FDSC 6260 - We Are What We Eat: Linking Food With Intestinal Functionality and Microbiome

Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: general microbiology (e.g. BIOMI 2900). Recommended prerequisites: FDSC 1500 and FDSC 2000. Co-meets with FDSC 4260.

E. Tako.

Learn how you can impact your overall health by balancing your gut health; how your intestinal functionality, and microbiome are affected by your diet, and how to improve normal gut function. Learn how various chronic conditions and dietary deficiencies (as iron and zinc) may improve the gut digestive and absorptive surface (Brush Border Membrane) functionality and “health promoting” microbiome. In this course you will discuss the literature and learn that the microbiome and intestinal functionality play an important role in maintaining normal gut function, digesting certain nutrients, early life development, behavior and disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, mineral/vitamin deficiencies, obesity and diabetes.

Outcome 1: Engage and participate in class discussions using terms and techniques in the food science, nutrition and microbiome fields.

Outcome 2: Identify strengths, limits, and confounding factors in studies addressing diet: intestine (BBM) functionality: microbiome associations.

Outcome 3: Assess the relevance of correlations between food ingredients, dietary patterns, gut microbes, and physiological status.

Outcome 4: Design a food product for a specific target population.

Outcome 5: Collaborate with your peers and articulate your ideas to support your decisions in regards to scientific questions and issues.

Outcome 6: Present research and technical information clearly and in a convincing manner.