The gut health research group at the Rowett Institute investigate the microbial species that reside in our intestines. Work also focuses on the role the gut plays in providing dietary components from the food we eat and the impact these have on human health.
The 27th of June was World Microbiome Day. To celebrate this, a series of videos were created to highlight the research into specific areas of gut microbiology at the Rowett. The short films feature in a blog which tells the story of how Rowett research can impact on the design of specific diets for volunteers in human nutrition studies. Following on from this, research helps guide the development of novel food formulations for disease prevention.
Professor Wendy Russell leads the gut health research group at the Rowett, and her expertise is in the impacts of dietary metabolites on human health. Professor Russell explains: “The concept of creating microbiota-directed food formulations is exciting. Personalised approaches and even pre-farm gate food design through crop breeding are viable future prospects”
This research from the gut health group is funded by the Scottish Government as part of the Strategic Research Programme, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, National Institutes of Health (US) and NC3Rs.