Type II Diabetes

Study finds probiotics are not only good for the gut, they affect other organs too

Colleen Rich — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 15:03:47 +0000

Study finds probiotics are not only good for the gut, they affect other organs too Colleen Rich Mon, 04/17/2023 - 11:03

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40% of Americans are classified as obese, leading obesity to be considered a significant public health threat. High fat diets, which are often cited as a cause of obesity, can also result in the development of metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions that may promote the progression of serious health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. With obesity rates still rising, the hunt is on for ways to combat the negative effects of a high fat diet. ��AV researchers now believe they have discovered a possible answer—probiotic supplementation.

Mason researchers Robin Couch and Allyson Dailey in the lab.
Photo by Evan Cantwell/Creative Services

Robin Couch and Allyson Dailey, researchers in Mason’s College of Science and the Institute for Biohealth Innovation, are interested in the correlations between dietary intake and overall health. In a recent study, Couch and Dailey partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to explore the influence of probiotic supplementation on a higher fat diet, using pigs as model organisms.

The research team looked at four groups of pigs—two groups that were fed nutritionally balanced diets with and without probiotic supplementation, and two groups that were fed higher fat diets with and without probiotic supplementation. The probiotic that was tested is known as Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. After six months of dietary intake, organ tissue samples obtained from the pigs were examined, specifically looking at their molecular composition.

Couch and Dailey were looking at specifically at metabolites, substances that are produced or used during metabolism. They found that the kidneys and the brain were particularly sensitive to a high-fat diet and when certain metabolites were noted to be at harmful levels, the kidneys and the brain were the most susceptible.

In contrast, they also discovered that, with probiotic supplementation, many of the detrimental metabolite levels reverted to levels found in pigs that were fed a healthy diet. In other words, probiotic supplementation staved off the negative effects associated with a high-fat diet, illustrating how probiotics may play a key role in preventative health care.

“We’d like to see probiotic intake become a regular part of the dietary recommendations that a physician would give to a patient,” said Dailey.

The researchers are also aiming to investigate other probiotic strains.

“If different strains do have distinct effects on the body, then you could see individualized probiotics, or even probiotic cocktails, being used to treat specific diseases,” said Couch. “We think it’s likely that, alongside pharmaceuticals, prescribing probiotics that address various diseases will be more commonplace in the future.”

Additionally, Couch and Dailey view this study as a stepping stone to potential subsequent work on how other nutrients, such as protein and carbohydrates, affect tissue composition.

“We specifically looked at the influence of a high-fat diet in our research, but this opens up a whole world of nutritional investigation at the metabolic level,” said Couch.

For now, the researchers are hoping that their study, which was recently published in the journal Metabolites, serves to add scientific validity to the claims of the benefits of probiotics.

“This is progress towards providing new evidence that probiotics are good for you and that what you consume has a profound effect on your health,” said Dailey. “These findings can contribute to the creation of revolutionary solutions, and, in the end, that’s why I’m in this—to help people thrive.”

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Learn about Mason's Institute for Biohealth Innovation

Using Personalized Nutrition to Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 18:46:25 +0000

Using Personalized Nutrition to Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes Mary Cunningham Tue, 08/02/2022 - 14:46

In This Story

Raedeh Basiri, PhD, RDN

Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD

Lilian de Jonge, PhD

Raedeh Basiri’s new clinical trial seeks to answer whether personalized nutrition intervention can be effective in lowering blood sugar (and thereby help to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular diseases) in people with prediabetes.

Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Raedeh Basiri

One in 10 Americans has diabetes and of those who do, 90% have type 2 diabetes. More than 1 in 3 Americans (96 million people) have prediabetes, many of whom don’t know it. Type 2 diabetes is a preventable disease and Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies Raedeh Basiri’s new study hopes that personalized nutrition can stop prediabetes from progressing into type 2 diabetes.

“Many people know general health tips, such as eat more vegetables, yet are not following the health guidelines, which can increase the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases,” said Basiri, who is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. “We understand that there are many factors that influence individual’s food choices – and sometimes those factors are outside their control. I want to study the why behind why people aren’t following health/dietary guidelines that can help prevent/delay these diseases. Is it access to foods? Their culture? The lack of knowledge? This study looks at how can we as dietitians help people put education into practice based on their individual body and personal desire.”

Type 2 diabetes occurs when there is too much sugar in someone’s bloodstream and it impairs the way the body processes insulin, a hormone that helps the body process sugar (glucose) as fuel. High blood sugar levels can lead to disorders including heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, non-healing foot ulcers, and stroke. With the correct diet and lifestyle adjustments, a person’s blood glucose levels can decrease and return to the non-diabetes range, but type 2 diabetes does not have a cure.

