Discrimination can cause changes in the gut microbiome, study says
In a new study published in Frontiers in Microbiology, UCLA Health researchers have found that people who experienced discrimination had pro-inflammatory bacteria and gene activity in their gut microbiome that was different from those who did not experience discrimination. The researchers could also predict with 91% accuracy which study participants faced discrimination just by analyzing their gut microbiome using stool samples. Arpana Church, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and co-lead author, said researchers tend to study the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is the body’s stress management system, to gauge how discrimination affects the body. But she and Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD, director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center Biorepository Core and co-lead author, were interested in how discrimination affects the brain-gut axis. “There’s a lot of research on how discrimination affects the HPA axis and how that leads to disease, but that’s only one part of the story,” Dong said. Read more in UCLA Health News & Insights and Healthnews
Arpana Church, PhD, honored as a ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholar
ScholarGPS celebrates Highly Ranked Scholars™ for their exceptional contributions in various disciplines. Dr. Church’s prolific publication record, the high impact of her work and the outstanding quality of her scholarly contributions have placed her in the top 0.05% of all scholars worldwide in the field of mental stress according to ScholarGPS’s analytic tools. View her scholar profile and ranking
Gut health tied to psychological resilience: New research reveals gut-brain stress connection
Stress has a profound impact on our lives, contributing to a staggering $300 billion in health care costs and missed workdays in the United States alone each year. The way we handle stress — our resilience — can make a significant difference in how we navigate life’s challenges. New research from UCLA has provided groundbreaking insights into the biology of resilience, revealing that it involves not only the brain but also the gut microbiome. Arpana Church, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and senior author of the study, discusses the study in PsyPost and in theravive.
”Gut-healing” probiotic supplements are everywhere right now. Here’s what the science says
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re living in the “heal-your-gut” era. Within the past few years, there’s been a wild influx of influencers, documentaries, cookbooks and news articles breaking down how you can eat this or take that to “fix” your gut, and help address a range of health problems. Arpana Church, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, who has dedicated her career to studying the gut microbiome, believes probiotics – as in, the actual bugs in fermented foods – are (generally) great. They have so much potential that it’s no surprise companies are packaging them into caspules to sell as all-purpose wonder-workers. But probiotic-rich foods and probiotic supplements are not one and the same. Read more in this SELF article
Researchers receive 9.5 million grant to study relationship between polyphenol intake, Alzheimer’s prevention, and the brain-gut-microbiome system
UCLA Health researchers, in collaboration with researchers from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, have received $9.5 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with support from European funding agencies — The Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Public Health Agency Health & Social Care (HSC) — to study the effects of polyphenols on cognitive health and the brain-gut microbiome system. In this five-year study, Arpana Church, PhD, co-drector of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and contact principal investigator, Emeran A. Mayer, MD, co-principal investigator and founding director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, and co-investigatorswill explore the relationship between polyphenols, cognitive function, and brain health through four project aims in 50+ year old adults with enhanced risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Polyphenols — a key component of Mediterranean diets and found in berries, grapes, green tea, and cocoa — may delay cognitive decline by preserving brain function and structure through gut microbiome metabolites by altering the physiology of the host’s secondary bile acids, highlighting their potential role in Alzheimer's disease prevention. Read more in UCLA News & Insights
5 powerful ways tending to the gut boosts your health - from smoother digestion to better moods
A gut lacking a diverse range of microbes can affect the immune system and increase the risk of inflammatory diseases, weight gain or obesity, depression, anxiety, nutrient deficiencies, skin conditions and allergies, Arpana Church, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center at UCLA, told Business Insider. Read more in Business Insider
Your gut microbes may influence how you handle stress
A new UCLA Health study has found that resilient people exhibit neural activity in the brain regions associated with improved cognition and regulating of emotions, and were more mindful and better at describing their feelings. The same group also exhibited gut microbiome activity linked to a healthy gut, with reduced inflammation and gut barrier. Listen to interview on NPR and read more in NPR Health News, HealthDay, EveryDay Health and UCLA Health News
"Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut" released April 26 on Netflix
Delve into the digestive system with this lighthearted and informative documentary that demystifies the role gut health plays in our overall well-being. Dr. Church provides expert commentary in this exciting new documentary.
Biotech startup Seed Health is betting its profits on AI-powered medical science - CNBC
Seeds Health, which sells direct-to-consumer probiotic supplements, has launched an AI platform to analyze data from the Human Phenotype Project. Dr. Arpana Church, associate professor and co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, comments on the need for scientific rigor in the field of probiotics.
Katie Couric Media
You’ve felt it before, when you get nervous, your stomach flutters or aches. You’ve been advised to trust this feeling and rely on it, but is your gut actually intuitive? It turns out, there’s evidence to support trusting your gut, literally. Your stomach and brain are directly connected — and can absolutely influence one another. Read Trust your gut: What to know about the stomach-brain connection
Newsweek and UCLA Health
A new UCLA Health study has found that women who perceive themselves to be lonely exhibited activity in regions of the brain associated with cravings and motivation towards eating, especially when shown pictures of high-calorie foods such as sugary foods. The same group of women also had unhealthy eating behaviors and poor mental health. Read “Feeding the lonely brain” in UCLA Health News & Insights andNewsweek
The new science on what ultra-processed food does to your brain
Ultra-processed foods may not only affect our bodies, but our brains too. New research suggests links between ultra-processed foods — such as chips, many cereals, and most packaged snacks at the grocery store — and changes in the way we learn, remember and feel. These foods can act like addictive substances, researchers say, and some scientists are proposing a new mental-health condition called “ultra-processed food use disorder.” Diets filled with such foods may raise the risk of mental health and sleep problems. Arpana Church, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, provided commentary in this Wall Street Journal article (subscription required)
Nature Mental Health highlights research by Arpana Church, PhD
Experiences of discrimination are associated with adverse health outcomes, including obesity. However, the mechanisms by which discrimination leads to obesity remain unclear. Utilizing multi-omics analyses of neuroimaging and fecal metabolites, researchers investigated the impact of discrimination exposure on brain reactivity to food images and associated dysregulations in the brain–gut–microbiome system. Read Discrimination Exposure Impacts Unhealthy Processing of Food Cues: Crosstalk Between the Brain and Gut.
