The food you eat can have a big impact on your life, whether you’re healthy or managing an illness.
An internationally recognized expert on the role of diet in modifying gut microbiota and metabolism in people managing obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases such as osteoarthritis will give a free public lecture on Sept. 15.
Dr. Raylene Reimer, registered dietitian and professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Calgary, will give the annual Faith Elizabeth Winifred (Rusted) Bayley Nutrition Lecture, titled Feed Your Friends: Nutrition and Gut Bacteria for Health.
Gut microbiota, or the complex and dynamic population of micro-organisms in the gastrointestinal tract, is a dynamic ecosystem that profoundly influences health throughout people’s lives.
And what you eat, while it feeds you, also feeds these trillions of bacteria that live in your intestinal tract.
“The goal of my lecture is to help individuals find ways they can improve their gut health with simple and tasty changes to their diet.”
Establishing and maintaining a resilient microbiome is essential to a healthy body.
“Many factors such as medications, exercise and antibiotics can affect the microbiome, but diet is one of the most important,” according to Dr. Reimer.
Her presentation will highlight how our microbiome develops and the important role the gut microbiome plays in shaping our health.
Based on her research, her talk will highlight the role that diet, particularly prebiotic fibre, plays in modifying the gut microbiota to help manage chronic diseases such as obesity and osteoarthritis.
The presentation will also include an overview of other foods that affect the gut microbiome, including fermented foods, probiotics and ultraprocessed foods.
Diet and chronic disease
“Diet and nutrition are integral to all components of health, including managing chronic illness,” said Dr. Reimer. “There are many small changes we can make to our diet that can improve our gut microbiome and in turn improve our health. Given the fascinating link between gut health and overall health, the goal of my lecture is to help individuals find ways they can improve their gut health with simple and tasty changes to their diet.”
Practical strategies to identify and consume more microbiome-friendly foods will be provided during the lecture.
Some changes include eating more fibre and fermented foods — some of the most important foods to add to your diet due to their associated health benefits.
Background
Dr. Reimer is a fellow of the Obesity Society and has been invited to serve on two separate international expert panels to define the scope and appropriate use of the terms prebiotics and synbiotics. She has received the Earle Willard McHenry Award for Distinguished Service in Nutrition from the Canadian Nutrition Society.
She is also a full scientist in the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and an associate member of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, has published 230 research papers and is the principal inventor on several patents.
Her talk will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation, room IIC-2001. The lecture is open to all and will be followed by a reception. Parking is available in lot 17.
Dr. Reimer will also deliver a research seminar on the same topic on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 1 p.m. in CSF-1302.
The Faith Elizabeth Winifred (Rusted) Bayley Nutrition Lecture is hosted by the Department of Human Biosciences. Dr. Nigel Rusted established a bequest in memory of his sister, a dietitian and high-ranking RCAF squadron leader in the Eastern Air Command during the Second World War.
