Episode 24: Exploring the Gut Microbiome

While studies of human gut flora have taken place for decades, scientists have only recently started to dissect the complex relationship between the microbiome, diet, immune functioning, and overall health. As knowledge on the microbiome develops, recent research suggests that the flora in our guts could influence our risk for disease including obesity, neurological disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune disease, and sleep disorders, to name a few.

This podcast, featuring two noted experts, will explore the impact of diet on our gut, including the role of fibers and starches, and discuss how the bugs in our gut promote proper immune functioning and overall health. To learn more about the microbiome, review IFT's own toolkit, which contains a variety of resources: https://www.ift.org/policy-and-advocacy/advocacy-toolkits

Dr. Purna Kashyap is an Associate Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biomedical Engineering and the Bernard and Edith Waterman Co- Director of the Microbiome program in the Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. Dr. Kashyap’s Gut Microbiome Laboratory is interested in understanding the complex interactions between diet, gut microbes, and gastrointestinal function. To better understand the role of gut microbes, Dr. Kashyap’s laboratory integrates data generated from multi-omic platforms with in vivo and in vitro physiological measurements from human research participants and gnotobiotic mouse models to elucidate interactions among microbiota-derived bioactive molecules and the key regulators of gastrointestinal function. By combining experimental strategies with bioinformatics analysis, Dr. Kashyap's research team hopes to develop novel microbiota-targeted therapies to treat patients with disorders resulting from altered microbiota function.

Darrell Cockburn, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of food science at Penn State University, where his interests center around the processing of dietary fiber by the human gut microbiome. Cockburn was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan and the Technical University of Denmark. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and a Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Guelph.

Host:

Matt Teegarden, PhD is a food chemist and science communicator, with experience in both industry and academia. Matt is currently the Senior Researcher in the Foods for Health initiative at Ohio State, where he is largely responsible for the development and advancement of scientific operations and communications. Outside of work and IFT involvement, Matt enjoys baking and participating in LGBTQ+ recreational sports leagues around Columbus.