Prof. Dr. Kentaro Kawanaka

Professor Kentaro Kawanaka, earned his Ph.D. in Sports Science from Tsukuba University in 1995, where his research focused on the effects of muscle contractile activity on glucose transport in rat skeletal muscles. His academic background also includes a Master's in Sports Science from Tsukuba University and a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Kyushu University. Dr. Kawanaka completed postdoctoral fellowships at the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Tokyo and at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis under the supervision of Professor J.O. Holloszy.

His laboratory investigates the molecular mechanisms by which physical inactivity induces skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Current projects emphasize the roles of α-ketoglutarate and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) as negative regulators of insulin action in muscle. He also explores how glucose functions beyond energy supply, acting as a signaling molecule regulating muscle protein metabolism.

At Fukuoka University, Dr. Kawanaka has established the Exercise Nutrition and Biochemistry Laboratory and teaches courses in Molecular and Cellular Sports Nutrition. His research specialties include exercise physiology, nutritional physiology, carbohydrate metabolism, and protein metabolism. Through his leadership as Dean of the Graduate School, he continues to advance integrative research bridging exercise, nutrition, and metabolic health.

Title of the presentation: How physical inactivity induces insulin resistance in skeletal muscle glucose transport