NutrEx
JULY 2024 NEWSLETTER
Catherine Jarrett Awarded WSU Seed Funding to Study the Effects of Weight Loss Drugs on Cardiovascular Health
New GLP-1 agonist drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are enjoying a wave of popularity for their weight loss effects. But do they improve your cardiovascular health?
That’s what Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology Assistant Professor Catherine Jarrett, PhD, RDN, wants to find out.
Jarrett was awarded one of nine 2024 New Faculty Seed Grants, a highly competitive WSU Office of Research program that supports research and scholarly or creative programs that lead to sustained professional development and external funding for junior faculty. She will use the funding to assess how GLP-1 agonists affect the vascular health and cardiorespiratory fitness of Spokane adults undergoing medically supervised weight loss.
“It’s important to look at people from the community who are initiating this drug and better understand their health in a real-world setting,” said Jarrett, who formerly served as a clinical dietician at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona before completing a postdoctoral research fellowship.
Jarrett also plans to investigate whether GLP-1 agonists affect participants’ cardiorespiratory fitness, an important indicator of overall health. Although these medications may improve heart health, they may not improve cardiorespiratory fitness, which would suggest that a holistic approach to weight loss that incorporates exercise and diet is important for overall health.
With data from this pilot study, Jarrett plans to apply for external funding to incorporate nutrition and exercise interventions into medical weight loss regimens to improve patients’ health and not just their weight. The study is part of her research work exploring the role of nutrition and exercise in the cardiovascular and overall health of different populations, including women and aging populations.
The study is a collaboration with WSU College of Nursing Teaching Assistant Professor Megan Vulcan, ARNP, and Nutrition and Exercise Physiology undergraduate students Macauley Devin and Liam Quinn, whom Jarrett mentors in ongoing research. They were among 40 WSU students awarded research fellowship funding for the upcoming academic year.
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NEP Students Aim to Shape Cardiovascular Health Interventions through Fellowship-Funded Research
