IAFNS Nutrition for Gut Health Committee Meeting

IAFNS at NUTRITION 2024

IAFNS will present at the American Society for Nutrition Annual Meeting -- NUTRITION 2024 -- showcasing new work on funded projects.

For more information on the NUTRITION 2024 conference, click here.
Meeting site: https://nutrition.org/n24/
Registration site: https://www.mcievents.com/nutrition2024/

Investigation of the Relationship Between Live Dietary Microbe Intake and Health Outcomes, Using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES)

Research has shown that the consumption of live microbes, including and beyond probiotics, is associated with health benefits. Fermented foods, such as yogurt and kimchi, are rich in live bacteria and may help to promote a healthy gut microbiome and support overall health. Consuming fermented foods may be associated with a range of health benefits, including improved digestive health, increased nutrient absorption, and a strengthened immune system. Some studies have also linked the consumption of fermented foods with a reduced risk of certain chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. However, not all fermented foods contain the same types or amounts of live microbes, and further research is needed to delineate how the effects of live microbe intake can vary depending on individual factors such as age, gender, health status, and diet.

The study has four aims: (1) quantify live microbe intake in KNHANES); (2) identify foods that are top contributors to live microbe intake; (3) use KNHANES to investigate the potential association between live microbe intake from foods and systemic health indicators including BMI, blood lipids, HbA1c, and the Framingham 10-year risk score, and self-reported CVD diagnoses; (4) explore subgroup differences in live microbe intake from foods, such as gender, age group, and individual diet differences as represented by Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) scores. The project aims are constructed around the following hypotheses:

• Live microbe intake from foods, including fermented food, is related to systemic health indicators in an age- and gender-dependent manner in the Korean population.

• Effects of live dietary microbe intake on systemic health in Korean adults vary depending on individual dietary factors such as the KHEI score.

Institution: Tufts University

Principal Investigator: Mei Chung, PhD

Year Awarded: 2023

View this project on the Center for Open Science’s Open Science Framework

This work is supported by the IAFNS Nutrition for Gut Health Committee

Understanding and Advancing Best Practices for Human Nutrition & Gut Microbiome Research

 

In 2017, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) collaborated with the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to develop and document “Considerations for Best Practices in Studies of Fiber or Other Dietary Components and the Intestinal Microbiome” (Klurfeld et al. 2018). The primary recommendation resulting from this exchange was to “describe dietary ingredients and treatments in as much detail as possible to allow reproduction by other scientists.”

Since 2017, science around diet-gut microbiome-health relationships has continued to proliferate. While there have been several publications addressing methods for human research on diet-gut microbiome-and health, the extent to which “best practices” have been articulated in this field is not known. In addition, there are many publications focused on best practices in human nutrition research generally, but the degree to which these are applicable to gut microbiome studies versus needing additional or different guidance has not been explored.

This project aims to improve the conduct of, and alignment across, gut microbiome research. Capturing the latest knowledge regarding best practices and “suggested” practices based on researcher experience and encouraging implementation would support the harmonization of research and improve the ability to compare studies and conduct meta-analyses to address key questions. This project starts with an umbrella review of published guidance to identify gaps. These gaps will then be addressed by an appropriate mechanism to understand and convey the state of knowledge on optimal research designs and methods in this field.

Expert Group:

Chris Cifelli, PhD, National Dairy Council
Cindy Davis, PhD, USDA-ARS
Tatiana Diacova, MS RD, UC Davis
Hannah Holscher, PhD RD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mary Kable, PhD, UC Davis and USDA-ARS
Philip Karl, PhD, RD, USARIEM
Johanna Lampe, PhD RD, Fred Hutch Cancer Center
Kelly Swanson, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year: 2023

View this project on the Center for Open Science’s Open Science Framework.

This work is supported by the IAFNS Gut Microbiome Committee.

Sample Collection, Preservation, and Data Analysis in Gut Microbiome Research: Current Methods and Potential Impact on Results

The development of dietary guidance relies upon the ability to synthesize a body of evidence and arrive at a reasonably well-supported conclusion. Although publications have purported to identify characteristics of a “healthy gut microbiome”, the one certainty at present is that gut microbiome is highly variable across individuals. In addition, the reality is that gut microbiome research still requires method advancement and refinement. Continuing to improve methods, and working toward alignment across laboratories will move all closer to understanding how diet can impact health at the point of the gut microbiome. In a virtual workshop held on October 13, 2022, the current state of knowledge related to sample collection, utility of standards, sequencing, and bioinformatic and biostatistical approaches was reviewed by experts working in the field. Speakers expanded on how selection among the various methodological options can impact study results. This project includes generating a summary of these discussions will be prepared for submission to a peer-reviewed journal.

Scientific Editor: Riley Hughes, PhD, Independent Scientist

Year: 2022

Read More: Methods In Nutrition & Gut Microbiome Research: An American Society For Nutrition Satellite Session

This work was supported by the IAFNS Gut Microbiome.

Sample Collection, Preservation, and Data Analysis in Gut Microbiome Research: Current Methods and Potential Impact on Results

Development of a Human Whole-Stool Reference Material – NIST Collaboration

Over the past 10+ years, it has become evident that the human gut microbiome plays a critical role in a vast and disparate set of health and disease states; including diabetes, obesity, cancer and depression. To identify new biomarkers that may serve as disease indicators and to understand biologically‐relevant properties of the human gut microbiome, validated measurements that accurately describe various properties of the microbial community, both quantitatively and qualitatively, are needed. The aim of this project is to develop a set of Human Whole Stool Reference Materials that are certified by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) for clinically-relevant metabolites. The set will be derived from a small cohort of donors who are selected based on their health or disease state (e.g. obesity vs. healthy, diet controlled, etc.). IAFNS is collaborating with NIST to develop a list of metabolites with likely relevance for health, that would be useful to include/measure in the material.

Institutions: The National Institute for Standards and Technology, BioIVT

Principal Investigator: The National Institute for Standards and Technology

Year: 2022

Read more: Workshop Report: Toward The Development Of A Human Whole Stool Reference Material For Metabolomic And Metagenomic Gut Microbiome Measurements

This work was supported by the IAFNS Gut Microbiome Committee.

FNCE 2022

Each fall, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors the world’s largest meeting of food, nutrition and dietetics experts to address key issues affecting the health of individuals and communities throughout the country and around the world.

IAFNS science will be presented at two sessions at FNCE 2022:

Learn more about FNCE 2022 here.