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
Study focuses on child obesity
February 28, 2018 – Childhood obesity may no longer be a new concept, but the prevalence is higher than ever, and statistics show that Cabarrus County sits above the national and state averages for kids who are dangerously overweight.
An ongoing study at the N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis hopes to take a dive into children’s health and nutrition and what might lead some to gain excess weight and others not to. The children’s health study is currently looking for children and their families to participate.
March 2018
NRI Scientist's Research Reveals Important Statistics: FASD Prevalent in US February 26, 2018 –A new study of more than 6,000 first-graders across four U.S. communities has found that a significant number of the children have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD),...
Should You Exercise When You’re Sick?
February 26, 2018 – ASU Human Performance Lab Director David Nieman, DrPH, was featured in a Time article discussing exercise and the immune system. “Your immune system needs activity to do its job better. Every time you exercise, you increase the circulation of important immune cells.” However, he emphasizes, that while “exercise is great for prevention, it’s not as helpful when you’re already sick.”
Do you have the cure for the common cold?
February 26, 2018 – Everyone gets the common cold; hence, its name. Why isn’t there a cure or preventative vaccine? Actually there is, and you have it already – an active lifestyle including regular physical activity. David Nieman, DrPH, FACSM, the director of the Appalachian State University Human Performance Laboratory at the NC Research Campus, explains.
Choline Biomarker Study Wins Federal Support
February 7, 2018 – UNC Nutrition Research Institute director Steven H. Zeisel, MD, PhD has been awarded a four-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), one of the National Institutes of Health, to develop and validate a panel of laboratory tests that can assess choline status in humans.
Study of first-graders shows fetal alcohol spectrum disorders prevalent in US communities
February 6, 2018 – Philip A. May, PhD, research professor at the UNC Nutrition Research Institute, led NIH-funded research that examined over 6,000 children to determine prevalence of FASD ranged from 1.1 to 5 percent.
A new study of more than 6,000 first-graders across four U.S. communities has found that a significant number of the children examined, as many as 5 percent in one community sample, may have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health, the new findings may represent more accurate prevalence estimates of FASD among general U.S. communities than prior research. Previous FASD estimates were based on smaller study populations and do not reflect the overall U.S. population.