Miami Presents: Virtual Alumni Weekend "Inflammation - The Good, The Bad, The Ugly"

We often think of inflammation as more Mr. Hyde than Dr. Jekyll.  “Doc, my joints are inflamed!  Help!”  It’s not uncommon to see popular magazines or websites touting inflammation as “The Silent or Secret Killer”.   You may have a cabinet full of anti-inflammatories and gobble blueberries like they are going out of style—all in an attempt to decrease your inflammation.   If we can quash inflammation, it will be puppy dogs and rainbows for days and days, right?  Well, it’s far more nuanced than that.  With a nod towards Western movies, join this webinar to learn more about “Inflammation- The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly”. Dr. Kyle Timmerman is an Associate Professor in Kinesiology and Health at Miami University. His research focuses on the interactions among physical activity, inflammation, aging, and biomarkers of disease. It is known that higher levels of physical activity and/or exercise training exert anti-inflammatory effects in older adults. However, the mechanisms responsible for these effects are not well understood. Timmerman believes that a number of molecular pathways, including cells and receptors from our immune system may contribute to skeletal muscle inflammation, wasting, insulin resistance and declines in function typically associated with aging.  A clearer understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise could provide inroads to improved preventive and therapeutic strategies targeting inflammatory-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, sarcopenia, and cachexia.  His lab team, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, is exploring these mechanisms through funding provided by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).