Discrimination alters brain-gut ‘crosstalk,’ prompting poor food choices and increased health risks
People frequently exposed to racial or ethnic discrimination may be more susceptible to obesity and related health risks in part because of a stress response that changes biological processes and how we process food cues. Arpana Gupta, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, was interviewed on the study that directly examined the effects of discrimination on responses to different types of food as influenced by the brain-gut microbiome system.
The association between disadvantaged neighborhoods and cortical microstructure and their relation to obesity
According to newly published research in Nature, living in a disadvantaged neighborhood can affect food choices, weight gain and even the microstructure of the brain. UCLA GI authors include Lisa A. Kilpatrick, PhD, associate researcher; Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor of medicine; Jennifer S. Labus, PhD, adjunct professor of medicine; Bruce D. Naliboff, PhD, project scientist; Emeran A. Mayer, MD, director of the G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience; and Arpana Gupta, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center.
You are what you eat: Diet may affect your mood and brain function
If you struggle with mood changes and other behavioral health issues, there’s a chance that your diet has something to do with it. Arpana Gupta, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, and Shelby Yaceczko, MS, RDN-AP, CNSC, CSSD, advanced practice dietitian, discuss what the gut-brain system is, and how diet can affect it. Read article in UCLA Health News &Insights
Accepted into the JEDI UCLA Mentoring Program
Sex-specific brain signals drive obesity differently in men and women
According to a new study, Dr. Arpana Gupta, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and senior author on the study, is interviewed on AirTalk podcast with Larry Mantle
Brain scans show how different factors can influence obesity in men and women
Understanding the differences, researchers say, could have implications for more targeted approaches to weight loss. Dr. Arpana Gupta, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, provides expert commentary in this NBCarticle
Research on how advanced brain scans are revealing the differences in how men and women gain weight and how that can impacts our eating habits
"Discrimination is not just an issue for a person. It is not just an issue for a community or a racial or ethnic group. It is a public health issue.” Dr. Arpana Gupta is the co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and Dr. Tien S. Dong is a health sciences assistant clinical professor of medicine.
