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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...

A research team led by Dr. Bin Li has highlighted the potential of malvidin-3-O-galactoside (M3G), a blueberry-derived anthocyanin, to improve colonic mucosal barrier function and alleviate colitis symptoms. They demonstrated that M3G enhances the integrity of the colonic barrier by regulating key proteins and Notch signaling pathways, suggesting its potential as a natural therapeutic agent for intestinal diseases. The colonic mucosal barrier is essential for maintaining digestive health, protecting against pathogens, and preventing inflammation. M3G, a common anthocyanin in blueberries, has been studied for its health benefits, including its potential to regulate gut microbiota and protect against inflammation. The study...

Symptoms for patients with the gastrointestinal disease IBS improved as much by eating less sugar and starch as for those who followed FODMAP—the diet currently recommended to patients. Bodil Ohlsson is a professor. Her choice to investigate the role of sugars and starches in IBS is linked to a geneticist's discovery: a genetic variation that hinders the breakdown of sugars and starches in the gut is overrepresented among IBS patients. A few years ago, she led a study involving 105 people with IBS. For four weeks, they ate significantly less sugar and starch, known as the starch and sucrose-reduced diet...

In a study, Dr. Shai Bel and his research team have uncovered crucial insights into how antibiotic use increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The study demonstrates that antibiotics interfere with the protective mucus layer in the intestine, a discovery that could reshape our understanding of antibiotic effects and IBD development. IBD, which includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, affects approximately 1% of the global population. This debilitating condition is marked by the erosion of the mucosal layer that serves as a critical barrier between the gut microbiome and the immune system. Despite ongoing research, the exact causes...

A cancer study has found that certain gut bacteria may influence whether or not a patient's immune system is successful in fighting mesothelioma. It has led experts to believe that in the future, dietary changes could improve the benefits of treatment. Mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer which develops in the lining of the lungs or abdomen, and is known to be caused by exposure to the now-outlawed industrial material, asbestos. The research team evaluated the effectiveness of two immunotherapies; atezolizumab and bevacizumab, in patients with relapsed mesothelioma. Professor Fennell said, "We have seen that the immunotherapies we used...

Fatigue is a common and often debilitating companion for people with inflammatory bowel conditions. Now, a study provides insight into why vitamin B1—also known as thiamine—helps some patients regain their energy, while others do not experience the same effect. The study shows, among other things, that patients' response to vitamin B1 depends on gut bacteria, with researchers focusing particularly on a specific "good bug" that seems to play a crucial role. "We know that about half of the fatigued patients benefit from treatment with vitamin B1, but we haven't been able to find anything that distinguishes those who had an...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is highly prevalent and a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The primary curative treatment for CRC is surgical resection of the affected bowel segment. However, postoperative complications often include a weakened gut barrier and the dissemination of bacterial proinflammatory lipopolysaccharides. Researchers discuss how gut microbiota and microbial metabolites regulate basal inflammation levels in the gut and the healing process of the bowel after surgery. "We and others have shown in the last few years that gut microbiota influences the healing process of the bowel and the restoration of the gut barrier after surgery," explain the researchers....

Early life exposure to 'forever chemicals' in the environment permanently disrupts the gut microbiome in mice, contributing to the development of metabolic disease in later life, according to new research. The results suggest that human exposure to these chemicals during early childhood may be contributing to the recent epidemic of metabolic disorders, including obesity and type 2 diabetes among adults. The researchers focused specifically on 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF), a widespread persistent organic pollutant (POP) that is a byproduct of waste incineration, metal production, and fossil-fuel and wood combustion. TCDF accumulates in the food chain, and humans are primarily exposed through consumption...

A team of health and nutrition specialists has found that people on a ketogenic diet may experience an increase in LDL cholesterol levels, higher apolipoprotein B levels and reductions in certain gut bacteria. In their study, volunteers went on a ketogenic diet for a month so the researchers could study its impact on their bodies. A ketogenic diet consists of a drastic reduction in consumption of carbohydrates, replacing them with fats. In this new effort, the research team suspected that the diet may also lead to increases in LDL cholesterol levels and possibly other problems. To find out if that...

