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
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October 21, 2015 • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in the United States has long been estimated at no more than three children per 1,000. A new study published in the journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence reports that the prevalence of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is between 3 and 8 per 1,000 and when combined with partial FAS (PFAS) the prevalence of both actually ranges between 11 to 25 children per 1,000.
Lead researcher Philip May, Ph.D., research professor with the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) at the NC Research Campus in Kannapolis, NC, emphasized that the study “Prevalence and characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome and partial fetal syndrome in Rocky Mountain Region City” is only the second population-based study completed in the United States that aimed to establish more accurate rates of FAS and PFAS. Continue Reading Researchers Say Absolutely No Drinking While Pregnant
October 2015
October 8, 2015 • In this month’s soundbite you will learn how “antioxidants” affect the body’s immune system. Sign up for this month’s AFL presentation by Dr. Surzenko. Also it’s not too early to buy a Christmas present. Consider giving a memorial brick in the NRI’s plaza. Continue Reading October 2015
Our Built-In “Antioxidant” System
October 1, 2015 • Antioxidants have been in the popular press for more than 20 years and, while many people may not understand what exactly antioxidants do, they have the right idea that consuming foods known to contain high levels of the compounds is better than not consuming them. In its simplest form, an antioxidant is a compound that can be consumed or that the body makes to defend against damaging effects of free radicals, highly reactive molecules that can damage cells and tissues. We are exposed to free radicals through everyday living. Continue Reading Our Built-In “Antioxidant” System
Sunset Slaw
September 24, 2015 • Sunset Slaw recipe designed by Chef Mark Allison, Dole Food Company. Continue Reading Sunset Slaw
New Study Shows How Phytochemicals Build Natural Defenses Against Free Radicals
September 21, 2015 • A new study from scientists at the NC Research Campus (NCRC) in Kannapolis, NC, found that certain phytochemicals build natural, cellular defenses against damaging free radicals and reactive oxygen species dispelling other popular theories of how some antioxidants work. Continue Reading New Study Shows How Phytochemicals Build Natural Defenses Against Free Radicals
Researcher Returns to Familiar Ground for Groundbreaking Work
September 17, 2015 • The following has been reprinted from the Charlotte Observer.
Growing up in Kannapolis, Summer Goodson knew that the mammoth Cannon Mills textile complex was the lifeblood of the community.
Members of her family worked in the plant for 70 years before Pillowtex shuttered the facility in 2003. Little did Goodson know that she would carry on her family’s legacy by one day working in some of the same buildings. But instead of spinning cotton into fiber, Goodson is turning research into medical advancements aimed at helping treat male infertility. Continue Reading Researcher Returns to Familiar Ground for Groundbreaking Work