Description

The course will focus on the role of the human gut microbiome in nutrition and health. The course will include lectures on how food is digested and absorbed throughout the gastrointestinal tract, how diet shapes the gut microbiota composition, functionality and metabolism throughout life, how gut microbes digest our food, how gut microbes and microbial molecules interact with our physiology (e.g. gut barrier function and immune system), and how personalized diets, functional foods and probiotics can target the gut microbiome and thereby modulate host-microbial cross-talk. In addition, the course will contain a workshop on innovation of sustainable microbiome solutions.

Knowledge:

By completing the course, the student will be able to:

• Explain how food is digested and absorbed throughout the gastrointestinal tract
• Describe and explain how diet shapes the gut microbiota composition, functionality and metabolism in infants, adults and elderly
• Describe how food is metabolized by the gut microbiota into small molecules and explain how microbes and molecules are sensed by the human body
• Describe different mechanisms by which the gut microbiome may be linked to disease and health
• Describe formal scientific demands for placing a health claim on foods and regulations for microbiome solutions

 

Skills:

• Identify gaps in existing knowledge in the field of gut microbiome and nutrition and propose studies for investigating diet-microbiome interactions; hereunder choose relevant scientific methods for evaluating effects of diet/food component intervention on the gut microbiome.
• Ability to see opportunities and discuss challenges for translating existing knowledge into future sustainable and innovative therapeutic and nutritional products that target the gut microbiome and thereby modulate health
• Communicate (orally, in writing and through visual presentation) topics concerning the gut microbiome in nutrition.

 

Competences:

• Independently retrieve and critically evaluate information from scientific papers concerning the gut microbiome in nutrition
• Critical compare, evaluate and discuss different strategies for modulating the gut microbiome
• Work independently and efficiently together in a team on a joint project focusing on aspects of the gut microbiome and nutrition.
• Pitch and present diet-microbiome-health concepts to professionals.

Recommended qualifications

Knowledge of fundamental cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry and microbiology is recommended – corresponding to 3rd year of a BSc in e.g. Food Science (Health and Nutrition or Quality and Technology specialisations), Biology, Biochemistry and similar.