Microbiome

Chitin, which provides crucial exoskeletal structure and protection to soft-bodied arthropods such as crustaceans, spiders and insects, may have a surprising role in switching up human metabolism in the gut, helping to fight weight gain and obesity.

A new study has found that four major childhood allergies share a common feature: an imbalance of gut bacteria during infancy. Researchers say that correcting this imbalance could potentially prevent lifelong allergic diseases.

For many, the idea of having a few dozen hookworms set up shop in your gut sounds more like a Survivor challenge than a beneficial health therapy, but scientists see a bright future in the human worm farm's ability to protect against chronic disease.

A new study has provided the first evidence of a link between the gut microbiome and cocaine use and the cravings that follow withdrawal. The findings open the door to potential treatments for drug addiction and relapse prevention.

A case is being made for pecans to be given ‘superfood’ status, as scientists make a surprise discovery of new widespread health benefits, including the nut's ability to combat the ill effects of consuming a high-fat diet. Slice that pie up, stat.

Chlorine has long been used to disinfect drinking water but has been linked to health problems. In a new study, researchers looked at how the bacteria the purification process was designed to remove responded when chlorine was removed from the equation.

Why do some people naturally make it to the ripe old age of 100 while remaining free of illness or disease? A new study may have an answer to that question, and the bottom line is that it has to do with what’s in our gut.

A new study into the biological mechanisms underlying depression may have upended the widely held belief that the condition is associated with inflammation. It found that suppression of the brain’s immune cells might be a key factor instead.

Eating healthy during the week before letting the wheels fall off on the weekend, aka "diet cycling," may be having a much larger impact on your gut and brain function than previously thought. But it's not all bad news.

A new study has found that a species of gut bacteria cause the destructive nerve cell ‘clumps’ that are a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease. The discovery opens the door to the development of targeted treatments for this debilitating disease.

If you’ve ever eaten something questionable and gotten sick for a few days, chances are you’ve had a norovirus. It's surprisingly tricky to treat or prevent, but now scientists have made progress on a vaccine by tweaking a different foodborne virus.

While weight-loss surgery is effective, it can also be expensive and come with a host of unpleasant side effects. Scientists hope that by regulating a certain bile acid, the benefits of surgery can be replicated without a single invasive procedure.