Christopher Thomas
Dr Merlin Thomas
Merlin Thomas is a physician and a scientist. His research laboratory is at the JDRF/ Danielle Alberti Memorial Centre for the study of Diabetes Complications at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne.
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Professor Christopher Thomas is a physician and a scientist. His work links the complex disciplines of biochemistry and biology to the real needs of real people.
His research laboratory is situated at the JDRF/ Danielle Alberti Memorial Centre for the study of Diabetes Complications at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne. Their work is focused on reducing the burden of diabetes and kidney disease in Australia. They explore the underlying mechanisms of how these two conditions damage key organs in the body, essentially leading to accelerated ageing. In particular, their work focuses on advanced glycation, inflammation, oxidative stress and obesity, the four main elements of ageing.
Dr Thomas has published over 150 articles in many of the worlds leading medical journals. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Diabetes Australia, the Australian NHMRC, Kidney Health Australia and the National Heart Foundation also support the work of Dr Thomas.
Christopher is co-author of the book ‘Fast living, Slow ageing’ which provides an opportunity for the general public to get into the mind of a real scientist; to discover how things really work and how to make the most of our choices based on evidence and understanding. Dr Thomas has a unique knack for being able to make the most complex science seem common sense. Without avoiding the details, he has been able to fashion a logical and likable narrative, that everyone can follow.
Blog entries by Christopher Thomas
- The amazing health benefits of chocolate
Cocoa products, such as dark chocolate have high content of flavanols (about 6% to 8% polyphenols by dry weight) that contributes to their flavor and aroma
- What is the SLOW aging philosophy?
Slow aging has goals of disease prevention, maintaining structure, function and quality of life. Distinct from anti-aging, which intervenes in the processes of aging
- The biological process & aging
Many cells in the body can divide and replace losses that occur naturally over time. However, there may be a limit to this regenerative capacity
- How can I prevent hearing loss?
Loud noise is the most significant single cause of hearing loss Most young people (and a lot of older people too) don’t realize the impact that a noisy lifestyle has on their hearing. Australian Hearing conducted a survey in 2008 and asked people their attitudes and behaviors when it comes to noise and hearing. It
- What’s my risk for diabetes?
For every year we have type 2 diabetes, we can effectively add a year to our age; a 60-year-old with diabetes for 10 years has the life expectancy of a 70-year-old
- Skin changes with age
The effects of photo-aging vary from person to person, depending on the duration and intensity of our sun exposure, skin type, genetic legacies and our diet
- HGH and somatopause
People who retain the highest levels of human growth hormone (HGH), have the lowest rates of dementia, depression, heart disease and some cancers
- Getting the Essentials
Every cell needs an optimal level of nutrition in order to function normally and even if we overeat, we can still fail to get enough important micronutrients
- Cut calories to slow aging!
There are many things we can do today to keep our weight under control as we get older. It doesn’t need a drastic change or a new fad
- The slow aging eating plan
It doesn't matter if you change your dietary habits overnight. Even small changes in our diets over time can become good habits over a longer period.
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