Elaine Hsiao

Elaine Hsaio

Dr. Elaine Hsiao is an assistant professor at UCLA’s Department of Integrative Biology & Physiology and UCLA’s Department of Medicine, Digestive Diseases. In addition to her many distinctions, she was elected to the Forbes’ 2014 “30 Under 30 in Science & Health Care” and served on the White House Office of Science and Technology Microbiome Forum. Her research studies how changes to microbes inside our bodies impact our health and behavior and may influence various neurological disorders like autism, depression, and Parkinson’s disease.

See Dr. Elaine Hsiao speak on May 11 2016 at “Microbes: From Your Food to Your Brain”

Check out some of her previous talks and interviews

TEDXCaltech – “Mind-Altering Microbes: How the microbiome affects brain and behavior”

In her talk, Dr. Hsiao explains how the microbes in our gut can affect our brains by altering our production of neuroactive molecules and the potential applications of this research

Media Evolution – “Brain, Heart, gut – what drive us, really”

Here Dr. Hsiao shows how mouse models are used in her research. Specifically, she explains how she and her team experimentally determined gut microbes influence autistic-like behaviors in the mice.

Autism Speaks – “Investing in Talent: Predoctoral Fellow Elaine Hsaio”

In this interview, Dr. Hsiao talks about her previous work investigating how infections during pregnancy impact the risk of Autism.

For more information check out her Lab’s Website here

Gutopia: A Microbial Paradise

The development of the microscope in the 17th century magnified our awareness of a microbial universe previously invisible to the naked eye. Anton van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch textile draper and science hobbyist, was one of the first individuals to glance into the microbial looking glass and identify unicellular organisms (so-called animalcules) such as protozoa and bacteria [1]. His colleague, Robert Hooke, went on to publish the seminal text, Micrographia, which described his observations of microfungi [2]. Two centuries later, Louis Pasteur validated the role of microbes in fermentation. However, Pasteur also gave weight to Ignaz Semmelweis’ controversial germ theory of disease stating that microbes have the capacity to cause pathological effects on our human health [3].

leeuwenhoek

Early microbial drawings by Anton Van Leeuwenhoek [Photo Credit: Yale University Press]

These early studies in microbiology have provided significant insight on the human-microbe interaction characterized by either mutually beneficial or lethal outcomes. The duality of microbial behavior has dramatically impacted our perception of these microorganisms. Our cultural germophobia often precludes our ability to recognize the naturally transformative and symbiotic properties of microbes from the fermentation of grape juice into wine to their invaluable role in human digestion.

Michael Pollan, author of Cooked, explores a myriad of cooking traditions including those that directly involve the action of microbes such as bacteria and yeast. In his depiction of ancient sourdough recipes, he lists four ingredients: whole grain flour, water, salt, and the repertoire of microbes in the air [4]. The microbes catalyze slow-fermentation reactions (taking up to 24 hours) that leaven the bread while transforming molecules into digestible nutrients for us to absorb.

Whether we can stomach it or not, we all possess unique microbial signatures that are composed of trillions of microorganisms living both inside our bodies and on the surface of our skin [5]. These microbial communities, referred to as the human microbiome, cohabitate in our various mucosal, gastrointestinal, and epidermal surfaces. Symbiotic microbes are tolerated by our immune system and work collaboratively with our own bodies to digest the foods that we eat at the molecular level.

Our evolutionary history with bacteria is fueled by the currency of nutrition. In other words, our diet has a significant impact on the composition of our gut microbiota. Food consumption habits can either encourage the intestinal bloom of beneficial bacteria or opportunistic, disease-causing bacteria. Certain foods contain vital prebiotic molecules that encourage the expansion of beneficial bacterial species in the gut. High fiber foods including whole grains (brown rice, oats), vegetables (broccoli, peas) and legumes (lentils, black beans) contain an invaluable source of metabolic substrates that are converted into short-chain fatty acids by bacteria [6]. These short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, help to propagate microflora such as Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and maintain gastrointestinal tissue health [7].

If we were to design a perfect microbial habitat–a Gutopia, if you will, it would be a homeostatic organ city of diverse symbiotic microbiota that is rich in fiber economy and free of any harmful pollutants. However, our dietary choices can tip the balance of this intestinal paradise and create a dystopic environment suitable for the expansion of pathogenic microbes.

