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Scientists have discovered a surprising new connection between gut health and blood cancer risk—one that could transform how we think about aging, inflammation, and the early stages of leukemia. As we grow older—or in some cases, when gut health is compromised by disease—changes in the intestinal lining allow certain bacteria to leak their byproducts into the bloodstream. One such molecule, produced by specific bacteria, acts as a signal that accelerates the expansion of dormant, pre-leukemic blood cells. The study suggests that this mechanism may reach beyond leukemia to influence risk for other diseases and among older people who share a...

Scientists could be on the verge of a medical breakthrough in understanding what's driving a rise in blood cancers among older adults. Research has long suggested that the colony of trillions of bacteria living in our digestive systems – known as the gut microbiome – could be the key to our overall health. The more diverse those microscopic colonies are, the better our immunity to a host of diseases from heart disease to dementia. But US researchers have now discovered that patients with leukemia — an aggressive form of blood cancer — have higher levels of one specific bacteria in...

The microbial community living within our large intestine is a highly dense and complex ecosystem. While some of these microbes cause illness and disease (such as bacteria and viruses), others are friendlier to us and help keep us in good health. Akkermansia muciniphila is one of these friendly bacteria. One of the important roles it plays in our gut is maintaining the function of our gut barrier. But when there's an imbalance of A. muciniphila in the gut, it can lead to problems with our health. This unusual bacteria lives in our large intestine and survives off of mucin—the layer...

A study researchers suggests that a diet rich in soluble fiber can protect the intestine against pathogenic bacteria. The conclusion is based on experiments with mice exposed to Clostridioides difficile, which causes colon inflammation and diarrhea. "We were able to treat the mice that had an infection with a diet supplemented with soluble fiber. This is digested by intestinal microbiota, which produces compounds such as acetate. This initiates a cascade of interactions that leads to an appropriate immune response to deal with the infection," explains José Fachi. The authors observed that the mice that consumed a diet rich in soluble...

Scientists have suspected gut bacteria may influence a person's risk of developing multiple sclerosis. In our research, we found that the ratio of two bacteria in the gut can predict multiple sclerosis severity in patients. Specifically, we showed that a group of bacteria called Blautia was more common in multiple sclerosis patients, while Prevotella, a bacterial species consistently linked to a healthy gut, was found in lower amounts. In a separate experiment, we observed the balance between two gut bacteria, Bifidobacterium and Akkermansia, was critical in distinguishing mice with or without multiple sclerosis-like disease. Mice with multiple sclerosis-like symptoms had...

An international team has found a compound in ginger, called furanodienone (FDN), that selectively binds to and regulates a nuclear receptor involved in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Through a screen to identify chemical components of ginger that bind to receptors associated with IBD, the team observed a strong interaction between FDN and the pregnane X receptor (PXR). FDN reduces inflammation in the colon by activating PXR's ability to suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body. "We found that we could reduce inflammation in the colons of mice through oral injections of FDN," said Jiabao Liu. IBD patients typically...

Scientists may have identified a way to naturally regulate blood sugar levels and sugar cravings in a similar fashion to drugs like Ozempic. In mice and humans, the key to unlocking this natural process was found to be a gut microbe and its metabolites – the compounds it produces during digestion. By increasing the abundance of this one gut microbe in diabetic mice, researchers led by a team at Jiangnan University in China have shown they can "orchestrate the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1". Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a hormone that is naturally produced by the body and which helps regulate...

Researchers have identified a gut bacterium that may be associated with reduced dietary sugar intake. The findings, which are based on analyses of humans and mice, could aid the development of therapies to manage obesity and metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Animals are biologically hardwired to crave sugars, but unmanaged sugar preference can lead to high sugar intake, resulting in high blood glucose and increased risk of metabolic diseases. Previous research suggests that our cravings for different foods originate from signals sent to the brain from the gut, a key organ in transmitting dietary preferences. However, the regulation...

Early treatment of pediatric Crohn's disease with anti-tumor necrosis factor medications can substantially reduce the risk of perianal fistulas, a particularly debilitating complication of Crohn's disease. Researchers confirmed this using prospective data. Around 40,000 children in the United States suffer from Crohn's disease. Around 1 in 3 will develop perianal fistulas. Perianal fistulas are tunnels that develop near the anus. Standard treatment for perianal fistulas involves anti-TNF drugs at higher doses than would be prescribed before complications begin. There's also no guarantee that treatment can completely solve the problem. Around 70% of such patients require at least one surgical procedure....

A study provides new insight into the complex interactions of the "tumor-immune-gut axis," and its role in influencing immunotherapy responses in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer. The findings emphasize the role of the patient's microbiome—the collection of microorganisms in the body—and lay the groundwork for future clinical trials aimed at improving treatment outcomes. That goal is critical, because epithelial ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer and primary peritoneal cancer—all categorized under the umbrella of ovarian cancer—are the deadliest gynecological malignancies, with a five-year survival rate of less than 50%. Most deaths occur as a result of disease that is refractory, or...

