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

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August 20, 2019 – Alice Ammerman, DrPH, Mildred Kaufman Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Director of the UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, will present “Good Bowls: A social venture to improve healthy food access.” Dr. Ammerman’s research for the last 20 years has focused on health disparities and social determinants of health, such as food insecurity, poverty, and lack of economic opportunity.

Kohlmeier Co-edits Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics Textbook

August 20, 2019 – Principles of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics: Fundamentals for Individualized Nutrition is the most comprehensive foundational text on the complex topics of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. Edited by three leaders in the field with contributions from the most well-cited researchers conducting groundbreaking research in the field, the book covers how the genetic makeup influences the response to foods and nutrients and how nutrients affect gene expression.

One Size Won’t Fit All

August 20, 2019 – Nearly 35 percent of Americans are considered obese — a diagnosis that has become so common the American Medical Association recognizes it as a chronic disease. While the diagnosis is the same for all, the treatments vary; what works for one person typically doesn’t work for another. In response, researchers from across UNC have joined forces to tackle this ever-growing problem.

August 2019

Startup SNP Therapeutics Merges Gene Testing With Personalized Nutrition July 15 2019 – In what may be the ultimate affirmation of “you are what you eat,” an innovative Charlotte-area company is merging high-tech genomic testing with personalized nutritional...

Hops Study

Study Purpose: To evaluate the effects of hops, a naturally occurring product, in the regulation of blood sugars. Recruiting: 18-70 year old males and females who do not smoke and are generally in good health What participants will do: Participants will volunteer for...

Meeting Areas & Office Space

The NRI building was designed with collaboration, collegiality and productivity in mind. Meeting areas and office space adjoin or connect the different clinical and laboratory research areas throughout the building. In addition to the 32,500 square feet of wet space...