INvestigating the role of Functional foOds and beveRages to iMprove health and recovery (INFORM)

Trillions of bacteria inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract (gut). They grow within us and produce a range of end products that can impact on our health. The diet we consume influences this microbial community and this means we can alter these inhabitants through diet, thereby having an influence on health. This research hub, will look at functional foods targeting gut microbes and how they can support recovery from exercise, mental stresses and improve recovery from illness. The hub name is INFORM "INvestigating the role of Functional foOd and beveRages to iMprove health and recovery (INFORM)"

The foods that will primarily be focused on will include:
Prebiotics: foods to support the growth and activities of positive microorganisms already existing within us, ultimately leading to beneficial health effects;
Probiotics: microorganisms that when consumed in high enough quantities have a positive effect on health;
Plant stanols: mainly associated with lowering blood cholesterol, they have recently been observed to impact on the gut microbiota.

Exercise gives rise to a range of benefits to our health and well-being, but can also lead to negative effects on the gastrointestinal tract and also lead to detrimental effects on the immune system. Gut bacteria work in close communication with the immune system, therefore, by influencing gut microbes, gut issues and an increased immune inflammatory conditions might be reduced. Furthermore, modulation of the gut microbial community can reduce infections.

Mental stresses that we encounter in every day lives, from exams, to work pressures, can take their toll on our cognitive well-being. The gut microbiota has also been seen to be linked to the brain in a two way communication pathway. From being involved in the production of neuro-active molecules, to supporting the blood brain and epithelial barriers, the microbiota aids the immune system and concurrently impacts on the brain. As such, appropriate functional foods could also support mental well-being.

Communication of the gut microbiota with the immune function also means it can aid in recovery from various illnesses. These may include upper gut infections and gastrointestinal conditions. Therefore, functional foods used within a healthy population could support the maintenance of good health and well-being across the lifecourse.

The research hub will bring together experts in gut microbiota, mental health, sports and exercise, bone health, metabolism and clinical conditions. Along with members of the food, healthcare and sport industries. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach will be used to address these issues, generate ideas and researching solutions to push forward this important research. The hub will run for 5 years and will be open for new members. It will be dynamic in its remit and evolve, adopting industry trends, advances in research capabilities, government policy and regulatory frameworks. As such it is an essential route to bring relevant functional foods to the forefront of research and health maintenance.

The hub will foster a relationship between academics and industries to initiate and grow new collaborations seeking to understand more about functional foods supporting research translational activities. The focus will be on prebiotics, probiotics and plant stanols, these can all impact positively on gut microbiota.

Main challenges to be explored are:

Use of functional foods in exercise. As well as bringing many benefits to the population at large exercise leads to stresses on the body, resulting in gastrointestinal and inflammatory issues. By exploring how diet:microbiota interactions influence energy metabolism, inflammation, muscle and bone strength, we hope to provide key support for designing more efficacious functional foods targeting improved sports performance and recovery from exertion.

Recovery from ill-health, including gastrointestinal conditions and upper-respiratory tract viral infections provides a major challenge for the population at large, especially in a post-COVID-19 world. With close interactions between the gut microbiota and immune function, we will provide a research framework to advance functional food design to tackle recovery from viral infections.

Mental stresses are big challenges faced by society at large. The gut microbiota is linked to the brain along the gut:brain axis, with microbial metabolites thought to play a key role in anxiety and depression, even in a pre-clinal state. We aim to provide a research framework to bridge the gap between promising laboratory results and translate this to the human situation by identifying key metabolic players which can be delivered by bespoke functional foods through the gut microbiota.

The hub, through its multidisciplinary approach will evaluate functional foods and their potential within these areas, as such helping to maintain optimum health whilst enabling researchers, industrialists and policy makers to work together to tackle these challenges.