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
November Faculty Focus: Steven H. Zeisel, PhD
November 13, 2018 – From his lab in a textile mill-turned-food research center, a UNC scientist has brought an important nutrient to the world’s attention. Dr. Steven Zeisel wants to make sure you’re getting enough choline. In a state-of-the-art laboratory on the North Carolina Research Campus, in the unlikeliest of places in a former textile mill town, Zeisel is overseeing scientific experiments about a nutrient that could change the way we eat.
AFL@JWU Recipes – October 17, 2018
October 17, 2018 – Chef Megan Lambert, MS, RD, Senior Instructor in College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, prepared healthy, delightful recipes with “Fun(ctional) Fall Flavors while Steph Saullo, MS, RD of the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, shared nutrition information on each recipe. The recipes from the October 17, 2018 Appetite For Life @ Johnson & Wales University program are available here for your cooking enjoyment!
AFL Program Summaries September 2018 – May 2019
Appetite For Life – Wednesday, September 19, with Delisha Stewart, PhD, Assistant Professor of Nutrition, UNC NRI: “Race, Ethnicity, and Health Disparities” Scientists at the Nutrition Research Institute are studying the role of genetics in health and wellness....
AFL@JWU Nutrition Notes – October 17, 2018
October 17, 2018 – The science on food and nutrients and their relationship to health is complex. Individuals are unique and there are various factors that influence health outcomes. Researchers at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute (NRI) are working very hard to understand the intricacies of diet and nutrients, and their relationship to disease prevention and progression with the goal that general dietary guidance will be replaced with personalized nutrition recommendations.
Breaking the Link Between Obesity, Gastrointestinal Cancers
October 3, 2018 – UNC NRI’s and UNC Lineberger’s Stephen Hursting, PhD, MPH, along with Cornelia Ulrich, PhD, MS, the director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute’s National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and colleagues, reviewed findings from research looking at the biological links between obesity and cancers of the colon, rectum, pancreas, liver, esophagus, gallbladder and stomach, as well as published studies on how diet, exercise, weight loss surgery, and other weight-related interventions may help reverse this connection.
October Faculty Focus: Saroja Voruganti, PhD
October 17, 2018 – Saroja Voruganti, PhD, has covered a lot of ground in her journey to becoming a faculty researcher in nutrition, genetics, and epidemiology at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute. Born into a traditional south Indian family, she grew up in Delhi in northern India where she graduated with an undergraduate degree in nutrition. Then she married and moved to western India. Even as she focused on marriage, home, and raising a family in the traditional Indian way of life, she kept alive her dream of pursuing advanced studies and contributing outside of family life.