September Zoom Meeting

DATE:	September 16, 2020
Time:	4:30 p.m. - Executive Meeting 6:00 p.m. - Speaker
Speaker:	David Heber, MD, PhD, FACP, FASN Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Public Health Founding Director, UCLA Center for Human Nutrition David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Topic:	Immunonutrition in a Pandemic Era

Nutrition and immune function are closely interrelated in human health. For the first time in human history there are more overweight than underweight individuals in the world according to the World Health Organization. Both undernutrition and overnutrition are associated with significant changes in immune function.

Protein-energy malnutrition is associated with a significant impairment of cell-mediated immunity, phagocyte function, complement system, secretory immunoglobulin A antibody concentrations, and cytokine production. Deficiency of single nutrients also results in altered immune responses. This can be observed even when the deficiency state is relatively mild. Of the micronutrients, zinc; selenium; iron; copper; vitamins A, C, E, and B-6; and folic acid have important influences on immune responses. Vitamin D was used to treat infections such as tuberculosis before the advent of effective antibiotics.

The interaction of immune function and nutrition also underlies the low-grade chronic inflammation involved in the etiology of many age-related chronic diseases. Diet and exercise are necessary strategies in efforts to modulate systemic immune function through increased intakes of fruits, vegetables, plant protein, fish oils, prebiotic fibers and spices. The realization that the human organism is influenced by trillions of bacteria from the environment and that dietary modifications from a plant-based diet to a Western dietary pattern and obesity modify bacterial populations and impact the efficiency of absorption of nutrients from the diet, has changed our understanding of human nutrition and its impact on age-related chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia and common forms of cancer.

The human intestine is more densely populated with microorganisms than any other human organ and is a major site where the microflora may have pronounced impacts on human physiological function including immune function and inflammation.

This lecture will focus on the emerging science on the relationship between nutrition and immune function comparing different populations around the world, as well as individuals within the same communities consuming different diets. The challenge in understanding the relationships of nutritional interventions to augment immune function lies in developing appropriate diagnostic, nutritional and immune biomarkers.

For SCIFTS members and subscribers, you will receive an invitation to this Zoom meeting from our Co-Chair, Randy Kreienbrink.

There is no charge to attend this meeting but if you would like to make a donation to SCIFTS, there will be an opportunity to do this through Venmo which will be listed on the Zoom meeting invitation.

September Zoom Meeting

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 16, 2020

October 21, 2020

November 18, 2020