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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

The impact of early-life sub-therapeutic antibiotic treatment (STAT) on excessive weight is robust despite transfer of intestinal microbes.  Sumner S

Protein Intake at Twice the RDA in Older Men Increases Circulatory Concentrations of the Microbiome Metabolite Trimethylamine-N-Oxide (TMAO).  Zeisel S

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

Dietary Choline and Betaine and Risk of CVD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.  Meyer K

A Microbiomic Analysis in African Americans with Colonic Lesions Reveals Streptococcus sp.VT162 as a Marker of Neoplastic Transformation.  Sumner S

Metabolic profiling of a chronic kidney disease cohort reveals metabolic phenotype more likely to benefit from a probiotic.  Sumner S

Trimethylamine N-Oxide, the Microbiome, and Heart and Kidney Disease.  Zeisel S

2016

Microbiota-Dependent Metabolite Trimethylamine N-Oxide and Coronary Artery Calcium in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study (CARDIA).  Meyer K

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

Mother's Diet Impacts Development of Baby's Brain

December 21, 2015

January 2, 2016 • Children of mothers whose diet during pregnancy was deficient in the essential nutrient choline have lower performance on cognitive tests. Cognition is rooted in the brain’s cortex, but a direct link between maternal dietary choline levels and cortical development in offspring had not been demonstrated. Experimental evidence of this link, and identification of a physiological mechanism, would greatly enhance our understanding of the importance of proper nutrition during pregnancy.

Effects of Inadequate Hydration on Kidney Disease

December 21, 2015

December 21, 2015 • While drinking at least eight glasses of water a day may not be necessary under normal conditions, maintaining adequate hydration, especially during physical exertion in warm weather, is essential for optimal health.