Oxidative Stress and the Gut Microbiota: Emerging contributors in Cassava Associated Neuropathies

This webinar is the 4th in a series together with the International Working Group for Safe Cassava.

Despite extensive epidemiological work done on understanding the environmental and health susceptibility factors that are associated with konzo, the molecular biology of the disease remains an enigma. Recent work has now raised the notion that the gut microbiome and oxidative stress may be a leading factor for disease susceptibility and/or severity. These works have opened new lines of thinking towards understanding konzo as well as supporting long-standing theories and findings related to the disease. Here, we will discuss new findings that highlight the potential roles of the gut flora and the innate ability to mitigate the oxidative damage induced from a diet rich in cyanogenic cassava.

With Matthew S. Bramble, researchers at the Children’s National Hospital & Assistant Professor at The George Washington University School of Medicine.