Gut Bacteria

A trio of new studies are uncovering compelling insights into the role gut bacteria play in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The novel research suggests the makeup of our microbiome could be both the cause and cure for diabetes.

A new study is now offering the first direct causal evidence linking particular bacteria with the development of bowel cancer. The findings show DNA mutations in some colorectal tumors are caused by a toxin from a specific strain of gut bacteria.

New Stanford University research has homed in on two specific gut bacteria-produced metabolites that may protect against the intestinal inflammation associated with diseases such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s.

Two new studies are offering insights into diet, gut bacteria, and health. One finds a Mediterranean diet can reconfigure gut bacteria to promote healthy aging, while another finds gut bacteria producing a metabolite that increases heart disease risk.

A tool has been developed that can predict a person’s age based on a microbiome sample. The tool, developed in collaboration between UC San Diego and IBM researchers, is most accurate at predicting a person’s age when using a skin microbiome sample.

Creative new treatments for superbugs are sorely needed, and now researchers at UCSD have developed a concept that’s just crazy enough to work – self-propelling “microvehicles” that lure bacteria into a trap, then kill them.

Honeybee numbers are falling to colony collapse disorder (CCD), which has devastating implications for global ecosystems and agriculture. But now, researchers have engineered bacteria that can help bees fend off two of the main causes of CCD.

Is there a link between personality traits and gut microbiome composition? While new research does not claim gut bacteria determines a personality, it does reveal a bi-directional association between behavior and the microbiome.

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.

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.

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.

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.