Page 42 - Today's Dietitian (March 2020)

CPE Monthly By Ana Gabriela Reisdorf, MS, RD, CDE

relationship between the microbiome
and digestion of macro- and micro-
nutrients. It also reviews research related
to the gut microbiome and malnutrition
and obesity. It’s designed to help dieti-
tians understand the interplay between
the microbiome and nutritional status.

What Is the Gut Microbiome?
There are 10 trillion to 100 trillion
microbes on the human body, with
most living in the gut. The number
of microbes that exist on one human
body is greater than the number of all
the humans who have ever lived. The
gut microbiome refers to the collection
of bacteria, yeast, and other micro-
organisms that live inside the digestive
3
tract. With so many microbes living
among us, it’s no surprise that they’re
intricately connected to our health.
More than 90% of gut microbes
belong to one of two general groups
of the 70 different phyla that have
been identified—Bacteroidetes and
Firmicutes. And within these two
4
classifications are many different
individual species. Most adults have
from 400 to 500 species of bacteria
in their lower gut or colon at any
given time. The mouth, stomach, and
5
small intestine have their own unique
microbiome. What makes the study of
microbes and human health even more
The Gut Microbiome and
Nutritional Status Learning Objectives
COURSE CREDIT: 2 CPEUs

W ith the initiation of the obesity, and CVD. Between the research After completing this continuing edu-
2
cation course, nutrition professionals
stemming from the Microbiome Project
Human Microbiome
should be better able to:
and the increased interest in this area
Project in 2007, inter-
1. Describe what the gut microbiome
est in the microorgan-
stand more about the impact of the gut
isms that live within of study, scientists have begun to under- is.
us has skyrocketed. The project ini- microbiome, not just on the develop- 2. Distinguish the impact of the micro-
tially aimed to document the variety of ment of disease but also on nutritional biome on overall nutritional status.
microbes found on the human body but status. There’s also more of an under- 3. Translate the role of the gut micro-
has expanded to include further evalu- standing of how diet, in turn, influ- biome in digestion and absorption of
ation of their impact on our health and ences the health of the gut microbiome. macro- and micronutrients.
longevity. One of the goals of the proj- Although the exact mechanisms aren’t 4. Assess how the microbiome influ-
ect is to gain a deeper understanding yet clear, research has begun to iden- ences malnutrition and obesity.
of human nutritional needs by learning tify a complex symbiotic relationship Suggested CDR Learning Codes
how microbes influence our ability to between overall health and the health of 2070, 2090, 5220, 5280
use nutrients from food. 1 the microbiome. Suggested CDR Performance Indicators
Research is discovering that multiple This continuing education course 8.1.3, 8.1.4, 8.3.6, 10.4.4
disease states are affected by the micro- examines the current research on
biome including allergies, autoimmune the gut microbiome’s influence on CPE Level 2
disease, depression, cognitive decline, nutritional status. It discusses the

42 TODAY’S DIETITIAN • MARCH 2020