Evidence has been building about the health benefits of probiotics. Now, new research has found that putting a tablespoon of honey on your yogurt helps the probiotics it contains to survive in the gut. It’s a win-win combination that’s both healthy and delicious. Humans love to ferment food and drinks – think kimchi, kombucha and beer – and we’ve been doing it for tens of thousands of years. Yogurt is a fermented favorite. Conventional yogurts are produced by fermenting milk using a standard ‘starter culture’ of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus bacterial species; probiotic yogurts supplement the starter culture with probiotic strains...

Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padova, Italy ===================================================================== Perhaps because gastroenterology, immunology, toxicology, and the nutrition and agricultural sciences are outside of their competence and responsibility, psychologists and psychiatrists typically fail to appreciate the impact that food can have on their patients’ condition. Here we attempt to help correct this situation by reviewing, in non-technical, plain English, how cereal grains—the world’s most abundant food source—can affect human behavior and mental health. We present the implications for the psychological sciences of the findings that, in all of us, bread (1) makes the gut more permeable and can thus encourage...

A study reveals that bowel movement frequency significantly influences physiology and long-term health, with the best outcomes linked with passing stools once or twice a day. Previous research has suggested associations between constipation and diarrhea with higher risks of infections and neurodegenerative conditions, respectively. Gibbons and his team collected clinical, lifestyle, and biological data—including blood chemistry, gut microbiome, genetics and more—from over 1,400 healthy adult volunteers with no signs of active disease. When stools linger too long in the gut, microbes exhaust the available fiber—which they ferment into beneficial short-chain fatty acids—and instead ferment proteins, producing toxins like p-cresol sulfate...

Research on the gut microbiome has triggered a 'revolution' in nutritional science, and in the last few years, dietary fiber has become the "new protein" – added to foods in abundance to feed our gut and boost our health. A recent study on mice, however, suggests not all fiber supplements are equally beneficial. A form that is readily found in oats and barley, called beta-glucan, can control blood sugar and assist in weight loss among mice fed a high-fat diet. Researchers at the University of Arizona (UA) and the University of Vienna say it is the only type of fiber...

A comprehensive study across diverse populations linked specific bacterial strains and bacteriophages within the gut microbiome to type 2 diabetes risk, suggesting potential pathways for intervention. By studying a large and varied cohort, researchers have identified novel microbial species associated with diabetes and highlighted the importance of personalized microbiome profiles in disease prevention and management. Researchers from Brigham, Broad, and Harvard Chan School have discovered that certain species and strains of bacteria are associated with alterations in the gut microbiome’s function and an individual’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The most extensive and diverse study yet on the gut...

Physician scientists found that people with metastatic kidney cancer who orally took a live biotherapeutic product called CBM588 while in treatment with immunotherapy and enzymatic tyrosine kinase inhibitors experienced improved health outcomes. "CBM588 could be exciting in cancer treatment because of its potential to enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based treatment, improve patient outcomes and modulate the gut microbiota in beneficial ways," said Pal. "If the positive results observed in this small trial and a previous trial with nivolumab and ipilimumab are confirmed, CBM588 could become a valuable supplement in the treatment of various cancers, particularly for patients treated...

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) result in irreversible damage to the brain and nervous system. Research into these diseases typically focuses on the brain, but mouse studies from the last few years suggest that the microbiome plays a role in the onset and progression of some NDDs, as well. Those researchers report a new link in humans between a metabolite produced by gut microbes and three NDDs. Their analysis suggests that the metabolite DHPS (2,3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate) may help answer critical questions about how sulfur metabolism pathways can connect the microbiome to these diseases. DHPS has not previously been detected in people, and the...

The composition of the intestinal flora can predict the chances of developing serious infections such as pneumonia. Researchers followed more than 10,000 people for six years. More than 600 people who had less healthy intestinal flora developed a serious infection, with this leading in some cases to death. The 602 people who were hospitalized due to an infection showed at the start of the study that they had fewer butyrate-producing bacteria in their microbiome. Butyrate is a small fatty acid that is known to have a positive impact on the immune system of mice. It has also been seen before...