Are we what we eat?

The gut is a diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and viruses. Many bacteria are beneficial, protecting from pathogens, releasing chemicals and keeping us ticking on. A type of gut bacteria was discovered in WWI, when a German soldier in a company stayed healthy when others had dysentery. A doctor thought something in his gut protected the soldier and isolated what is now known as a probiotic from his stool. Genuine good (gut) bacteria. I research Salmonella and how probiotics stop the turmoil it wreaks upon the gastrointestinal system, and if they can be used on other bacterial enemies.

Northumbria University has conducted human nutrition research for over 15 years but, until recently, this only investigated single outcomes. A recent strategy, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, has resulted in trials investigating the effects of nutrition in humans more holistically and expansively, incorporating the 6 key areas of brain, sport, sleep, vascular, biology and omics. I will talk about what this step-change means for understanding of how nutrition impacts human performance, what these trials look like, and some brand new research that has emerged from our NUTRAN group.