Environmental Stressors Impact Health: Insights From the Brain and Gut Microbiome
Overview
This Stress, Trauma, and Resilience (STAR) Seminar will provide an overview of how environmental stressors “get under the skin” and are embedded in our biology, specifically in the brain-gut microbiome system. The training will identify how these stressors are associated with increased risk for the development of adverse health outcomes such as obesity, altered eating behaviors, and mental health outcomes. Obesity is a risk factor for many chronic diseases and disproportionately affects certain groups. These alarming projections have led to the National Institute of Health and Healthy People 2020 to prioritize initiatives directed at reducing disparities. By focusing on adverse environmental factors, this training will help bring to the forefront those individuals who are at an increased risk to develop obesity as a result of disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition, examples will be highlighted of how the brain-gut microbiome system can be targeted to protect or mitigate against the adverse effects of a stressful environment.
Learning objectives
- Explain the brain-gut microbiome system
- Describe how the brain-gut microbiome system is involved in obesity, altered eating behaviors, and mental health outcomes
- Demonstrate how the brain-gut microbiome system is altered by environmental factors
- Discuss various studies demonstrating the influence of environmental factors on the brain-gut microbiome system, with 3 examples highlighting increased risk for obesity
- List 2 examples of how resilience can protect against environmental stressors
- Identify 2 ways the brain and gut can be targets for interventions against environmental stressors
Training times
This training is provided at the time(s) and in the format(s) shown below.