Microbiome

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.

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.

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.

Much like the gut, skin and mouth, our respiratory system is home to its own unique microbial population. Intriguing new research has now found a link between specific bacterial populations in the upper airways and the severity of asthma symptoms.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.