Contemporary eating habits that are characteristically high in fat and carbohydrates are responsible for the emergence of modern diseases such as diabetes, colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel diseases [8-11]. Recent studies suggest that compositional changes in the intestinal microbiome can encourage the bloom of disease-causing microflora. The dramatic alteration of today’s eating behavior introduces gastrointestinal disturbances or challenges that our bodies and microbial counterparts have not evolved to accommodate. For example, a study investigating the consumption of different dietary fats in immunocompromised IL-10/ mice identified the expansion of B. wadsworthia; a gram-negative, sulfur-reducing species of bacteria flourished in mice fed a diet high in saturated fat , but not in low-fat or polyunsaturated fat diets [12-13]. The bloom of B. wadsworthia was attributed to the unregulated production of a bile salt known as taurocholic acid brought about by the overconsumption of saturated fat.

danico-burger-gut

Imbalanced dietary intake and overconsumption of foods high in saturated fats can impact the ecology of gut microbiota [Illustration by Grace Danico]

Taurocholic acid is an important source of sulfur that can stimulate the growth and maintenance of the pathogenic B. wadsworthia in these mice. The presence of this bacterium activates murine proinflammatory immune defense mechanisms that compromise the permeability of gut mucosal tissue causing intestinal inflammation. This pathogenic etiology of gut inflammation is implicated in the onset of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis [12-13].

Much like any city there are complications that arise, which can tip the balance between utopic and dystopic environments. In the case of our gut health, we should imagine ourselves as landscape architects cultivating the balanced ecology of our microbiome. If we feed our intestinal gardens with the right balance of foods we can foster the growth of symbiotic bacteria while discouraging the bloom of pestilent, pathogenic microbial weeds.

The human microbiome not only affects our gut health but can have some profound effects on our behavior and brain function. Dr. Elaine Hsiao, Assistant Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology at UCLA, investigates the interplay between our commensal microbes and their role in neurological development and function. Her work has linked the perturbations in gut microbiota with the onset of neurological disorders such as autism [14].

As we continue to study the ecology and diversity of microbes living within and around us, we are faced with many fundamental challenges in testing the dynamics of these microbial communities. From a clinical perspective, physicians and researchers alike have utilized human fecal samples to identify unique microbial gut profiles in their patients. These samples serve as powerful investigative tools in our pursuit to understand how certain commensal microbes can cause or serve as diagnostic readouts. The power of the sequencing technology used to characterize microbes in stool samples (16s RNA sequencing) comes from its level of coverage-the ability to identify the majority of bacteria in a sample. However, sequencing depth-the resolution at which a species can be identified remains challenging. Additionally, many microbial species have been challenging to culture in vitro, making it difficult for researchers to repeatedly perform experiments in a laboratory setting and gain a deeper mechanistic understanding of microbial behavior and ecology.

Dr. Rachel Dutton, Assistant Professor in the Division of Biological Sciences at UCSD, addresses some of these technological limitations by studying the establishment and maintenance of microbial communities in different types of cheeses. With this model, her lab can investigate the interactions of different types of microbes to better understand them as ecological systems [15-16].

Science & Food is honored to host Elaine Hsiao and Rachel Dutton for the 2016 UCLA Science & Food public lecture series to elaborate on their findings.  They will be accompanied by Sander Katz, author of Wild Fermentation, who will discuss the transformative properties of microbes in the production of foods like sauerkraut.

Join us on Wednesday, May 11th at 7PM in Schoenberg Hall at UCLA for “Microbes: From Your Food to Your Brain” to learn more about the intriguing world of microbes!

