Jonatan R. Ruiz

• Department of Physical Education and Sport
  Faculty of Sport Sciences
  University of Granada , Spain
  Crta Alfacar s/n. 18071. Granada.
• Co-director of the PROFITH Group and Vice-director of the Department of Physical Education and Sport

Jonatan R Ruiz  is Full Professor at the Faculty of Sport Sciences at the University of Granada (Spain). He holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Granada and a PhD in Medical Sciences from the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden). He was the first Ramón y Cajal Researcher in Spain with a background in Sport Sciences. He co-directs the PROFITH CTS-977 Research Group, and serves as the Scientific Director of a CIBEROBN group focused on exercise and obesity, and of the Excellence Unit in Exercise, Nutrition, and Health (UCEENS). He is also the co-principal investigator of the M-20 Biomarkers Group for metabolic and bone diseases at the ibs.Granada Research Institute, Granada (Spain). Jonatan has dedicated his research career to studying the impact of exercise on energy metabolism and cardiovascular health, specifically focusing on obesity and insulin resistance. He has published over 550 scientific articles, and his research has unequivocally shown that regular physical activity improves cardiovascular health from the early stages of life. He has received more than 35 awards for his research work and is recognized by several national rankings as one of the top researchers in the field of Sport Sciences in Spain. He has trained over 35 pre-doctoral students who have secured prestigious post-doctoral research contracts such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship, Ramón y Cajal, Juan de la Cierva, Sara Borrell, Ramón Areces, Martín Escudero, or Margarita Salas.

His main research interests are:

• 1) Brown adipose tissue, energy metabolism, and cardiovascular health in humans.
• 2) The role of exercise and nutrition in the accumulation of ectopic fat and cardiovascular health.
• 3) Lifestyle interventions and obstructive sleep apnea in individuals with obesity.
• 4) Intermittent fasting and cardiovascular health in people with obesity.
• 5) Regulation of the gut microbiota through exercise and nutrition.
• 6) Assessment of physical activity and fitness and their relationship with health.
• 7) Methodology of indirect calorimetry: applications to energy metabolism and cardiovascular health in humans.
• 8) Impact of bioactive compounds on health and physical performance.

Top-5 publications

1. Sanchez-Delgado G, Acosta FM, Martinez-Tellez B et al. Ruiz JR (10/10). Brown Adipose Tissue Volume and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake Are Not Associated With Energy Intake in Young Human Adults. Am J Clin Nutr 2020; 111(2):329-339.https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqz300

Contribution: In this study, we demonstrate that neither the volume of brown adipose tissue (BAT) nor the uptake of 18F-FDG in BAT following a personalized cold stimulation are related to appetite regulation in humans. These results suggest that BAT does not play a significant role in the regulation of energy intake in humans.

2. Sanchez-Delgado G, Martinez-Tellez B, Acosta FM, Virtue S, Vidal-Puig A, Gil A, Llamas-Elvira JM, Ruiz JR (8/8). Brown Adipose Tissue Volume and Fat Content are Positively Associated with Whole-Body Adiposity in Young Men, Not in Women. Diabetes. 2021; 15:db210011.https://doi.org/10.2337/db21-0011

Contribution: In this study, we demonstrate that brown adipose tissue (BAT) is positively associated with total and visceral fat mass in men, in line with what was known from animal models. However, these results contradict the widespread belief that BAT volume is reduced in individuals with obesity.

3. Carneiro-Barrera A, Amaro-Gahete FJ, Guillén-Riquelme A, Jurado-Fasoli L, Sáez-Roca G, Martín-Carrasco C, Buela-Casal G, Ruiz JR (8/8). Effect of an Interdisciplinary Weight Loss and Lifestyle Intervention on Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity: The INTERAPNEA Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022; 5(4): e228212.https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.8212

Contribution: Here, we unequivocally demonstrate that an interdisciplinary intervention focused on weight loss and lifestyle changes in men with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who were overweight or obese and receiving CPAP therapy, produces clinically significant and sustainable improvements in the severity of OSA and its comorbidities, as well as in health-related quality of life. Therefore, this new approach to OSA intervention may be considered a key strategy for addressing the impact of this increasingly common sleep-disordered breathing condition in people with overweight and obesity.

4. Martinez-Tellez B, Sanchez-Delgado G, Acosta FM et al. Ruiz JR (23/23). No evidence of brown adipose tissue activation after 24 weeks of supervised exercise training in young sedentary adults: The ACTIBATE randomized controlled trial. Nat Commun 2022; 13(1):5259.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32502-x

Contribution: In this study, we demonstrate, for the first time, that there is no evidence that moderate or vigorous intensity exercise induces changes in the activity or amount of brown adipose tissue in humans. The exercise intervention improved cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength, and reduced fat mass, but these changes were independent of brown adipose tissue.

5. Jurado-Fasoli L, Sanchez-Delgado G et al. Ruiz JR (9/9). Adults with metabolically healthy overweight or obesity present more brown adipose tissue and higher thermogenesis than their metabolically unhealthy counterparts. EBioMedicine. 2024 Jan 6;100:104948.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2023.104948

Contribution: Here, we demonstrate that brown adipose tissue may play an important role in the phenotype of individuals with obesity but with a healthy metabolic profile, highlighting the relevance of this tissue in cardiovascular health in individual with overweight or obesity.