Portrait of Hayden Marcus. Marcus graduated from Utah State University in Spring 2024 as a biochemistry major. Their research focused on the gut microbiota its relationship to intestinal health, and what supplements could be incorporated into a Western-diet to prevent colitis-associated colorectal cancer. Throughout their research journey to learn more about this topic, they’ve tested various types of supplements (fish oils, cocoa polyphenols, and dark berries) to see what the results would be. This research was centered around the idea of investigating both the overall gut biome health but also investigating the impact that they have within specific sites in the digestive tract. A western diet is categorized as a diet high in sugar and fats, while low in complex carbs and micronutrients. This diet can lead to colitis, which is the inflammation of the colon. Which heightens the impact that diet has on the gut microbiome.
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