References cited

  1. Gest H. “The discovery of microorganisms by Robert Hooke and Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek, fellows of the Royal Society”. Notes Rec R Soc Lond. 5 (2004). 187-201.
  2. Hooke R. “Micrographia” Jo. Martyn & Ja. Allestry (1665).
  3. “The History of the Germ Theory” The British Medical Journal. 1 (1888).
  4. Pollan M. Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation. Penguin Books. (2013).
  5. Abbott A. “Scientist bust myth that our bodies have more bacteria than human cellsNature. (2016).
  6. Leone V, Chang EB, Devkota SD. “Diet, microbes, and host genetics: the perfect storm in inflammatory bowel disease” J. Gastroenterol 48 (2013). 315-321.
  7. Sartor RB,.“Microbial influences in inflammatory bowel disease: role in pathogenesis and clinical implications” Elsevier (2004). 138-162.
  8. Hotamisligil, GS. “Inflammation and metabolic disorders” Nature. 444 (2006). 860-867.
  9. Parkin DM, Bray F, Ferlay J, et al. “Global cancer statistics” CA Cancer J Clin. 55. (2005). 74-108.
  10. Loftus EV Jr. “Clinical epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease: incidence, prevalence, and environmental influences” Gastroenterology 126. (2004). 1504-1517.
  11. Molodecky NA, Soon IS, Rabi EM, et al. “Increasing incidence and prevalence of the inflammatory bowel diseases with time, based on systemic review” Gastroenterology 142. (2012). 46-54.
  12. Devkota SD, Wang Y, Musch MW, et al. “Dietary-fat-induced taurocholic acid promotes pathobiont expansion and colitis in Il10-/- mice” Nature. 487 (2012). 104-108.
  13. Devkota SD, Chang EB. “Diet-induced expansion of pathobionts in experimental colitis” Gut Microbes. 4:2 (2013). 172-174.
  14. Hsiao E.Y., “Gastrointestinal issues in autism spectrum disorder”, Harv Rev Psychiatry, 22 (2014). 104-111.
  15. Wolfe BE, Dutton RJ. “Fermented Foods as Experimentally Tractable Microbial Ecosystems” Cell. 161(1) (2015). 49-55.
  16. Wolfe BE, Button JE, Sanarelli M, Dutton RJ. “Cheese rind communities provide tractable systems for in situ and in vitro studies of microbial diversity” Cell. 158 (2014). 422-433.

Anthony MartinAbout the author: Anthony Martin received his Ph.D. in Genetic, Cellular and Molecular Biology at USC and is self-publishing a cookbook of his favorite Filipino dishes.

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Fermentation Revival & Mind-Altering Microbes

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Sandor Katz and Dr. Elaine Hsiao will be joining us at our next 2016 public lecture, Microbes: From Your Food to Your Brain. Get to know them beforehand, as Sandor Katz talks about his book, The Art of Fermentation, on NPR: Fresh Air and Dr. Hsiao shares her fascination with the microbiome at a TedxCaltech talk.
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Sandor Katz

Sandor Katz, a self-proclaimed fermentation revivalist, became hooked on fermentation with his first homemade batch of sauerkraut, earning him the nickname “Sandorkraut”. As an AIDS survivor, he considers fermented foods an important part of his health and well-being. His 2003 book, Wild Fermentation, was lauded by Newsweek as the “fermentation bible”, and his 2012 book, The Art of Fermentation, received a James Beard award and was a finalist at the International Association of Culinary Professionals. In 2014, Katz received the Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance.

See Sandor Katz May 11, 2016 at “Microbes: From Your Food to Your Brain”

Sandor Katz

What hooked you on cooking?
I’ve always loved eating, and my parents both cooked and we were always expected to help in the kitchen. I got especially interested in cooking from scratch, and understanding and experiencing how the raw products of agriculture are transformed into the foods we love to eat.
The coolest example of science in your food?
Our food is all biology and chemistry. Of course, I am most tuned into the biological processes, though at a certain level they break down to chemistry. One question that I have thought a lot about is: Why is fermentation practiced everywhere? I do not know this to be absolute fact, but I have been unable to find any counter-example. And the reason that we now understand is that all of the plants and animal products that make up our food are populated by elaborate microbial communities. Microbial transformation of our food is an inevitability and the question is how do we deal with that fact.
The food you find most fascinating?
I’m endlessly fascinated by kefir, a fermented milk, or rather by the culture that produces it, undulating rubbery masses known as kefir grains. These symbiotic communities of bacteria and yeast (SCOBIES) are incredibly complex, with more than 30 distinct organisms that have been identified.
What scientific concept–food related or otherwise–do you find most fascinating?
Co-evolution. How we have evolved with plants and microorganisms and how they have influenced what we are and how we have influenced what they are, and how each of these organisms has influenced the others. All the foods that’ve been interested in come about as a result of these co-evolutionary relationships.
Your best example of a food that is better because of science?
Certainly fermentation is better understood because of science, and it is possible thanks to science to replicate particular ferments in environments other than those in which they emerged as spontaneous outcomes. However, it is important to note that science has had negative effects on fermentation practices as well as positive ones. The presumption that large undefined communities of organisms are dangerous has led to the replacement of traditional starter cultures with pure culture starters that cannot easily be perpetuated, thus diminishing the ability of home, village, or small-scale producers to perpetuate cultures and thereby breeding dependence on starters purchased from a lab for each batch.
How do you think science will impact your world of food in the next 5 years?
I’m very excited by all the new findings in microbiology, especially our emerging understandings of microbial communities in different environments and their complex interactions. My hope is that our growing understandings of the functional importance of microbial communities will help us move beyond the war on bacteria, and embrace bacteria as our ancestors, allies, and greatest protection.
One kitchen tool you could not live without?
My crocks! Vessels are the most basic of kitchen tools.
Five things most likely to be found in your fridge?
Milk, yogurt, starter cultures, beer, miso. Kraut and kimchi might be in the fridge, or might be on the counter.
Your all-time favorite ingredient? Favorite cookbook?
Brussels sprouts, along with almost any cruciferous vegetable. They are so delicious and versatile! I like to check out cookbooks and explore recipes from diverse sources, but Joy of Cooking is my enduring go-to.
Your standard breakfast?
I love to use my sourdough starter to make savory vegetable sourdough pancakes, incorporating almost any vegetables, leftover grains if I have them, and cheese, topped off with fried eggs and yogurt-hot sauce.

