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A study of two large European patient cohorts has found that for every 10% increase in butyrate-producing bacteria in a patient's gut, the risk of hospitalization for any infection falls by between 14 and 25% across two large national cohorts. Microbiota alterations are common in patients hospitalized for severe infections and preclinical models have shown that anaerobic butyrate-producing gut bacteria protect against systemic infections. These bacteria were investigated because they are commonly depleted in patients hospitalized for severe infections. Secondly, butyrate may have protective effects in several intestinal diseases (other than infections). The relationship between microbiota disruptions and increased susceptibility...

A new study demonstrates that the human gut microbiome may be a factor in breast health. Lifestyle and diet have long been known to affect human health. In the study, flaxseed components called lignans were shown to influence the relationship between gut microorganisms and the expression of mammary gland microRNAs (miRNAs). A subset of these miRNAs regulates the genes involved in breast cancer, including genes that control cell proliferation and migration. "The gastrointestinal microbiota plays an important role in modifying many components of our diet to impact human health," said Jennifer Auchtung, Ph.D. The researchers studied the effects of flaxseed...

A team of infectious disease researchers has found via clinical trial that fecal transplants after kidney transplantation reduce the susceptibility of patients to infections by multi-drug-resistant organisms (MDROs). In their study, the group tested the impact of fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) on kidney transplant patients receiving care at Emory Transplant Center, in Atlanta. Prior research has shown that people who receive kidney transplantation are at risk of developing an infection from MDROs. This is because patients are given antibiotics to prevent general infections, killing all non-drug-resistant organisms. The absence of competing organisms allows MDROs to flourish, putting these patients at...

A collaboration between researchers has shown the classic Mediterranean diet with added dairy has the potential to change the composition of gut bacteria for the better, triggering a variety of health benefits. The study assessed how the classic Mediterranean diet, supplemented with milk, cheese and yogurt, can affect gut microbiome. Adult trial participants at risk of heart disease who followed the diet for an eight-week period showed a sizeable increase in beneficial microbes associated with positive effects on overall gut health, alongside a simultaneous decrease in bad bacteria linked to heart disease risk. Dr. Karen Murphy says that gut microbiota...

Researchers suggest that the intervention of probiotics is a potentially feasible strategy for preventing colon cancer. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed at the middle and advanced stages due to the longer development of malignancies in the colon and rectum, as well as higher concealment compared to other cancers, which results in a narrow treatment window and high mortality rate. Gut microbiota and their secreted metabolites have a significant influence on the initiation and progression of colon cancer. The researchers at IMP have irradiated probiotic JY strain by heavy-ion beams, and obtained an...

Metabolites produced by gut bacteria during digestion can be used to trigger an immune response against colorectal cancer cells, according to new research that points toward a potential treatment for one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The research team found that the metabolites activate a molecule on the surface of the cancer cells that attracts immune cells, called T cells. The metabolites are also able to enter the nucleus of the cancer cells and alter their DNA, which further attracts the attention of the immune system. "What we saw is that these products regulate a key molecule on the...

Following a Mediterranean-based ketogenic diet may decrease the risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study. Researchers compared a low-fat diet with a diet consisting of healthy fats/protein and low carbohydrates—the modified Mediterranean ketogenetic diet—and found that the modified diet showed robust changes in a biological pathway that is linked to Alzheimer's disease. This builds upon previous research showing that a modified ketogenic diet may prove beneficial in the prevention of cognitive decline. The randomized, single-site study involved 20 adults, nine diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 11 with normal cognition. These participants were randomly assigned to follow either...

A Florida man spent years wondering why colleagues and coworkers questioned his alcohol consumption. He said he hadn't been drinking — especially with him working as a teacher and basketball coach — but was called into the principal's office on and off for several years. Mark Mongiardo, 40, told TODAY he worked more than 12 hours a day and credited his exhaustion and behavior changes to that. "I thought that there was something wrong with me. I wasn’t exactly sure what," Mongiardo, 40, of Florida, told TODAY.com. "I just thought I was tired all the time. My wife has on...

When parts of the liver are removed, the body can replace the missing tissue. A team of researchers has now discovered that the success of this process depends to a large extent on gut bacteria. The results of the study could help to improve the prognosis after liver surgery in case of liver cancer and other diseases. A healthy gut microbiome consists of many types of bacteria. They play an active role in digestion. Some break down carbohydrates into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), for example. "Liver cells need these fatty acids to grow and divide," says Prof. Klaus-Peter Janssen ....

A large team has discovered some of the ways gut bacteria can positively impact treatments for cancer. The group studied the impact of gut microbiota on chemotherapy given to patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Prior research has shown that chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer that has metastasized sometimes works well but is sometimes ineffective, and this difference may be tied to dietary resistance, though its source is not known. In this new study, the team looked at the possibility that certain microorganisms in the gut microbiome play a role in the process. To better understand how the gut microbiome might play...

