Personal Statement
My research focuses on the complex interactions between nutrition, the gut microbiome, muscle health, and cardiovascular function across the ageing trajectory. As populations age globally, the burden of cardiometabolic diseases—including cardiovascular disease, heart failure (HF), and the emerging concept of the cardiovascular–kidney–metabolic (CKM) syndrome—continues to rise. Understanding how modifiable lifestyle factors influence these interconnected biological systems is therefore essential for improving long-term health and preventing disease progression.

A central theme of my work is the diet–gut–muscle–heart axis. Diet is a major determinant of gut microbiome composition and function, which in turn influences host metabolism through bioactive metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, and other gut-derived compounds. These metabolites can affect systemic inflammation, lipid metabolism, glucose regulation, and vascular health—key mechanisms underlying cardiometabolic disease. At the same time, ageing is associated with progressive changes in muscle mass and function (sarcopenia), which interact with metabolic health and contribute to frailty, reduced physical capacity, and poorer cardiovascular outcomes.

My research aims to identify how dietary patterns and nutritional strategies can beneficially modulate the gut microbiome and metabolic pathways to support healthy ageing and reduce cardiometabolic risk. By integrating nutritional science, microbiome research, metabolomics, and clinical cardiology, this work seeks to uncover mechanistic links between diet, microbial metabolism, and cardiovascular health. Particular emphasis is placed on translating these insights into practical, scalable interventions—such as personalised nutrition approaches—that can support prevention and management of conditions including heart failure and CKM syndrome.

Ultimately, this research contributes to a growing field that recognises the importance of systems-level approaches to chronic disease prevention. By better understanding the interactions between diet, the gut microbiome, muscle physiology, and cardiovascular function, we can develop more effective strategies to promote healthier ageing and improve outcomes for individuals at risk of cardiometabolic disease.

Research Overview
Dr. Masoud Isanejad is a researcher in clinical and precision nutrition whose work focuses on the prevention and management of sarcopenia and frailty in ageing populations, particularly among individuals with cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM). His research explores how nutrition, the gut microbiome, metabolic pathways, and cardiovascular health interact to influence muscle function, metabolic resilience, and healthy ageing.

Sarcopenia—defined by the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength—can occur as a natural consequence of ageing (primary sarcopenia) or be accelerated by chronic diseases such as heart failure, diabetes, and kidney disease (secondary sarcopenia). Dr. Isanejad’s research investigates the biological mechanisms linking these conditions, with particular emphasis on the diet–gut microbiome–metabolism–muscle axis.

Using metabotyping and multi-omics approaches, including metabolomics, lipidomics, and biomarker profiling from blood and other biofluids, his work identifies metabolic signatures associated with muscle decline, inflammation, and cardiometabolic risk. He is particularly interested in the role of gut microbiome–derived metabolites and their influence on host metabolic pathways and cardiovascular health.

A central goal of his research is to translate mechanistic insights into practical and scalable nutritional interventions. Through epidemiological analyses, deep phenotyping studies, and clinical trials, Dr. Isanejad aims to develop personalised nutrition strategies that can improve muscle health, reduce cardiometabolic risk, and support healthier ageing.

His work contributes to advancing precision nutrition approaches targeting the gut–muscle–heart axis to improve outcomes in ageing populations with cardiometabolic disease.