Titanium Dioxide in Food

Video & guest post by Carolyn Meyers & Edgar Rodriguez

Titanium dioxide isn’t something we usually request as a donut topping from the local bakery. However, most of the sweets we eat on a daily basis contain this chemical.

What is titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide has a solid tetragonal crystalline structure and is derived from three main natural minerals: rulite, anatase, and brookite.

TiO2_1

Photo credit: Dambournet, D., Belharouak, I., Amine, K. Chem Mat, 2009, 22, 1173-1179.

Where does titanium dioxide come from?

U.S. Companies, such as DuPont, Cristal Global, Louisiana Pigment Co. L.P., and Tronox Ltd. process the mineral into a white powder, which has a refractive index of 2.5837, making it ideal for use as a filler or pigment that adds opacity to things like sunblock, shampoo, chewing gum, chocolate, and powdered donuts. Production of pure titanium dioxide is achieved through a method called the chloride process, wherein the raw minerals are first reduced with carbon and then oxidized with chlorine. Liquid titanium chloride (TiCl4) is then distilled and converted back into titanium dioxide by heating it to high temperatures in a pure oxygen flame.

TiO2_2

Photo credit: GreenMedInfo

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2) are widely used as a food additive and are consumed by millions of consumers on a daily basis, as manufactures incorporate it into their food products. TiO2 nanoparticles are used as an additive mainly to prevent UV light from penetrating the food, effectively increasing the shelf life. It is also used as a color enhancer to make foods appear white by enhancing the opacity.

How much TiO2 is in your food?

Many popular consumer products such as candies, gum, and baked goods contain 0.01 to 1 mg Ti per serving. The products with the highest titanium contents are sweets or candies [1]. For example, powdered donuts can contain up to 100 mg Ti per serving.

TiO2_3

The amount of titanium found in certain popular consumer products. [1]

What are the health effects of ingesting titanium dioxide?

Titanium dioxide is marketed by DuPont as an inert chemical, meaning it shouldn’t react with other chemicals. Given the fact that powdered donuts include 100 mg per serving of titanium dioxide and the lethal dosage, measured as the LD50 or the amount needed for 50% of the population to perish from consuming the chemical, was measured in rats to be 5,000 mg/kg, A 200 lb human (90.7kg) would need to eat 4,535 powdered donuts and have a 50% chance of survival. (5000)X90.7= 453500 mg. Although it is impossible for a human to consume this many donuts at once, Dunkin Donuts recently stopped using titanium dioxide in their powdered sugar donuts after being pressured by the public to do so.

There have been numerous scientific studies done on how titanium dioxide affects the health. Many of these studies are performed using animal models, such as mice. Both positive and negative health effects have been found. One possibly positive health effect of ingesting titanium dioxide is a substantial increase in the levels of dopamine, the happiness hormone [2]. Negative health effects due to the ingestion of TiO2 nanoparticles include damage to the liver, kidneys, testes, brain and heart of mice and rats, as described below [3,4,5]:

  • Mice given doses as low as 50 mg/kg body weight experience hepatic damage in the form of: hepatic cell death, increased levels of reactive oxygen species, and altered antioxidant activity, as well as kidney damage [2,3,6].

    TiO2_4

    Photo credit: BabyMed

  • Oral exposure to Ti nanoparticles have been shown to produce significant negative effects in the brain such as major degenerative changes in the visual cotex and inflammation in the hippocampus [2, 7, 8, 9].

