Gut Microbiome: Can it really affect our health?

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Nutrition and optimum life course, On-Demand Webinars

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Gut Microbiome- Can it really affect our health?

Individuals with obesity are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality from both influenza virus infections and COVID-19. Both influenza and SARS-CoV-2, the viral agent of COVID-19, are respiratory viruses, and the immune response to the infection is similar for both viruses. Using both pre-clinical animal models and clinical research studies with influenza vaccination, we have found significant influenza-specific immune dysfunction with obesity. This immune impairment results in adults with obesity being 2X more likely to develop influenza, despite vaccination. Mechanistically, the impairment is likely related to metabolic alterations in the immune cell population, driving immune dysfunction. Preliminary data with COVID-19 suggests some of the same obesity-driven immune dysfunction against influenza virus may also be found with SARS-CoV-2 infections, suggesting that, compared with a lean population, the obese population may not receive the equivalent level of protection with COVID-19 vaccines.

What will I learn?

Understand the impact of gut microbiota on health, particularly the pathogenesis of disease
Strategies to alter the microbiota
Look at how the research landscape is changing and future directions

Course Features

Lectures 2
Quiz 0
Duration Lifetime access
Skill level All levels
Language English
Students 216
Certificate Yes
Assessments Yes

Professor Kristin Verbeke

Kristin Verbeke graduated from the KU Leuven, Belgium as a pharmacist in 1991. She obtained a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Laboratory of Radiopharmaceutical Chemistry in 1995 and subsequently spend a postdoctoral period in developing radioactively labelled compounds. In 2002, she was appointed at the department of gastroenterology of the Medical Faculty of the Leuven University where she got involved in the use of stable isotope labelled compounds to evaluate gastrointestinal functions. Within the University Hospitals Leuven, she is responsible for the clinical application of diagnostic breath tests.

Her current research interest specifically addresses the microbial bacterial metabolism in the human colon. Her team has developed several analytical techniques based on mass spectrometry and stable isotope or radioisotope technologies to evaluate several aspects of intestinal metabolism and function in humans (transit time, intestinal permeability, carbohydrate fermentation, protein fermentation, metabolome analysis). Collaborative research has allowed showing an aberrant bacterial metabolism in patient groups with end stage renal failure, inflammatory bowel diseases, irritable bowel disorders and alcohol abuse. These collaborations all have resulted in high quality peer-reviewed papers. In addition, she showed the impact of dietary interventions (modulation of macronutrient composition, pre- or probiotic interventions) on the microbial metabolism and its impact on health.

As a PI, she acquired grant support from the university and different funding bodies and successfully completed these projects. Similarly, she supervised several PhD projects that all resulted in the achievement of a PhD degree. Her research resulted in over 180 full research papers.

Together with colleague Prof. J. Delcour, she is beneficiary of the W.K. Kellogg Chair in Cereal Sciences and Nutrition (2010-2020). She is the president of the Belgian Nutrition Society, the vice-chair of the Leuven Food Science and Nutrition Center and the co-chair of the Prebiotic task force at ILSI Europe. Furthermore, Kristin Verbeke is the editor of the journal Gut Microbiome and member of the editorial board of Gastrointestinal Disorders.

She is highly motivated to collaborate in multidisciplinary teams as bringing researchers together with expertise from different backgrounds is key to the development of new insights and exciting science.