Microbiome and Nutrition
The complex community of bacteria, yeasts and viruses living in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome, is shaped, in part, by what we eat. Genetics, environment, and other factors also influence an individual’s microbial community. Research at the NRI investigates these complex relationships and their impact on disease risk. We use animal models and bioinformatics to study the associations between nutritional metabolites, gut microbiome, and health. What happens in the gut doesn’t stay in the gut. Your microbiome can play a role in cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes, and even cancer. Our team envisions a future where analysis of your microbiome can determine disease risk, and medical foods can be prescribed to treat and prevent disease by regulating the microbiome.
Publications
Microbiome and Nutrition Publications
2020
Population studies of TMAO and its precursors may help elucidate mechanisms. Meyer K
2019
Association of dietary patterns with the gut microbiota in older, community-dwelling men. Meyer K
2018
Meta-analysis of human genome-microbiome association studies: the MiBioGen consortium initiative. Meyer K
Human microbiota, blood group antigens, and disease. Sumner S
2017
Trimethylamine N-Oxide, the Microbiome, and Heart and Kidney Disease. Zeisel S
2016
Diet and Gut Microbial Function in Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disease Risk. Meyer K
Antibiotic-mediated gut microbiome perturbation accelerates development of type 1 diabetes in mice. Sumner S
Related News
June 2016
Cracking the connection between goes and diet could lead to future heart disease treatments Understanding the complex interplay of heredity, diet and microbes may one day lead to diets that prevent and treat cardiovascular disease. According to a recent scientific...
NRI presents inaugural short course for nutrition specialists
May 23, 2016 • The UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) holds its first short course in Nutrigenetics, Nutrigenomics and Precision Nutrition, May 23 – 26. This workshop-style educational course features 16 expert-led presentations on an array of topics including “Nutrition and Epigenetics” and “MicroRNA and Metabolic Profiling.” State-of-the-art practice is an important component of the short course. In hands-on sessions participants will learn to analyze and interpret genetic data using PLINK, Harvard’s open-source, whole-genome association analysis software toolset.
Cracking the connection between genes and diet could lead to future heart disease treatments
May 19, 2016 • Understanding the complex interplay of heredity, diet and microbes may one day lead to diets that prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.
According to a new scientific statement published Tuesday by the American Heart Association, cracking the connection between genes and diet could lead to future heart disease treatments.
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