Dr. Edward Deehan

Research

Research Area

The overall objective of the research conducted in the Deehan lab is to maximize the health benefits of non-digestible compounds that influence the gut microbiome. Our work aims to i) achieve more reliable health and microbiome effects with mixtures of commercially available and/or novel phenolic-rich fibers alone or in combination with other interventions and ii) improve the acceptance of fiber-based ingredients by ameliorating gastrointestinal symptoms and developing fiber-enriched foods to enable a ‘health by stealth’ based approach. By using dietary intervention studies in humans as the main route of scientific inquiry, our research informs the development and commercialization of fiber-based foods and therapeutics that aim to promote health through their actions in the gastrointestinal tract.

Education

• B.S. Dietetics, Michigan State University
• Dietetic Internship Program, Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital
• Ph.D. Nutrition and Metabolism, University of Alberta
• Post Doc. Nutritional Microbiology, University of Alberta

Publications

• Armet AM, Deehan EC, O’Sullivan AF, Mota JF, Field CJ, Prado CM, Lucey AJ, Walter J. Rethinking Healthy Eating in Light of the Gut Microbiome. Cell Host & Microbe. 2022; 30(6):764-785.
• Deehan EC, Zhang Z, Riva A, Armet AM, Perez-Muñoz ME, Nguyen NK, Krysa JA, Seethaler B, Zhao YY, Cole J, Li F, Hausmann B, Spittler A, Nazare JA, Delzenne NM, Curtis JM, Wismer WV, Proctor SD, Bakal JA, Bischoff SC, Knights D, Field CJ, Berry D, Prado CM, Walter J. Elucidating the Role of the Gut Microbiota in the Physiological Effects of Dietary Fiber. Microbiome. 2022; 10:77.
• Mocanu V, Zhang Z, Deehan EC, Kao DH, Hotte N, Karmali S, Birch DW, Samarasinghe KK, Walter J, Madsen KL. Fecal Microbial Transplantation and Fiber Supplementation in Patients with Severe Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome: A randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial. Nature Medicine. 2021; 27(7):1272-1279.
• Deehan EC, Yang C, Perez-Muñoz ME, Nguyen NK, Cheng CC, Triador L, Zhang Z, Bakal JA, Walter J. Precision Microbiome Modulation with Discrete Dietary Fiber Structures Directs Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production. Cell Host & Microbe. 2020; 27(3):389-404.e6.
• Armet AM, Deehan EC, Thöne JV, Hewko SJ, Walter J. The Effect of Isolated and Synthetic Dietary Fibers on Markers of Metabolic Diseases in Human Intervention Studies: A systematic review. Advances in Nutrition. 2020; 11(2):420-438.
• Makki K, Deehan EC, Walter J, Bäckhed F. The Impact of Dietary Fiber on Gut Microbiota in Host Health and Disease. Cell Host & Microbe. 2018; 23(6):705-715.