ASSIGNMENT
Part I — Attending a Virtual Research Talk on the Gut Microbiome For Part I, watch the recorded research talk below and answer the questions provided. Please note that there are questions to answer for both the main portion of the talk as well as the question & answer (Q&A) portion of the talk.
• Your Microbe: What Is It, and How Can It Help Or Hurt You? by Dr. Sonnenburg (Stanford Gut Microbiology Research Center)
Questions on the Main Portion of the Talk
1. What is your gut microbe?
2. Where in your gut do most of the microbes in more body live?
3. Can microbes in the gut influence obesity? How was this figured out?
4. Can microbes in the gut influence your mood and behavior?
5. In general, what is better for your health: having a more diverse population of microbes or a more homogeneous population of microbes?
6. What is the one thing that many chronic western diseases share in common?
7. Why is eating dietary fiber important for your gut microbe?
8. What do your gut microbes eat when there isn’t any dietary fiber present in the gut?
9. What are at least three (3) ways that you can improve the diversity of your own microbes?
Questions on the Q&A Portion of the Talk
10. What is an important consideration before buying any pro-biotic supplement? 11. Where in your body can inflammation occur?
12. Can the gut microbiome break the tight-junctions between epithelial tissues of your gut?
13. Why is it that our fruits and vegetables no longer have as much fiber as they used to have?
14. Why can over-grinding/over-blending for otherwise highly refined) high-fiber foods reduce the amount of nutrients getting to your gut microbiome?
15. How can you replenish your gut microbiome after taking antibiotics?
Part II — Reflection on the Research Talk For Part II, answer the questions below.
1. What is the big take-away for you from watching this video? What has been most influential to hear about? Write 3 sentences at least.
2. What further questions do you have? Please write at least one question!
