Information

Related Research Units

Endocrinology Research
Type 1 Diabetes Research Study Research

Research Overview

Dr. Lennerz research focuses on understanding the impact of nutrition on brain and metabolic health, and on clarifying cerebral mechanisms that regulate food intake and energy homeostasis in obesity and type one diabetes.

In an ongoing clinical trial, she is evaluating the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on glycemic control, and metabolic health in individuals with type one diabetes. Ancillary studies evaluate the effects of the low-carb diet on brain hypoglycemia tolerance, glucagon response duding hypoglycemia, exercise-induced hypoglycemia, and for cravings.

Research Background

  Dr. Lennerz completed medical school at Friedrich Alexander University in Germany in 2005. She did her pediatric residency at St. Louis Children’s Hospital from 2006-2009, followed by a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at Boston Children’s Hospital from 2009-2011 and 2014-2015. Dr. Lennerz spent 3 years from 2011-2014 at Ulm University to obtain credentialing in pediatrics and pediatric endocrinology in Germany and acquire focused training in obesity. She has joined the endocrine division at Boston Children’s Hospital after finishing her fellowship in 2015.
 

Education

Medical School

Medical Faculty, Friedrich Alexander University
2005 Erlangen Germany

Internship

St. Louis Children's Hospital
2007 St. Louis MO

Residency

St. Louis Children's Hospital
2009 St. Louis MO

Fellowship

Pediatric Endocrinology Boston Children's Hospital
Boston MA

Publications

  1. An Atypical Presentation of Cytokine Release Syndrome With Signs of Arthritis During Treatment With Teplizumab in a Pediatric Patient. Diabetes Care. 2025 Jan 22. View Abstract
  2. Twelve-Month Outcomes after Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery among Youths Participating in a Structured Preparation and Follow-Up Program: Results of the Youth with Extreme Obesity Study. Obes Facts. 2024; 17(1):59-71. View Abstract
  3. Reply to R Kirwan et al. Curr Dev Nutr. 2022 May; 6(5):nzac038. View Abstract
  4. Behavioral Characteristics and Self-Reported Health Status among 2029 Adults Consuming a "Carnivore Diet". Curr Dev Nutr. 2021 Dec; 5(12):nzab133. View Abstract
  5. Diets Varying in Carbohydrate Content Differentially Alter Brain Activity in Homeostatic and Reward Regions in Adults. J Nutr. 2021 08 07; 151(8):2465-2476. View Abstract
  6. Serum IGF1 and linear growth in children with congenital leptin deficiency before and after leptin substitution. Int J Obes (Lond). 2021 07; 45(7):1448-1456. View Abstract
  7. Carbohydrate restriction for diabetes: rediscovering centuries-old wisdom. J Clin Invest. 2021 01 04; 131(1). View Abstract
  8. [Innovative medical care concepts for adolescents with severe obesity]. Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz. 2020 Jul; 63(7):831-838. View Abstract
  9. Health related quality of life associated with extreme obesity in adolescents - results from the baseline evaluation of the YES-study. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2020 Mar 05; 18(1):58. View Abstract
  10. Methylphenidate in children with monogenic obesity due to LEPR or MC4R deficiency improves feeling of satiety and reduces BMI-SDS-A case series. Pediatr Obes. 2020 01; 15(1):e12577. View Abstract
  11. Refinement of the critical genomic region for hypoglycaemia in the Chromosome 9p deletion syndrome. Wellcome Open Res. 2019; 4:149. View Abstract
  12. Treatment of Hypothalamic Obesity with Dextroamphetamine: A Case Series. Obes Facts. 2019; 12(1):91-102. View Abstract
  13. Do adolescents with extreme obesity differ according to previous treatment seeking behavior? The Youth with Extreme obesity Study (YES) cohort. Int J Obes (Lond). 2019 01; 43(1):103-115. View Abstract
  14. Functional and Phenotypic Characteristics of Human Leptin Receptor Mutations. J Endocr Soc. 2019 Jan 01; 3(1):27-41. View Abstract
  15. Authors' Response. Pediatrics. 2018 08; 142(2). View Abstract
  16. Management of Type 1 Diabetes With a Very Low-Carbohydrate Diet. Pediatrics. 2018 06; 141(6). View Abstract
  17. Early childhood BMI trajectories in monogenic obesity due to leptin, leptin receptor, and melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018 09; 42(9):1602-1609. View Abstract
  18. Food Addiction, High-Glycemic-Index Carbohydrates, and Obesity. Clin Chem. 2018 01; 64(1):64-71. View Abstract
  19. A Structured, Manual-Based Low-Level Intervention vs. Treatment as Usual Evaluated in a Randomized Controlled Trial for Adolescents with Extreme Obesity - the STEREO Trial. Obes Facts. 2017; 10(4):341-352. View Abstract
  20. [Case series: BMI long courses in patients with extreme juvenile obesity. Short- and long-term success of long-term inpatient treatment]. MMW Fortschr Med. 2016 08; 158 Suppl 5:1-7. View Abstract
  21. Biologically inactive leptin and early-onset extreme obesity. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jan 01; 372(1):48-54. View Abstract
  22. Effects of sodium benzoate, a widely used food preservative, on glucose homeostasis and metabolic profiles in humans. Mol Genet Metab. 2015 Jan; 114(1):73-9. View Abstract
  23. Monogenic forms of childhood obesity due to mutations in the leptin gene. Mol Cell Pediatr. 2014 Dec; 1(1):3. View Abstract
  24. Plasma insulin levels in childhood are related to maternal factors--results of the Ulm Birth Cohort Study. Pediatr Diabetes. 2014 Sep; 15(6):453-63. View Abstract
  25. Bariatric surgery in adolescents and young adults--safety and effectiveness in a cohort of 345 patients. Int J Obes (Lond). 2014 Mar; 38(3):334-40. View Abstract
  26. Effects of dietary glycemic index on brain regions related to reward and craving in men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Sep; 98(3):641-7. View Abstract
  27. A case of phace syndrome and acquired hypopituitarism? Int J Pediatr Endocrinol. 2012 Jun 30; 2012(1):20. View Abstract
  28. Brain activation during input from mechanoinsensitive versus polymodal C-nociceptors. J Neurosci. 2006 May 17; 26(20):5492-9. View Abstract

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