Location: Food Components and Health Laboratory
Project Number: 8040-10700-007-006-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Aug 8, 2023
End Date: Aug 12, 2024
Objective:
Dietary fiber intake and healthful dietary patterns are modifiable risk factors which may reduce risk of liver disease and certain cancers. The primary objective of this collaboration is to investigate the specific role of fiber and healthful dietary patterns in reducing risk for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (liver disease), liver cancer, and colon cancer. Bile acid dysregulation is a potential contributor to the development of obesity, which is associated with increased risk of many cancers. This Inter-Agency project extends our previous work to investigate the association of bile acid dysregulation with obesity, to investigate the potential for dietary fiber or a high Healthy Eating Index diet to mitigate the negative effects of secondary bile acids. High vs. low fiber dietary patterns will be evaluated for effects on secondary bile acid appearance in feces and serum.
Approach:
USDA will use samples from a dietary intervetntion with participants consuming 4 different highly controlled diets for 1 month each. The diets differ in fiber levels and Healthy Eating Index score. Individuals on the high fiber diet and the high Healthy Eating Index diet consume greater quantities of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Serum and feces will be analyzed for a broad panel of bile acids, including lithocholic acid and deoxycholic acid, which are strong inducers of cancer. As much as remaining funds allow, fecal samples will also be analyzed for microbial metabolism using metatranscripomics.
