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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IRONIS AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT IN THE DIET. DIETARY IRON IS CONSUMED EITHER FROM ANIMAL PRODUCTS (AS HEME AND NON-HEME IRON) OR FROM PLANT SOURCES (AS NON-HEME IRON). HUMANS CANNOT REGULATE THE EXCRETION OF IRON SO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO TIGHTLY CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF IRON THAT IS ABSORBED FROMDIETARY SOURCES. THE ABSORPTION OF NON-HEME IRON CAN BE TIGHTLY CONTROLLED IN RELATION TO BODY IRON STORES. AS IRON STORES ACCUMULATE, THE AMOUNT OFNON-HEME IRON ABSORBED FROM THE DIET DECREASES TO PREVENT IRON OVERLOAD. SIMILARLY WHEN IRON STORES ARE DEPLETED, ABSORPTION OF NON-HEME IRON WILL INCREASE TO HELP RESTORE IRON BALANCE. IN CONTRAST TO NON-HEME IRON, ABSORPTION OFHEME IRON DOES NOT CHANGE MUCH IN RELATION TO BODY IRON STORES OR IN RELATION TO IRONREGULATORY HORMONES. LIKE HUMANS, THE BACTERIA IN OUR INTESTINES (CALLED THE GUT MICROBIOTA) CAN SENSE THE AMOUNT OF IRON PRESENT IN THE INTESTINAL TRACT AND THEY CAN ABSORB THIS IRON FROM THE INTESTINAL CONTENTS. THIS RESULTS IN A COMPETITION FOR IRON BETWEEN THE HUMAN AND THEIR GUT MICROBIOTA. AS GROWING NUMBERS OF AMERICANS ADOPT PLANT-BASED DIETS, HEME FE INTAKES ARE MARKEDLY REDUCED. THIS MAY SHIFT THE GUT MICROBIOME AS SOME GUT MICROBIOTA CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY MAKE HEME AND REQUIRE DIETARY HEME SOURCES TO SUPPORT THEIR HEME-DEPENDENT FUNCTIONS. ANIMAL DATA HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT OTHER GUT MICROBIOTA RESPOND TO A LOW NON-HEME IRON DIET BY PRODUCING METABOLITES THAT INCREASE ABSORPTION OF NON-HEME IRON. TO DATE, SIGNIFICANT KNOWLEDGE GAPS EXIST ON THE INTERRELATIONSHIPSBETWEEN DIETARY HEME AND NON-HEME IRONSOURCES, THE GUT MICROBES, AND IRON ABSORPTION IN HUMANS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILLUNIQUELY COMBINEDEEP SHOTGUN METAGENOMICS AND STABLE IRON ISOTOPE TECHNOLOGYTO EVALUATE GUT MICROBIOME FEATURES AND THEIR INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH DIETARY IRON ABSORPTION IN HEALTHY ADULTS WHO ARE HABITUALLY INGESTING EITHER A PLANT-BASED OR A NON-PLANT-BASED DIET. GROWING NUMBERS OF AMERICANS ARE INGESTING A PLANT BASED DIET. DATA GENERATED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE NOVEL INFORMATION ON HOW IRON COMPOSITION OF THE DIET INFLUENCES OUR GUT MICROBIOTA AND OUR ABILITY TO UTILIZE IRON FROM THE FOODS WE EAT.

$635,769FY2023National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

Cornell University, Ithaca NY

Investigators

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**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IRONIS AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT IN THE DIET. DIETARY IRON IS CONSUMED EITHER FROM ANIMAL PRODUCTS (AS HEME AND NON-HEME IRON) OR FROM PLANT SOURCES (AS NON-HEME IRON). HUMANS CANNOT REGULATE THE EXCRETION OF IRON SO IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO TIGHTLY CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF IRON THAT IS ABSORBED FROMDIETARY SOURCES. THE ABSORPTION OF NON-HEME IRON CAN BE TIGHTLY CONTROLLED IN RELATION TO BODY IRON STORES. AS IRON STORES ACCUMULATE, THE AMOUNT OFNON-HEME IRON ABSORBED FROM THE DIET DECREASES TO PREVENT IRON OVERLOAD. SIMILARLY WHEN IRON STORES ARE DEPLETED, ABSORPTION OF NON-HEME IRON WILL INCREASE TO HELP RESTORE IRON BALANCE. IN CONTRAST TO NON-HEME IRON, ABSORPTION OFHEME IRON DOES NOT CHANGE MUCH IN RELATION TO BODY IRON STORES OR IN RELATION TO IRONREGULATORY HORMONES. LIKE HUMANS, THE BACTERIA IN OUR INTESTINES (CALLED THE GUT MICROBIOTA) CAN SENSE THE AMOUNT OF IRON PRESENT IN THE INTESTINAL TRACT AND THEY CAN ABSORB THIS IRON FROM THE INTESTINAL CONTENTS. THIS RESULTS IN A COMPETITION FOR IRON BETWEEN THE HUMAN AND THEIR GUT MICROBIOTA. AS GROWING NUMBERS OF AMERICANS ADOPT PLANT-BASED DIETS, HEME FE INTAKES ARE MARKEDLY REDUCED. THIS MAY SHIFT THE GUT MICROBIOME AS SOME GUT MICROBIOTA CANNOT INDEPENDENTLY MAKE HEME AND REQUIRE DIETARY HEME SOURCES TO SUPPORT THEIR HEME-DEPENDENT FUNCTIONS. ANIMAL DATA HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT OTHER GUT MICROBIOTA RESPOND TO A LOW NON-HEME IRON DIET BY PRODUCING METABOLITES THAT INCREASE ABSORPTION OF NON-HEME IRON. TO DATE, SIGNIFICANT KNOWLEDGE GAPS EXIST ON THE INTERRELATIONSHIPSBETWEEN DIETARY HEME AND NON-HEME IRONSOURCES, THE GUT MICROBES, AND IRON ABSORPTION IN HUMANS. THE PROPOSED PROJECT WILLUNIQUELY COMBINEDEEP SHOTGUN METAGENOMICS AND STABLE IRON ISOTOPE TECHNOLOGYTO EVALUATE GUT MICROBIOME FEATURES AND THEIR INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH DIETARY IRON ABSORPTION IN HEALTHY ADULTS WHO ARE HABITUALLY INGESTING EITHER A PLANT-BASED OR A NON-PLANT-BASED DIET. GROWING NUMBERS OF AMERICANS ARE INGESTING A PLANT BASED DIET. DATA GENERATED FROM THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE NOVEL INFORMATION ON HOW IRON COMPOSITION OF THE DIET INFLUENCES OUR GUT MICROBIOTA AND OUR ABILITY TO UTILIZE IRON FROM THE FOODS WE EAT. · GrantIndex