Jonathan Little

Associate Professor

School of Health and Exercise Sciences

Faculty of Health and Social Development

COVID-19 Research Area(s)

Collaborators Sought

Areas of collaboration interest

Research Specializations

Our lab continues to conduct two "remote" clinical trials testing the impact of low-carbohydrate diets for improving metabolic health of individuals with obesity and type 2 diabetes using mobile health applications (mHealth apps).

Given the increased risk of COVID-19 complications and mortality in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes, we are also planning to explore how low-carbohydrate diets impact immune cell function in these individuals. Improved blood sugar control, weight loss, and reduced markers of chronic inflammation following low-carbohydrate diet interventions would be hypothesized to improve immune cell function in people with type 2 diabetes but this has not been tested. Our lab has been conducting studies primarily focused on innate immune responses (monocytes and macrophages), which appear related to COVID-19 complications but we are interested in collaborating with infectious disease experts who can bring important context and insight into anti-viral responses.