This course is included in the NUTRITION 2025 On Demand Collection.

“Gut health” is a term that has become a part of the common lexicon to describe health in a broader sense. In marketing campaigns, gut health is often a catchall phrase that can mean any number of health-promoting outcomes. While gut health lacks a clear definition, the term is increasingly used in human and veterinary medicine. Gut function is integral to human and animal health, but there are also many unanswered questions: Is gut health different from digestive health or GI health? What is the overall importance of gut health for individuals who do not have bowel disease? How should gut health be measured? For the latter, a variety of criteria have been proposed, none as yet agreed-upon. In this session, work by experts will be presented to understand what constitutes a healthy gut and how that is measured, with implications for scientific, industrial, and regulatory communities.

Originally presented at NUTRITION 2025, ASN's flagship meeting which was held May 31 to June 3 in Orlando, FL.

Speakers

Gary Wu, MD
Ferdinand G. Weisbrod Professor in Gastroenterology
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Maria Marco, PhD
Professor
University of California Davis, Department of Food Science & Technology

Cara Frankenfeld, PhD 
Supervising Epidemiologist
EpidStrategies, A Division of ToxStrategies LLC