how some of these changes in our metabolism are associated with obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

A fa`atusatusa i isi fa`alāpotopotoga o atunu`u, o tagata Māori ma tagata Pasefika o lo `o maua i le ma`i suka itu`aiga 2 i Aotearoa o lo `o fa`atonuina ni vaila`au e lē aogā pe leai fo`i ni vaila`au. O ā matou su`esu`ega e fa`amoemoe e fa`aleleia nei fa`alētonu e ala i le su`eina po `o ā togafitiga e sili ona lelei mo tagata `ese`ese.

Compared to other ethnic groups, Māori and Pacific Peoples living with Type 2 diabetes in Aotearoa are either prescribed less effective medication or no medication at all. Our research aims to improve these inequities by finding out what the best treatment options are for different people.

O ā mea e fai e le Maurice Wilkins Centre e  fō`ia  ai fa`ama`i metabolic? 

(What does the Maurice Wilkins Centre do to combat metabolic diseases?)

Ua iloa e le `au su`esu`e a Maurice Wilkins Centre o nisi o faitau aofa`i o tagata e pei o Māori ma Pasefika o lo `o tau`aveina le `avega o nei fa`afitāuli tau soifua maloloina ma e mana`omia e nei vaega le `auai malosi ma le fa`amuamua i lenei fa`amoemoe. E ala i le tu`ufa`atasia o tagata Māori ma tagata Pasefika i le fa`agāsologa o su`esu`ega matou te fuafua e fa`avasega le auala matou te mālamalama ai i nei fa`afitāuli e ala i le fa`aaogāina o togafitiga fou ina ia aofia ai vaega uma o le nu`u. O le fa`aaogāina o malosi`aga ua uma ona i ai, o le polokalame su`esu`e a le Maurice Wilkins Center i le ma`i suka ma isi tulaga tau gasegase e fa`atatau i le fa`ailoaina o auala i togafitiga fou ma le tutusa mo le ma`i suka, nisi mea e atili ai ona faigatā fa`atasi ma isi fa`ama`i metabolic e pei o le gugu.

Maurice Wilkins Centre researchers realise that certain populations such as Māori and Pacific carry the burden of these health issues and that these groups need active involvement and prioritisation in this journey. By centralising Māori and Pacific people in the research process we plan to diversify the way in which we understand these problems by using innovative solutions to engage with all layers of the community. Utilising the strengths already in place, the Maurice Wilkins Centre research programme in diabetes and other metabolic conditions aims to identify pathways to new, equitable treatments for diabetes, its associated complications and other metabolic diseases such as gout.