    TiO2_5

    Photo credit: UCSF News Center

  • Titanium dioxide particles have been shown to cross the blood-testis barrier in mammals, leading to reproductive toxicity in males, including a decrease in sperm motility percentage, sperm cell concentration, sperm viability and serum testosterone level, as well as a significant increase in sperm abnormalities [7, 10].

    TiO2_6

    Photo credit: WiseGeek

  • In humans, clinical research shows that patients with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the large intestine, have elevated levels of titanium in the blood and an accumulation of the chemical in the spleen [11].

    TiO2_7

    Photo credit: Turmeric for Health

Given this information, it remains the consumers’ responsibility, as always, to make an informed decision on the foods they eat and follow rules of moderation in everyday life.

References cited

  1. Weir, Alex, Paul Westerhoff, Lars Fabricius, Kiril Hristovski, and Natalie Von Goetz. “Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products.” Environmental Science & Technology Environ. Sci. Technol. 46.4 (2012): 2242-250. Web.
  2. Shrivastava R, Raza S, Yadav A, Kushwaha P, Flora SJS (2014) Effects of sub-acute exposure to TiO2, ZnO and Al2O3 nanopar- ticles on oxidative stress and histological changes in mouse liver and brain. Drug Chem Toxicol 37(3):336–347. doi:10.3109/ 01480545.2013.866134
  3. El-Sharkawy NI, Hamza SM, Abou-Zeid EH (2010) Toxic impact of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in male albino rats with special refer- ence to its effect on reproductive system. J Am Sci 6(11):865–872
  4. WangJ,ZhouG,ChenC,YuH,WangT,MaY,JiaG,GaoY,Li B, Sun J, Li Y, Jiao F, Zhao Y, Chai Z (2007) Acute toxicity and biodistribution of different sized titanium dioxide particles in mice after oral administration. Toxicol Lett 168(2):176–185. doi:10. 1016/j.toxlet.2006.12.001
  5. BuQ,YanG,DengP,PengF,LinH,XuY,CaoZ,ZhouT,XueA, Wang Y, Cen X, Zhao YL (2010) NMR-based metabonomic study of the sub-acute toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in rats after oral administration. Nanotechnol 21(12):125105. doi:10. 1088/0957-4484/21/12/125105
  6. Vasantharaja D, Ramalingam V, Aadinaath Reddy G (2015) Oral toxic exposure of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on serum bio- chemical changes in adult male Wistar rats. Nanomedicine J 2(1):46–53
  7. Elbastawisy YM, Saied HA (2013) Effects of exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles on albino rat visual cortex Belectron micro- scopic study. J Am Sci 9(5):432–439
  8. ZeY,ShengL,ZhaoX,HongJ,ZeX,YuX,PanX,LinA,Zhao Y, Zhang C, Zhou Q, Wang L, Hong F (induced hippocampal neuroinflammation in mice. PLoS ONE 9(3), e92230. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0092230
  9. Mohammadipour A, Hosseini M, Fazel A, Haghir H, Rafatpanah H, Pourganji M, Ebrahimzadeh Bideskan A (2013) The effects of exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles during lactation period on learning and memory of rat offspring. Toxicol Ind Health. doi: 10.1177/0748233713498440
  10. Hong, F., Y. Wang, Y. Zhou, W. Zhang, Y. Ge, M. Chen, J. Hone, and L. Wang. “Exposure to TiO2 Nanoparticles Induces Immunological Dysfunction in Mouse Testitis.” PubMed. – Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (ACS Publications), 13 Jan. 2016. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
  11. Ruiz, PA, B. Moron, HM Becker, S. Lang, K. Atrott, MR Spalinger, M. Scharl, KA. Wojtal, A. Fishbeck-Terhalle, I. Frey-Wagner, M. Hausmann, T. Kraemer, and G. Rogler. “Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Exacerbate DSS-induced Colitis: Role of the NLRP3 Inflammasome.” PubMed. BJM, 4 Feb. 2016. Web.

Space Meals & Mushroom Batteries

spaceinfographic

Ever wondered about the foods that get sent into space? This nifty infographic covers everything from space food history, preservation, packaging and labeling, and fun facts such as why wine can’t go into space and “vomit comet”. Back on Earth, researchers at UC Riverside Bourns College of Engineering used portabello mushrooms to create a new type of lithium-ion battery anode. This new battery is believed to stop cell phone batteries from degrading over time.
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Latte Science

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Elsbeth SitesAbout the author: Elsbeth Sites received her B.S. in Biology at UCLA. Her addiction to the Food Network has developed into a love of learning about the science behind food.

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