Lisa Te Morenga
Dr Lisa Te Morenga (Ngāti Whātua, Te Rarawa) is a Research Fellow in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Otago and an affiliated researcher with the Riddet Institute – a national centre of research excellence focusing on food structures and digestive physiology. Lisa works closely with Professor Jim Mann and collaborates with researchers associated with the Edgar National Centre for Diabetes and Obesity Research at the University of Otago Medical School. Her research interests involve the effects of macronutrient composition on physiological endpoints associated with increased risk of preventable diseases. Recently Lisa has been involved in a number of research projects examining the health effects of dietary sugars. She recently completed a systematic review and meta analysis of the effects of added sugars intake on weight gain in children, adolescents and adults which was commissioned by the WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) aspart of the process for updating their recommendation on sugars intakes. This review was published in the BMJ in January and has received much attention. She is also leading two near completed dietary intervention studies examining the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages, milk, fruit and fruit juice on serum uric acid and other risk factors for the metabolic syndrome in individuals who are at risk of developing diabetes, and leading an observational research project examining the relationship between sugars intakes and risk factors associated with metabolic diseases in Maori and Pacific populations. Lisa is mum to two young boys and in her spare time prefers to be hanging out with friends andfamily in the great outdoors, preferably on a bike.
Abstracts this author is presenting: