C2ST Speakeasy: “Diet, Gut Bacteria, and Metabolic Disease: Strategies to Promote Healthy Microbial Communities” with Dr. Kristina Martinez

August 18, 2015

Geek Bar Beta
1941 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL, USA

Program Series:
Health and Wellness

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The human body is inhabited with trillions of microorganisms, many of which live in the gastrointestinal tract. These microorganisms in the gut are referred to as the gut microbiota and recent research findings indicate that they play a major role in the development of obesity and cardiovascular disease. For example, consumption of “westernized” diets that are typically high in fat is believed to cause microbial dysbiosis, or a disruption of healthy microorganisms in the gut and has been associated with obesity.  Modulation of our bacterial populations through the use of prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics is being investigated for their therapeutic power in fighting these common diseases. Fecal microbiota transplant is also becoming more widely accepted in the clinical setting. Thus, I will discuss how consumption of high fat, high sugar Western diets effect our gut microbial populations and the resultant impact on obesity and other metabolic diseases as well as current and novel approaches to modulate gut microbiota for better health.

Event Details

C2ST Speakeasy is held on the first and third Tuesdays of every month at Geek Bar Chicago. Attendance is free, but registration is strongly encouraged. Please click HERE or on the “Buy Tickets” button below to register.

Speaker

Kristina Martinez

Kristina Martinez is a Registered Dietitian and has a Ph.D. in Nutrition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Chicago. She investigates the impact of high fat dietary intake on gut microbial community structure and how gut bacteria promote fat absorption and obesity. Her other work focuses on how gut bacteria regulate inflammatory bowel diseases and drug metabolism in the liver. She is active in the University of Chicago Postdoctoral Association, where she leads an outreach program in order to expose Chicago’s youth to careers and current advances in scientific research. She focuses much of her time training students and seeks to promote diversity in the field by helping underrepresented students gain experience in the lab.