Current Topics on Diet, Gut Microbiota Health and Metabolic Disease

3 Credits

A review of current science linking the gut microbiota/microbiome with general and public health. It covers the composition of a healthy gut microbiota, its acquisition, how it is studied and analyzed; Gut microbiota changes with diet, specific foods, immigration and globalization and exercise; Its links to obesity, liver disease, insulin resistance and diabetes and cardiovascular disease; Links to the immune system; Targeting the gut microbiota composition and function to protect against or treat metabolic diseases. This course will be of use to public health and health care professionals, Food and/or Nutrition scientists, Dieticians, and those generally interested in understanding the health relevance of news reports or scientific reports on the microbiome.