Volume 1 | Issue 2
DISCOVER UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL, CONSUMER AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
WHAT WE DO + WHY IT MATTERS
Simply put, research from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is changing lives. With expertise in food and agriculture, environment and water, family and communities, health and wellness, and computing and data, our reach is both broad and deep. But uniting us is a commitment to solving real-world problems that affect people and places in Central Illinois, the United States, and the globe. Here, we showcase a fraction of our world-class research in the area of health and wellness, demonstrating actual and potential improvements to human nutrition, gut health, neurological functioning, and child development.
WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY [ABOUT HUMAN BEHAVIOR]? A newly identified fox gene may one day help people struggling with autism, bipolar, and other social-behavioral disorders. The discovery of the gene is part of a decades-long investigation to uncover the genetic basis of behavior in mammals. As part of an international collaboration, Illinois researchers sequenced the fox genome as well as the genomes of tame and aggressive foxes bred in captivity in a long-term Russian experiment. They confirmed that these behaviors do have a genetic basis, and found that a single gene, SorCS1, seemed to be associated with tameness and low social anxiety. Although social behavior is genetically complex, the finding represents a first step towards greater understanding and potential medical intervention.
+
Tameness and low social anxiety appear to have a genetic basis in foxes
WHY PURPLE CORN MAY BE BETTER Purple, red, and blue corn are more than brightly colored specialty crops. ACES scientists are investigating compounds from colored corn to fight diabetes and add value in food production. In studies with mice, the researchers found colored compounds—anthocyanins—can lead to reductions in fat cell content, insulin resistance, and glucose uptake, all of which are implicated in diabetes. While preliminary, the research shows promise for future studies with humans. The researchers are also looking for purple corn varieties with the highest, most potent anthocyanin concentrations. These varieties were tested as part of the diabetes trials, but additional lines are also being used to develop natural and inexpensive alternatives to artificial food dyes. The team hopes to one day insert these high-power, high-value anthocyanins into elite corn hybrids to be grown across the Midwest.
64%
29%
Compounds in colored corn decreased insulin resistance by 29%-64%
DISCOVER: HEALTH & WELLNESS aces-research@illinois.edu
aces.illinois.edu/research/areas/health-wellness
DIET, MICROBIOME, AND HUMAN HEALTH By studying the link between diet, gut microbes, and health, researchers from the Nutrition and Human Microbiome Laboratory at Illinois are making discoveries that can improve human health right now. For example, the researchers have demonstrated that consuming walnuts not only positively impacted gut microbiota, but also reduced LDL-cholesterol levels in adults who participated in a study; good news for cardio, metabolic, and gastrointestinal health. Their research may also help explain why eating broccoli is good for you. Along with a host of other health benefits, broccoli has been shown in research studies to play a role in slowing certain types of cancer. The Illinois scientists show that microbial changes occurring in the human gut microbiome after eating broccoli might be behind the vegetable’s anti-cancer power.
STRONG KIDS 2: A CELLS-TO-SOCIETY APPROACH The STRONG Kids 2 program is offering new insight into how a child’s biology and environment work together to contribute to childhood obesity risk and other health factors. STRONG Kids 2 is a transdisciplinary, longitudinal research study involving 468 mothers and their children in East Central Illinois. Researchers are following the children’s biology and environment over the first five years of life, investigating everything from diet and gut microbiome, to child socioemotional and behavioral characteristics, to family and child care environments. When these kids turn 5 years old, the researchers will take it a step further, as they investigate how body weight influences the children’s cognitive abilities. STRONG Kids 2 is expected to play a key role in the future of childhood obesity prevention and intervention programs.
Foods benefiting the human microbiome can benefit overall health
Country Culture Community Clan (family) Child Cell
The Six C’s model: Factors affecting children’s dietary habits and weight gain
FUNDING SOURCES Foxes: This project was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health ($2.3M), USDA Hatch funds, grants from Campus Research Board and Office of International Programs of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as international funds originating in Russia and China Anna Kukekova, Animal Sciences | Jennifer Johnson, Animal Sciences | Halie Rando, Animal Sciences Contact email: avk@illinois.edu Purple corn: Funded in part by USDA NIFA and Kraft Foods Group (now the Kraft Heinz Company), $1.4M Elvira Gonzalez de Mejia, Food Science and Human Nutrition | Diego Luna-Vital, Food Science and Human Nutrition | John Juvik, Crop Sciences | Vijay Singh, Agricultural and Biological Engineering | Deepak Kumar, Agricultural and Biological Engineering Contact: edemejia@illinois.edu Microbiome: USDA ARS, $200,000 Hannah Holscher, Food Science and Human Nutrition | Mike Miller, Food Science and Human Nutrition/Division of Nutritional Sciences | Elizabeth Jeffery, Food Science and Human Nutrition/Division of Nutritional Sciences | Kelly Swanson, Animal Sciences/Division of Nutritional Sciences Contact: hholsche@illinois.edu STRONG Kids 2: This research is supported by over $4M in grants from the National Dairy Council | The Gerber Foundation | The Christopher Family Foundation | USDA Hatch | The National Institutes of Health | Division of Nutritional Sciences Barbara Fiese, Human Development and Family Studies | Sharon Donovan, Food Science and Human Nutrition | Kelly Bost, Human Development and Family Studies | Soo-Yeun Lee, Food Science and Human Nutrition | Brent McBride, Human Development and Family Studies | Margarita Teran-Garcia, Human Development and Family Studies Contact: bhfiese@illinois.edu