Andrew Gewirtz, PhD Speaks on our Guts, Inflammation, and Metabolic Syndrome at the 2011 Predictive Health Symposium

The theme of the 2011 Predictive Health Symposium was “Health and the Microbiome”, featuring a number of speakers describing innovative findings that relate the health of our microbiome – all of the microbes and their associated genetic content that lives inside our guts – to our overall well-being.

Dr. Andrew Gewirtz, a Professor in the Center for Inflammation, Immunity, & Infection at Georgia State University, spoke on the relationships between our gut microbiota, chronic inflammation, and the development of metabolic syndrome.  Metabolic syndrome describes a host of factors, including insulin resistance and central obesity, that simultaneously contribute to stroke, coronary artery disease, and type 2 diabetes risk.  A video of his talk can be downloaded directly, or from the Symposium’s webpage (along with all of the other talks).  The content requires Real Player to view, which can be downloaded free from the Real Player website.

Dietary Choices Impact Alzheimer’s Disease-Associated Brain Shrinkage

The daily choices we make regarding food choice can have long term benefits for brain function.  Findings released by the American Academy of Neurology indicate that among study participants averaging age 87, those who had diets richer in omega 3 fatty acids and in vitamins B, C, D, E performed better on mental thinking tests than those whose nutritional biomarkers indicated lower consumption.  Additionally, those who reported consuming higher levels of trans fats (commonly found in fast foods and packaged products) showed more brain shrinkage than those eating less trans fats.

The results of this research, conducted by Gene Bowman, ND, MPH, of Oregon Health & Science University, can be accessed at http://www.neurology.org/content/early/2011/12/28/WNL.0b013e3182436598.abstract?sid=f3d59111-d4ce-4b42-827f-02cced9fbccd.  Additionally, a description of the findings and interviews with the lead author is available at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/29/brain-food-nutrients-sharp-vitamins_n_1173876.html.

Video Games Help Improve the Health of Kids with Cystic Fibrosis

Can you be healthy and have a genetic disease that causes mucous to build up in the lungs and the intestines to improperly absorb nutrients?  To a certain extent, the answer is yes.  Patients with Cystic Fibrosis can take steps to be in charge of their lives and improve daily functioning is by following strict daily regimes of medications and lung exercises that helps to expel the life-threatening mucous that develops as a result of the condition.

Compliance, however, is always an issue.  A paper presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) meeting in April 2011 reported that treatment adherence improved in children aged 8-18 when their breathing therapies were conducted using digital spirometers that were adapted to act as the “controller” for a video game.  For more information, an interview with the study directors is available through Science Daily at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110430133119.htm.

Aging in Place

As our average lifespans increase, so too does our need for extended care options beyond a nursing home or other similar institution.  More and more individuals are wanting to “age in place”, to stay within their own home to age gracefully and retain autonomy as long as possible.  To solve this problem, more than 60 “villages” are already in existence, and 100 more are in the planning stages.  These villages are organized community/neighborhood networks that provide essentially anything their members need.  For example, members can call for a ride to the doctor, get assistance filling out Medicare paperwork, and participate in recreational activities.  These villages provide a great deal of support for a reasonable cost; for example individuals who belong to the Lincoln Park Village in Chicago pay an annual fee of $540 and scholarships are available to those in need.

For the full coverage of this story, please visit: http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/15/growing-older-in-an-urban-village/.

For more information about aging in place, please visit: http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/HCLTC/CIAIP/index.aspx.

 

Making Smart Choices in the Dining Hall

As you return back to campus, or if you are just beginning your journey through the University, you will once again face the question, “What’s for Lunch?”  We are regularly reminded that our country is facing an obesity epidemic (see http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/ for more information), though we all struggle with making the “right choice.”  Everyone’s nutritional needs are different, impacted by their exercise habits, food allergies/intolerances, age, and sex.  Our choices are further impacted by our likes and dislikes, cultural history, and even our knowledge of cooking!

Here are Emory there are many things you can do to start the year off right.  For example, keep healthy snacks on hand, eat breakfast to help prevent a crash mid-morning, and try new fruits and vegetables as you come across them to open up new exciting food options.  A number of online resources are available to help you learn more about what it means to eat healthy.

  • ChooseMyPlate.gov, for example, provides an overview of government recommendations for nutrition, including how to read food labels, how to portion your plate wisely (50% fruits and veggies, 25% protein, and 25% whole grains with a side of dairy at each meal), and tools to help you assess your diet.
  • MyBestHealthPortal.com recently featured a number of tips for college students with specific advice on how to make healthier choices when facing the open-ended buffet that is the dining hall.
  • Additionally, Emory provides you with access to all of the nutritional information for items served on campus at http://www.emory.edu/dining/diet_nutrition.php.

Take the time this year to make a commitment to healthy eating!

Agriculture Takes a Toll on Health

A recent study published by Emory Anthropologists Amanda Mummert, Emily Esche, Joshua Robinson, and George Armelagos finds that the transition to agriculture did not quickly afford the health benefits commonly assumed.

Following research published in 1984 by Dr. Armelagos and his colleague Dr. Mark Cohen, the team sought to determine whether bioarchaeological evidence uncovered since the mid-1980s pointed towards a trend of increased health after the transition from hunting and gathering to sedentary agricultural practices.  By conducting a comprehensive literature review of studies taking a whole-body approach to documenting the health of individuals, the authors concluded that agriculture did not, in fact, improve health immediately, but rather was coupled with increased rates of infectious disease and decreased stature.  This research has important implications for our modern food system.  “I think it’s important to consider what exactly ‘good health’ means,” Mummert says in an interview wit Carol Clark.  “The modernization and commercialization of food may be helping us by providing more calories, but those calories may not be good for us. You need calories to grow bones long, but you need rich nutrients to grow bones strong.”

For more commentary from the authors, visit: http://esciencecommons.blogspot.com/2011/06/dawn-of-agriculture-took-toll-on-health.html.  Their article, “Stature and Robusticity at the Agricultural Transition: Evidence from the Bioarchaeological Record,” is available in the July 2011 issue of the journal Economics & Human Biology, available at: www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/622964.

Introducing the Center for the Study of Human Health

The Center for the Study of Human Health was established to centralize and organize Emory’s rich resource base of opportunities in health-related studies. The Center provides a home for unique interdisciplinary undergraduate curricula, as well as a functional unit where an interdisciplinary faculty-based consortium can develop path-breaking programs and research.

Here we intend to provide up-to-date information for students, faculty, and researchers on upcoming events at Emory, as well as let you know what matters to us: what we read, watch, and listen to in order to develop a concept of health and well-being.  For information related the Center and to contact Center staff, please visit http://humanhealth.emory.edu or come to Candler Library, Room 107 on the Emory University campus.