Check out this press release on Alex’s first first-author publication written by ACES News:
https://aces.illinois.edu/news/how-diet-quality-affects-gut-microbiota-promote-health
How diet quality affects the gut microbiota to promote health
Microbiome
Exercise Alters Our Microbiome. Is That One Reason It’s So Good for Us?
Exercise Alters Our Microbiome. Is That One Reason It’s So Good for Us?
New York Times
By Gretchen Reynolds
Exercise may change the composition and activity of the trillions of microbes in our guts in ways that could improve our health and metabolisms over time, a new study finds.
…
Click on the picture above to check out the full story on our research that’s featured in a January 3, 2018 article in the New York Times.
Interested in reading our final published manuscript? You can find that here: https://insights.ovid.com/pubmed?pmid=29166320
Allen JM, Mailing LJ, Niemiro GM, Moore R, Cook MD, White BA, Holscher HD, Woods JA. Exercise-induced shifts in the gut microbiome and associated metabolites are dependent on obesity status. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2017. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001495
Holscher receives prestigious Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Award for early-career innovation in nutrition
Holscher receives prestigious Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Award for early-career innovation in nutrition
URBANA, Ill. – Hannah Holscher, assistant professor of nutrition in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois is a recipient of the second annual New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research award. The annual set of early-career grants to outstanding food and agriculture research faculty members is a program of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), a nonprofit established through bipartisan congressional support in the 2014 Farm Bill.
Holscher received a FFAR grant of nearly $600,000 to fund a project looking at diet, the human gastrointestinal microbiome, and metabolic health over the next three years. Research in Holscher’s laboratory at U of I, the Nutrition and Human Microbiome Laboratory, integrates the areas of nutrition, gastrointestinal physiology, and the microbiome. Her research focuses on the clinical application of nutritional sciences with an overarching goal of improving human health through dietary modulation of the gastrointestinal microbiome.
“The results of my research will provide information that will help consumers to make healthful food choices,” Holscher explains. “It will also inform dietary guidance given by registered dietitians, health care providers, and extension specialists. The findings will be applicable to food consumption, food and nutrition practice, and human health outcomes.”
“The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research is pleased to support Dr. Holscher’s research as part of our work to catalyze innovation and foster a strong scientific workforce for the future,” says Sally Rockey, executive director of FFAR. “I look forward to seeing the impact of the New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research award not only on Dr. Holscher’s career, but also on advancing agriculture.”
The New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research program supports promising scientists who demonstrate not only a commitment to catalyzing innovation in food and agriculture, but also a dedication to mentoring students.
Holscher joins a group of other 2017 New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research award recipients who were selected from across the United States in five categories: nutrition and healthy food choices; plant efficiency; optimizing agricultural water use; spurring food system innovation; and transforming soil health.
The second annual set of New Innovator awards brings the total FFAR investment in the program to more than $4.5 million. Learn more about the 2017 New Innovators and their research directions.
News Source:
News Writer:
Study explores how composition and function of gut microbiota changes during day
Study explores how composition and function of gut microbiota changes during day
By Stephen Daniells in NUTRA ingredients-usa.com
06-Nov-2017
The composition and function of the microbiota in the human gut changes throughout the day, with links to dietary and bathroom habits. The findings may have implications for the design of future probiotic clinical trials.
See the newsletter and our publication “Time of day and eating behaviors are associated with the composition and function of the human gastrointestinal microbiota” in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to learn more.
Nourish Your Gut Microbiota
Nourish Your Microbiota
A publication from Tufts Health and Nutrition Letter & the Huffington Post
Eating a diverse, plant-rich diet helps fuel the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Microbes ― bacteria and other tiny critters not visible to the naked eye but numbering in the trillions ― are busy in your body. Many of these microbes benefit you. Others have the potential to cause harm. This community of microbes is called the microbiota. Their genes are called the microbiome.
Studies of cross-sections of people across the world suggest the more fiber you consume – especially if from a wide range of plant foods – the more diverse your gut microbiota will be. Additionally, intervention studies in people have shown that consuming more fiber and whole grains increases diversity of gut bacteria.
Different microbes are capable of breaking down (fermenting) different fibers. Holscher explains that it takes different enzymes to break down the various fibers found in foods. Some bacteria have many different enzymes, so they can utilize dozens of different fibers. Other bacteria may only be able to break down one or a few different fibers. By eating a variety of plant foods with different types of fibers, you may encourage the growth of a more diverse population of beneficial microbes capable of breaking down those fibers.
See the article in the Huffington Post to learn more.
Microbes and Gut Health: Meet Some Tiny Friends
What’s a microbiome and why should I care?
How do microbes help keep us healthy?
What’s the difference between prebiotics and probiotics anyway?
Does the microbiome change as we age?
How do microbes help keep us healthy?
What’s the difference between prebiotics and probiotics anyway?
Does the microbiome change as we age?
Join us on Thursday, August 4, from noon to 1 p.m. as Dr. Hannah Holscher, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois, discusses your questions about diet and the trillions of microbes that live inside of you during a one-hour chat on Twitter. Use the #askACES to ask your questions about the microbiome, how microbes keep us healthy, what foods we can eat to keep good microbes happy, and more!Missed the chat? Listen to the podcast below.
Agave Inulin Supplementation Affects the Fecal Microbiota of Healthy Adults Participating in a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial
Abstract
Background: Prebiotics resist digestion, providing fermentable substrates for select gastrointestinal bacteria associated with health and well-being. Agave inulin differs from other inulin type fibers in chemical structure and botanical origin. Preclinical animal research suggests these differences affect bacterial utilization and physiologic outcomes. Thus, research is needed to determine whether these effects translate to healthy adults.
Objective: We aimed to evaluate agave inulin utilization by the gastrointestinal microbiota by measuring fecal fermentative end products and bacterial taxa.
Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-period, crossover trial was undertaken in healthy adults (n = 29). Participants consumed 0, 5.0, or 7.5 g agave inulin/d for 21 d with 7-d washouts between periods. Participants recorded daily dietary intake; fecal samples were collected during days 16–20 of each period and were subjected to fermentative end product analysis and 16S Illumina sequencing.
Results: Fecal Actinobacteria and Bifidobacterium were enriched (P < 0.001) 3- and 4-fold after 5.0 and 7.5 g agave inulin/d, respectively, compared with control.Desulfovibrio were depleted 40% with agave inulin compared with control. Agave inulin tended (P < 0.07) to reduce fecal 4-methyphenol and pH. Bivariate correlations revealed a positive association between intakes of agave inulin (g/kcal) and Bifidobacterium (r = 0.41, P < 0.001). Total dietary fiber intake (total fiber plus 0, 5.0, or 7.5 g agave inulin/d) per kilocalorie was positively associated with fecal butyrate (r = 0.30, P = 0.005), tended to be positively associated withBifidobacterium (r = 0.19, P = 0.08), and was negatively correlated withDesulfovibrio abundance (r = −0.31, P = 0.004).
Conclusions: Agave inulin supplementation shifted the gastrointestinal microbiota composition and activity in healthy adults. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether the observed changes translate into health benefits in human populations. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01925560.