Prediabetes, when blood sugar levels are elevated but not yet at diabetes levels, is reversible if the appropriate lifestyle changes are made. A new study from Basiri and colleagues will help determine to what extent personalized nutrition intervention can help lifestyle changes in participants, who are unaware of having prediabetes or have been diagnosed with prediabetes.

The study emphasizes healthy eating and not weight loss or changing routine exercise to determine if only adjusting food intake will decrease blood glucose level, which in the long term could prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. In the study, the treatment and control groups will receive general dietary recommendations, similar to what would be provided to them in clinical settings currently, and be visited by the researchers once a week.

Participants in the treatment group will receive more individualized nutrition education. The goal is to lower participants’ blood sugar levels while meeting their dietary needs with foods they enjoy. Each person has a unique physiology, which makes food affect people differently. For example, if a person is very sensitive to a certain type of carbohydrates and it raises their blood sugar levels, but they love it, the dietitian will work with the participant on portion size and the best time of day for them to eat it. This is personalized nutrition.

The study, “Individualized Nutrition Therapy for Preventing or Delaying Onset of Type-2 Diabetes,” is a clinical trial. It has been approved by Mason’s Institutional Review Board and ClinicalTrials.gov and is funded by Mason's College of Health and Human Services. Nutrition and Food Studies Chair Larry Cheskin and associate professor Lilian de Jonge are co-investigators on the study.

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Kansas City Star: Dean Germaine Buck Louis comments about a study on a diabetes drug linked to birth defects

eander6 — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 13:11:13 +0000

Kansas City Star: Dean Germaine Buck Louis comments about a study on a diabetes drug linked to birth defects eander6 Fri, 04/08/2022 - 09:11

Common diabetes drug may raise birth defect risk if dad used it recently, study finds.

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College of Health and Human Services

Miami Herald: Dean Germaine Buck Louis comments about a study on a diabetes drug linked to birth defects

eander6 — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 13:09:06 +0000

Miami Herald: Dean Germaine Buck Louis comments about a study on a diabetes drug linked to birth defects eander6 Fri, 04/08/2022 - 09:09

Common diabetes drug may raise birth defect risk if dad used it recently, study finds.

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College of Health and Human Services

The Ritz Herald: Sanja Avramovic, George Mason Department of Health Administration and Policy mentioned for providing research support for study associated with increased evidence of a link between fast food restaurants and type 2 diabetes.

eander6 — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 14:39:37 +0000

The Ritz Herald: Sanja Avramovic, George Mason Department of Health Administration and Policy mentioned for providing research support for study associated with increased evidence of a link between fast food restaurants and type 2 diabetes. eander6 Thu, 11/04/2021 - 10:39

In This Story

Sanja Avramovic, PhD

High Availability Of Fast-Food Restaurants Across All U.S. Neighborhood Types Linked To Higher Rates Of Type 2 Diabetes.

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College of Health and Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

Dove Med: Sanja Avramovic is mentioned for research pertaining to the link between neighborhoods with fast food outlets and type 2 diabetes.

eander6 — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 14:28:19 +0000

Dove Med: Sanja Avramovic is mentioned for research pertaining to the link between neighborhoods with fast food outlets and type 2 diabetes. eander6 Thu, 11/04/2021 - 10:28

In This Story

Sanja Avramovic, PhD

High Availability Of Fast-Food Restaurants Across All US Neighborhood Types Linked To Higher Rates Of Type 2 Diabetes.

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College of Health and Human Services

College of Health and Human Services Department of Health Administration and Policy

Type II Diabetes

Study finds probiotics are not only good for the gut, they affect other organs too

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Learn about Mason's Institute for Biohealth Innovation

More from IBI

Using Personalized Nutrition to Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

In This Story

Raedeh Basiri’s new clinical trial seeks to answer whether personalized nutrition intervention can be effective in lowering blood sugar (and thereby help to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and related cardiovascular diseases) in people with prediabetes.

Topics

Kansas City Star: Dean Germaine Buck Louis comments about a study on a diabetes drug linked to birth defects

Topics

Miami Herald: Dean Germaine Buck Louis comments about a study on a diabetes drug linked to birth defects

Topics

The Ritz Herald: Sanja Avramovic, George Mason Department of Health Administration and Policy mentioned for providing research support for study associated with increased evidence of a link between fast food restaurants and type 2 diabetes.

In This Story

Topics

Dove Med: Sanja Avramovic is mentioned for research pertaining to the link between neighborhoods with fast food outlets and type 2 diabetes.

In This Story

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