Veera Houttu, Winner of the Award in Childhood Obesity, is a Senior Researcher, PhD, RD, Affiliated with the Nutrition and Food Research Center in the Medical Faculty at the University of Turku, Finland. Veera is a clinical nutritionist with a particular interest in the multifaceted nature of obesity and associated metabolic comorbidities, including physiology, psychology and behavior mediated factors. She has a strong track record in research on nutrition and metabolic diseases, as well as translating clinical results to metabolic mechanisms. Her research activities have been highly multidisciplinary and international, contributing to international research groups through her Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD trajectory at Amsterdam UMC, the Netherlands, and an earlier research visit to the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. These research activities involved studies in humans and mice, focusing on the effects of nutrition and exercise on MASLD, and the links to tissue metabolism and gut microbiota. Currently, her research focuses on physiology, psychology and behavior mediated effects in early-life obesity through eating behavior, sensory perceptions, and physiological responses, as well as how to translate these mechanisms into prevention and treatment.
Veera, please tell us a bit about yourself, where did you grow up? Feel free to share insights into your early life, including your upbringing, family environment, and formative experiences that may have influenced your career path.
I grew up in a little village in the beautiful countryside in Finland, surrounded by nature. Coming from big family – I had an identical twin sister, older sibling and a little brother – I learnt teamwork and perseverance. I enjoyed exploring around the farm, fascinated by all the little bugs, creatures, and animals in the nature. I even had my own toy microscope to examine them closely with my twin sister, which made me feel like I had a little scientist inside me. Later when I grew up, my curiosity extended to the human body, and I was particularly interested in to what extent nutrition and eating behavior influences human metabolism and health. This inspired me to pursue an academic degree in Clinical Nutrition.
Please provide an overview of your educational background and research experiences, particularly those that led you to specialise in obesity research. Did specific events or experiences during your studies or early career ignite your interest in obesity research?
I hold both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Health Sciences, with a major in Clinical Nutrition, from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) in Kuopio, Finland. This education qualifies me as an authorized clinical nutritionist. During these studies, I developed a particular interest in obesity and the associated metabolic diseases, and to what extent nutrition influences metabolism in metabolic diseases. My Master’s thesis focused on metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MASLD) in a diet-induced MASLD mice model, which I conducted in a research group led by Professor Hani El-Nezami at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong, China. This experience inspired me to pursue an international PhD focusing further on MASLD. I was selected for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie PhD position in Vascular Medicine at Amsterdam University Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Four years later, I defended my PhD thesis, which focused on nutrition, exercise, tissue metabolism, gut microbiota and MASLD. Currently, my research includes topics on early life nutrition and health with the focus on metabolism, eating behavior and obesity in Early Nutrition and Health Research group led by Professor Kirsi Laitinen in the Nutrition and Food Research Center at the University of Turku (UTU), Turku, Finland.
How have your academic training and professional experiences equipped you to take on the complexities of obesity research? How have your research interests developed over time, and what factors have steered you towards prioritising obesity in your studies?
My academic degree has taught me a great deal about nutrition, obesity and metabolic diseases, providing a foundation for understanding the principles. However, there is so much more to learn and tackle in the field of obesity research. The complexities of obesity require continuous exploration and understanding, and I am eager to delve deeper into this challenging yet fascinating area. Given the content of previous research, I have learned extensively about metabolism in a specific obesity associated metabolic disease, MASLD. Moving forward, I expand my research to link obesity with eating behavior, environmental stimuli and psychophysiological responses in early life. This holistic approach will help to better understand the multifaceted nature of obesity and contribute to effective interventions and prevention of obesity. Additionally, I see early life as a very important phase to target in order to prevent obesity effectively. Focusing on early-life interventions can have a significant impact on long-term health outcomes.
Have mentors or role models in the obesity research community significantly influenced your career? If so, how have they shaped your approach and interests?
My PhD project was part of a multidisciplinary research consortium called BestTreat, which aimed to improve understanding of MASLD and develop new therapies against it. I received an opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary and international research team which taught me the importance of combing various disciplines in understanding the complexity of obesity and associated metabolic diseases. Along with many interesting research activities, I conducted a lifestyle intervention in patients with MASLD in Amsterdam UMC with the help of my ambitious co-supervisors Associate Professor Onno Holleboom and Dr. Aldo Grefhorst in the research group led by my supervisor Professor Max Nieuwdorp. This ambitious translational research environment combining clinical and biomedical research has inspired me to seek opportunities to investigate obesity further, and ultimately aid the individuals with obesity.
Great, Veera, thank you. EASO sees obesity as a multidimensional chronic disease. Has interdisciplinary collaboration featured in your work?
Interdisciplinary and international team work and support has led my research to this stage where I want to combine different methodologies to understand the links between eating behavior, environmental stimuli and psychophysiological responses in early life obesity. Collaboration with researchers and professionals from different disciplines such as medicine, psychology, food science and bioinformatics is key to advancing our understanding of obesity and the associated metabolic diseases. I also believe that combining various disciplines is the key to helping people with obesity effectively.