4.6: Research Highlight - The Gut-Brain Connection

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Learning Objectives

Review and critically evaluate a scholarly, peer-reviewed, primary research publication.

*Note: Each chapter of Introduction to Nutrition Science includes a Research Highlight like this one. The purpose of each of these is to extend your knowledge of the chapter content to relevant research. A primary research publication is one in which the results of the author's research contribute new knowledge to the field of study.

Introduction

In this chapter, you have been introduced to some of the mechanisms for providing dietary guidance to North Americans. This guidance is based on research demonstrating the biological need for each nutrient currently identified. In the following publication, the authors discuss the effect of the food we eat on the health of the bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal systems. As you read the publication linked below, consider the following questions:

What are your initial thoughts regarding the aim of this publication?
What is the question that the author is trying to answer with this publication?
What methods did the author use to determine an answer to the question?
What sorts of results did the author obtain, and how were those results analyzed?
What types of references does the author use to support the publication?
Do you agree with the conclusions to which the author came regarding an answer to the question?

Primary Publication

Fields, F. J., Lejzerowicz, F., Schroeder, D., Ngoi, S. M., Tran, M., McDonald, D., Jiang, L., Chang, J. T., Knight, R., Mayfield, S. (2020). Effects of the microalgae Chlamydomonas on gastrointestinal health. Journal of Functional Foods, 65, 103738. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2019.103738

Further evaluation

To evaluate this publication further, it might help to know a little more about some work being performed by Rob Knight (one of the senior authors on the primary publication linked above) at the University of California, San Diego. In this TED talk he presented several years ago, he discusses the relationship humans have with the bacteria living in our guts, and a novel type of research study they are using to gather more information about the relationship of those bacteria with human health.

Video \(\PageIndex{1}\): Rob Knight: How our microbes make us who we are

Attributions

This content was developed by Nicholas W. Hatch as part of the California Community College Open Educational Resources Initiative. It is licensed under a...