Gut Bacteria

Researchers have found that administering good bacteria could help fend off infection by bad bugs

Medical

Chasing antibiotics with good bacteria could prevent bad infections

Researchers at Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) in Portugal and Stanford in the US have identified one particular bacterium, Klebsiella michiganensis, that could be administered after a round of antibiotics to help prevent harmful infections.

In early studies with worms a common probiotic was found to prevent the accumulation of toxic proteins associated with Parkinson's disease

Medical

Specific gut bacteria may reduce severity of Parkinson's disease

A new study is describing how a particular probiotic bacterium may have the ability to prevent the abnormal accumulation of a protein commonly associated with the neurological damage seen in Parkinson's disease.

Healthy older mice were found to have higher volumes of butyrate-producing gut microbes, suggesting a diverse gut microbiome may protect against age-related disease

Health & Wellbeing

"Surprising" new insights into link between gut microbiome and aging

A new study is suggesting a metabolite called called butyrate, produced by gut microbes, could increase neuron production in the brain, improve intestinal function, and ultimately slow the aging process.

Further studies will be necessary before a promising new drug for Alzheimer's can be approved by other regulatory bodies in the US or Europe

Medical

Microbiome-altering Alzheimer’s drug unexpectedly approved in China

Chinese authorities recently approved a novel drug claimed to improve cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Derived from a seaweed, it's suggested to reduce neuroinflammation by modulating a person’s gut microbiome.

A new study suggests greater levels of a specific type of gut bacteria can increase a person's bowel cancer risk by up to 15 percent

Medical

Increased bowel cancer risk linked with specific gut bacteria species

For several years scientists have detected links between bowel cancer and the gut microbiome. New research is now suggesting there may be a causal relationship between a specific type of gut bacteria and an increased risk of bowel cancer.

For the first time scientists have shown exposure to ultraviolet light can directly influence gut bacterial diversity

Health & Wellbeing

How sunlight on the skin directly affects the gut microbiome

New research has for the first time demonstrated how exposure to Narrow Band Ultraviolet B light (UVB) can directly influence gut microbiome diversity in humans. The research hypothesizes this result is modulated by vitamin D.

The new study claims to present clear evidence of a dynamic fetal microbiome, altering in composition throughout gestation

Medical

New evidence suggests a baby’s microbiome forms before birth

A new study is trying to answer a medical mystery - when does the microbiome begin to form? Is the womb and placenta a sterile environment, with bacteria seeded when a baby is born? Or can a mother transfer microbes to her child during pregnancy?

A new study has examined how cooking food alters the gut microbiome

Health & Wellbeing

Scientists study effect of cooked vs raw food on gut microbiome

New research has revealed our gut microbiome dynamically responds in different ways to the same foods, depending on whether they are consumed cooked or raw.

Researchers have discovered gut bacteria that eats carbohydrates and produces enough alcohol to result in detectable blood-alcohol levels

Medical

Alcohol-producing gut bacteria can cause liver disease

A team of scientists has discovered specific strains of gut bacteria can produce high levels of alcohol in the body, playing a role in the onset of liver disease.

Significant differences in a baby's gut microbiome were detected when comparing two different modes of delivery

Medical

C-section babies show distinct gut microbiome differences

Research finds significant differences in gut bacterial diversity between babies born by caesarean and those born vaginally.

For the first time scientists have demonstrated how gut bacteria disruptions can alter intestinal serotonin production and change blood sugar levels

Medical

Microbiome influences gut serotonin and blood sugar levels

New research has discovered how gut bacteria can directly influence blood sugar levels by promoting the synthesis of gut-derived serotonin.

Immunotherapy treatments help natural killer cells (above in red), hunt down and destroy cancer cells (above in blue), but this new type of treatment may be negatively affected by antibiotics

Medical

Success of cancer immunotherapy reduced by antibiotics

A study from Imperial College London is suggesting antibiotic use prior to cancer immunotherapy can significantly reduce the efficacy of the treatment.