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null José Morais, MD

Senior Scientist, RI-MUHC, Glen site

Metabolic Disorders and Complications Program

Centre for Translational Biology

Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University

Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, MUHC

 

Keywords

protein requirements with aging • muscle protein regulation • insulin resistance • sarcopenia • frailty • optimal nutrition and cognition • physical performance with aging

Research Focus

My areas of interest in research are protein requirements and metabolism in normal and frail aging. Additionally, I assess the alteration of protein metabolism in older obese people with or without type 2 diabetes, using glucose and amino acid stable isotopes methods (13C-leucine and D5-phenylanaline, D2O, D-glucose). Furthermore, I am assessing protein sensitivity to insulin action using the hyperinsulinemic, euglycemic, isoaminoacidemic clamp technique that I helped develop. Using the clamp, I undertook to assess the anabolic responses to fed state with aging at the whole-body and muscle levels, for which I have added muscle biopsies as well as evaluating the cellular signaling pathways regulating protein synthesis and degradation at the muscle level. At the population level I am also evaluating factors associated with optimal dietary intake for maintenance of cognition, good health and physical performance with aging, in the longitudinal cohort study NuAge (one of 5 co-investigators).

Selected Publications

Click on Pubmed to see my current publications list

  • Chevalier S., Gougeon R., Kreisman, S.H., Cassis C., and Morais JA. The hyperinsulinemic amino acid clamp increases whole-body protein synthesis in young subjects. Metabolism. 2004; 3:388-396. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2003.09.016.

  • Murphy J, Chevalier S, Gougeon R, Goulet EDB, Morais JA. Insulin resistance of protein metabolism in obese elderly women with and without type 2 diabetes. Exp Gerontol 2015 Jun 8;69:20-26. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2015.06.008.

  • D’Amico D, Parrott MD, Greenwood CE, Ferland G, Belleville S, Gaudreau P, Laurin D, Anderson ND, Kergoat MJ, Morais JA, Presse N, Fiocco AJ. Sex differences in the relationship between diet pattern adherence and cognitive function among older adults: Findings from the NuAge Study. J Nutr 2020 Jun 20;19(1):58. doi: 10.1186/s12937-020-00575-3.

  • Jacob KW, Sonjak V, Spendiff S, Hepple R, Chevalier S, Perez A, Morais JA. Leucine modulates mitochondrial quality in conjunction with resistance training and adequate protein intake in pre/frail women. Front Nutr. 2021 Jan 22;7:619216. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2020.619216.

  • Coussa A, Bassil M, Gougeon R, Marliss EB, Morais JA. Glucose and protein metabolic responses to an energy- but not protein- restricted diet in type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2020 Aug;22(8):1278-1285. doi: 10.1111/dom.14026.