Update on the Heart Foundation-Hynds Senior Research Fellowship

Pictured together are Hynds Foundation trustees (from left): Mami Hynds, Aaron Hynds, Adrian Hynds, John Hynds, and Léonie Hynds, with (at rear) Andrew Reynolds and Clive Nelson (Heart Foundation), Cheryll Smith (Hynds Holdings), and Alison Wheatley-Mahon and Georgina Leary (Heart
Foundation).

Coming into the final year of his Heart Foundation-Hynds Senior Research Fellowship, Associate Professor Andrew Reynolds cannot stop grinning. “Three years support to do the research I am most passionate about? Pinch me! I’m dreaming,” he said. “With this time, I’ve been able to conduct more research and support more students than I thought possible, with a very real focus on improving health outcomes in Aotearoa New Zealand.”

Andrew studies the relationship between what we eat and globally relevant diseases: heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. The objective of his Fellowship was to respond to new and emerging challenges to the food supply. During this Fellowship he has been running trials on providing free healthy groceries to people recovering from a heart attack, looking at supported weight loss options for people with Type 2 diabetes and obesity who want to lose weight, and the effects of food processing on whole grains.

At the start of this final year, Andrew has launched three new research trials he intends to complete before his Fellowship ends in February 2026.

The first of these trials, on ultra-processed food and blood glucose control, is nearly complete. “The participants have been amazing for this trial. We are testing four main foods, each with different types of processing and of different formulation. All up that requires 19 early-morning meal tests for each of our participants – it’s a huge ask but everyone has been great,” he said. The results of this trial will inform the subsequent use of the term ‘ultra processed foods’.

The second trial underway is GluCoast, run by Andrew’s PhD Candidate Kate Campbell. “The GluCoast study explores different ways of eating that might help people with Type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels,” Kate said. The study isn’t just about blood sugar though: “After trying each dietary strategy, we’re asking our participants what they liked, what they didn’t, and why – because what’s the point recommending something that nobody can stick to?”

Kate, who has recently returned home to Greymouth while completing her PhD, said that running GluCoast on the Te Waipounamu Te Tai o Poutini – the West Coast of the South Island – was particularly special to her as an opportunity to better support people with diabetes in her own community. “The West Coast hasn’t been the focus of a lot of health research in the past, and compared with the larger centres, many Coasters feel like they get the short end of the stick when it comes to healthcare. I’m hopeful our research here can start to change that.”

The final research trial within this Fellowship is a bread study conducted in Dunedin. “We have worked with a fantastic baker at Gerry’s Bakery in Christchurch to produce a bread incredibly high in both fibre and protein. We want to test this bread to see if a single food item swap to a maximally fortified food helps diabetes management,” Andrew said. Running this research trial is another of Andrew’s PhD students, Altaf Hossain. “This study is an exciting opportunity to explore how a single food swap might enhance diabetes care, and in particular, gut health,” Altaf said.

Alongside these research trials, Andrew will also be busy this year wrapping up systematic reviews and meta-analyses to inform clinical and dietary guidelines. Alongside research trials, this is another part of his role with the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago. Topics of current metaanalyses largely relate to carbohydrate intakes and health outcome – from all-cause mortality to gestational diabetes or cholesterol levels.

With one year to go, Andrew is committed to making the most of his Fellowship.

“I am so thankful to be the first recipient of the Heart Foundation-Hynds Senior Research Fellowship. It is exciting to know that a new researcher will step into the role from next year and drive their own research forward with the full support of the Hynds Foundation and the Heart Foundation.”

Associate Professor Andrew Reynolds