A team of researchers has found that a metabolite produced by bacteria in the gut promotes neural cell death resulting in cognitive decline in mice. In their paper, the group describes their study of the metabolite isoamylamine (IAA) and its impact on cognitive decline. Prior research has suggested a strong link between gut bacteria and brain health. The researchers looked into the possible impact on the brain of just one metabolite produced by one family of bacteria in the gut, Ruminococcaceae. They found first that IAA becomes more prevalent in the gut as people age due to the presence of...

Researchers have invented a new analytical method that sheds light on an enduring mystery regarding type 2 diabetes: Why some obese patients develop the disease and others don't. For some patients, their body does not properly respond to insulin—it resists the effects of insulin, the hormone produced by the pancreas that opens the door for sugar to enter cells. In the later disease stages, when the pancreas is exhausted, patients don't produce enough insulin to maintain normal glucose levels. In either case, sugar builds up in the bloodstream and impairs many major organs, sometimes to disabling or life-threatening degrees. A...

A research team has found high levels of three toxic metabolites produced by gut bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma samples of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The findings further scientists' understanding of how gut bacteria can impact the course of neurological diseases by producing compounds that are toxic to nerve cells. Previously published evidence has supported the concept that an imbalance in the gut microbiota—the community of organisms that live in the human intestines—may underly a range of neurological disorders. "Our findings suggest that MS patients' gut bacteria produce and release large amounts [of] p-cresol-sulfate, indoxyl-sulfate and N-phenylacetylglutamine into...

Our guts are awash in bacteria, and now a new study fingers them as culprits in heart disease. A complicated dance between the microbes and a component of red meat could help explain how the food might cause atherosclerosis. The work also has implications for certain energy drinks and energy supplements, which contain the same nutrient that these bacteria like chasing after. Red meat is considered bad news when it comes to heart health, although studies aren't consistent about how much can hurt and whether it always does. Furthermore, it's not clear which components of meat are doing harm. Various...

New research indicates a widely used food additive, carboxymethylcellulose, alters the intestinal environment of healthy persons, perturbing levels of beneficial bacteria and nutrients. Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is a synthetic member of a widely used class of food additives, termed emulsifiers, which are added to many processed foods to enhance texture and promote shelf life. It had long been assumed that CMC was safe to ingest because it is eliminated in the feces without being absorbed. Experiments in mice found that CMC, and some other emulsifiers, altered gut bacteria resulting in more severe disease in a range of chronic inflammatory conditions, including...

University of South Florida Health-led team discovers that the compound fenchol has the same beneficial effect as gut-derived metabolites in reducing neurotoxic amyloid-beta in the brain. Fenchol, a natural compound abundant in some plants including basil, can help protect the brain against Alzheimer’s disease pathology, a preclinical study led by University of South Florida Health (USF Health) researchers suggests. The new study published on October 5, 2021, in the Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, discovered a sensing mechanism associated with the gut microbiome that explains how fenchol reduces neurotoxicity in the Alzheimer’s brain. Emerging evidence indicates that short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)–...

Key to living past 100 may hinge on your gut health, study of centenarians shows TOKYO — Centenarians have unique gut bacteria that enables them to live to a ripe old age, according to new research. Scientists in Japan say this unique gut makeup fuels bile acids that protect against disease. The discovery could lead to yogurts and other probiotic foods that increase longevity. “In people over the age of 100, an enrichment in a distinct set of gut microbes generate unique bile acids,” says lead author Professor Kenya Honda of Keio University in a statement per South West News...

New research has discovered that common artificial sweeteners can cause previously healthy gut bacteria to become diseased and invade the gut wall, potentially leading to serious health issues. The study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, is the first to show the pathogenic effects of some of the most widely used artificial sweeteners—saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame—on two types of gut bacteria, E. coli (Escherichia coli) and E. faecalis (Enterococcus faecalis). Previous studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can change the number and type of bacteria in the gut, but this new molecular research, led by academics from Anglia...

A number of studies have linked TMAO to heart disease, however, until now it hasn’t been clear exactly how this metabolite causes cardiovascular damage. A robust new study, published in the journal Hypertension, is offering one of the first thorough mechanistic investigations illustrating how TMAO damages the cardiovascular system. “Our work shows for the first time that not only is this compound directly impairing artery function, it may also help explain the damage to the cardiovascular system that naturally occurs with age,” says Vienna Brunt, first author on the new study.

People who follow the Paleo diet often do so for health reasons, eschewing many carbs, especially grains, in favor of lean meats and vegetables. Now, research indicates that this “caveman” style of eating may have hidden dangers to your heart health. The Paleo diet, which draws nutritional guidelines from the diets of our human ancestors, advocates eating like a hunter and gatherer—consuming lots of meat, vegetables, nuts, and some fruits—while excluding agriculturally-based foods such as grains, legumes, and dairy, along with refined sugar and processed oils. Though no one would argue the nutritional merits of vegetables and lean protein, pulling...