Researchers have found that tapping into the nervous system could help reduce the gut inflammation that drives inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A new study reveals how electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve—a major nerve connecting the brain and gut—may combat the stress-related inflammation that worsens IBD symptoms. The study showed that vagus nerve stimulation in stressed mice with colitis, a form of IBD, reduced inflammation, improved symptoms, and boosted survival rates. By engaging the parasympathetic nervous system, the team observed that inflammation could be eased by inhibiting SUMOylation, a cellular process that shapes immune response. Ayman Youssef, MD, analyzed data...

Healing the gut may be the key to improving long-term recovery in stroke patients, scientists have found. The team demonstrated how a drug that was effective at protecting the brain in the immediate aftermath of a stroke failed to prevent long-term cognitive impairment when applied only to the brain. The same drug, when applied to the gut, reduced impairment significantly. What happens in the gut after a stroke? Within mere moments of a stroke, patients experience a cascade of symptoms, many of which are immediately apparent, Sohrabji said. Less apparent, is the damage being done to key structures in the...

A large international team of medical researchers has found that people who drink coffee regularly have much more of one type of gut bacteria than people who do not. In their study, the group analyzed stool and blood samples from a large number of patients and also studied similar data in large medical databases, looking for impacts of coffee drinking on the gut biome. In this new study, the research team sought to learn more about the impact of a single food, or in this case a beverage, on the gut biome. They chose coffee for two reasons: First, because...

Researchers have linked chronic diarrhea to a specific pattern of gut bacteria, a discovery that could pave the way for new treatments capable of saving lives. In developing countries, acute and chronic diarrhea is a widespread problem among children and leads to the deaths of half a million children under the age of 5 every year. Acute diarrhea often resolves on its own and can typically be treated with antibiotics. In a study, Nielsen and his Ethiopian colleague Getnet Tesfaw mapped the gut microbiome of more than 1,300 children under 5 years of age in Ethiopia. The study's main conclusion...

A new study has revealed that gut bacteria may play a key role in aging, and that specific microbes could be targeted to promote healthy aging. Aging is a complex, multi-factorial phenomenon with progressive decline in several physiological functions. As Singapore faces a rapidly growing aging population, researchers are seeking ways to understand the aging process and identify key lifestyle and dietary factors to encourage healthy aging. As part of this effort, the team conducted the first large-scale study on over 200 octogenarians (people aged 80–89) in Singapore. Their investigation revealed how the gut microbiome changes with age, highlighting key...

The mucosal layer in the small intestine degrades with age in rats, allowing digestive enzymes to slowly escape and leak into organs outside the intestine, including the liver, lung, heart, kidney and brain. As the enzymes are unable to distinguish tissues from food, they break down collagen and destroy many receptors on cell membranes, such as the insulin receptor which leads to type 2 diabetes. The researchers call this process autodigestion. Digestion requires powerful enzymes that are synthesized in the pancreas. They are delivered from the pancreas into the lumen of the small intestine, where they digest all the food...

New collaborative research shows a prebiotic supplement can reduce inflammation. This could help with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression in people with metabolic syndrome—a combination of several health concerns including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. In the study, participants consumed 10g of a prebiotic fiber blend each day and received healthy eating advice for 12 weeks. A control group received healthy eating advice only, for the same period. The study confirms a link between the gut microbiome and mental well-being. After taking 10g of prebiotic fiber blend for 12 weeks, researchers saw a reduction in C-reactive protein...

Are back problems influenced by your gut? Researchers think there may be a connection. In a paper, researchers looked at patients with and without lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis to examine the differences in gut microbiome in the two groups. The researchers collected disk samples from surgery and imaging, along with blood, stool and saliva samples in those without and those with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis. This often common condition involves slippage of one vertebral body over another due to intervertebral disk or facet joint degeneration—and can lead to pain, disability and surgery. The cause is relatively unknown and has been under heated...

There is an imbalance in the gut flora of patients with epilepsy compared with healthy controls, according to a study. BingCong Hong analyzed differences in gut flora between patients with epilepsy with and without cognitive impairment (62 and 38 patients, respectively) and normal controls (100 controls). The researcher found more significant differences in the structure and composition of the gut flora between patients in the epilepsy group and the control group but no significant differences in a diversity analysis (P > 0.05). Actinobacteriota, Faecalibacterium, and Collinsella were significantly lower in the group with cognitive impairment than the group without (P...

Cutting-edge research has uncovered how chronic stress disrupts the balance of gut microbiota to speed up the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC), opening new avenues for CRC prevention and treatment. By eliminating certain gut bacteria and inducing stress, researchers were able to conclude a relationship between stress and gut microbiota in the progression of CRC, identifying a particular bacterial species as a potential therapeutic target. The findings showed chronic stress not only increased tumor growth but also reduced beneficial gut bacteria, particularly Lactobacillus genus, which are essential for a healthy immune response against cancer. Dr. Li noted, "Stress-related CRC progression...