Volume 3 | Issue 2
DISCOVER UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
WHAT WE DO + WHY IT MATTERS
Research within the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences impacts all our lives. With expertise in agriculture and the environment, family and communities, and health and wellness, our reach is both broad and deep. Uniting us is a reliance on the latest innovations in data and technology, as well as a deep commitment to solving real-world problems affecting Central Illinois, the United States, and the globe. Here, we highlight a fraction of our world-class research in the area of health and wellness, showcasing discoveries that help children, cancer survivors, and healthy adults.
AVOCADOS ARE GOOD FOR YOUR GUT Avocados are rich in nutrients, including dietary fiber and monounsaturated fat. They also improve gut health, a team of ACES scientists say. The researchers, who specialize in dietary modulation of the microbiome and its connections to health, studied how avocado consumption impacts gastrointestinal microbiota. They found people who ate avocado every day as part of a meal had a greater abundance of gut microbes that break down fiber, produced more metabolites that support gut health, and had greater microbial diversity than a control group of people who ate similar, but avocado-free meals. In another study, they also showed an avocado a day can redistribute belly fat in women by reducing deeper, visceral abdominal fat. The researchers concluded daily avocado consumption promotes gut health by feeding the gut microbes that help us break down dietary fibers.
BEDTIME ROUTINES IMPROVE YOUNG CHILDREN’S SLEEP Getting young children to sleep at night can be a challenge for parents and caregivers. But developing consistent habits can help, according to ACES researchers. The research team studied how bedtime routines affect sleep outcomes for children during the first two years of life. They found reading books and cuddling with caregivers can make a big difference, if done consistently. Beginning these routines when infants are 3 months old promote better sleep habits through age 2. And when caregivers engaged in more bedtime-related activities with their infants at 12 months, the children slept longer and had fewer sleep problems at ages 18 months and 24 months. The research was part of STRONG Kids 2, a program within the Family Resiliency Center promoting nutrition and healthy habits in families with young children.
Avocados promote healthy gut bacteria and can reduce belly fat in women
Cuddling and reading at bedtime in the first months of life can set kids up for healthy sleep through age 2
DISCOVER: HEALTH & WELLNESS aces-research@illinois.edu
aces.illinois.edu/research/areas/health-wellness
LOSS OF TASTE IN CANCER SURVIVORS Loss of taste is a frequently under-recognized but serious side effect of disease—or disease treatment—that can diminish the desire to eat and affect quality of life. Most survivors of squamous cell head and neck cancers report their sense of taste is changed or lost during radiation treatment and many complain of taste dysfunction long after treatment is completed. ACES researchers found the tips of the tongues of head and neck cancer survivors were significantly less sensitive to detect or identify bitter, salty, or sweet tastes than those in a control group who had never been diagnosed with cancer. This suggests certain taste bud cells—or a branch of a facial nerve carrying signals from the tip of the tongue to the brain—may have been damaged during radiation therapy.
BITTER SOUR
UMAMI
SOUR
Some cancer survivors lose taste in the tip of the tongue due to taste bud cell or nerve damage
SWEET SALTY
POST-NATAL STRESS HITS MALE PIGLETS HARD
Maternal illness affects piglet neurodevelopment in utero
When sows get sick during critical stages of pregnancy, the offspring are at risk of developing neurological disorders that may make them less successful in production settings. And when these piglets experience a second stressful event early in life, they’re even more prone to abnormalities in the brain. That’s especially true for male piglets, according to recent research from ACES animal scientists. The finding is relevant to swine producers aiming to raise the healthiest possible herds, but it also could shed light on human neurological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. ACES scientists are global leaders in the development of the domestic pig as a biomedical research model, having mapped the pig genome, analyzed behavioral patterns, detected biomarkers of health, production, and more.
FUNDING SOURCES Avocados: The Hass Avocado Board, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the ACES Division of Nutritional Sciences. Hannah Holscher, FSHN, DNS | Sharon Thompson, DNS | Melisa Bailey, DNS | Andrew Taylor, FSHN | Jennifer Kaczmarek, DNS | Annemarie Mysonhimer, FSHN | Caitlyn Edwards, DNS | Nicholas Burd, DNS | Naiman Khan, DNS | Bridget Hannon, DNS | Barbara Fiese, HDFS Contact: Hannah Holscher, hholsche@illinois.edu Bedtime Routines: The Christopher Family Foundation, the National Dairy Council, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Hatch project. Barbara Fiese, HDFS | Kelly Bost, HDFS | Tianying Cai, HDFS Contact: Barbara Fiese, bhfiese@illinois.edu Loss of Taste: The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the Division of Nutritional Sciences at U of I M. Yanina Pepino, FSHN | Anna E. Arthur, FSHN Contact: Yanina Pepino, ypepino@illinois.edu Post-natal Stress: The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Dual Purpose for Dual Benefit” program ($1.6 million) Sandra Rodriguez-Zas, ANSC | Rod Johnson, ANSC | Laurie Rund, ANSC | Adrienne Antonson, ANSC | Marissa R Keever-Keigher, ANSC | Haley Rymut, ANSC Contact: Sandra Rodriguez-Zas, rodrgzzs@illinois.edu