Parkinson’s disease may be triggered by gut microbes, according to a California Institute of Technology (Caltech) study that points to probiotics as a potential therapy for the disease.
Could migraines be triggered by what’s going on in the mouths of susceptible people? A recent study suggests that the makeup of the oral microbiome could play a role in bringing on the headaches that can debilitate migraine sufferers.
The last few years have seen a surge in gut microbiota studies that stretch far beyond digestive health benefits, weight management and immune system support. But what direction is this sector heading?
New research characterising kefir has detected genes that could be responsible for health benefits of the fermented dairy beverage popular in eastern Europe and the Middle East.
The gut microbiome may play a major role in the onset of heart disease as a study details its role in converting nutrients into a compound that is strongly associated with the condition.
Early-life events, such delivery method, feeding patterns, and even gender, have more of a say in shaping the infant gut microbiota than previously thought, a study has suggested.
Gastro dysbiosis has been implicated in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) as a study continues to lay bare the gut microbiota’s influence on a range of chronic conditions.
Signs of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) have been found in the gut bacteria in research conducted at Cornell University, which questions whether the disease originates in the brain.
A University of Copenhagen research project into the use of phages to manipulate gut microbiota is one of 164 “promising projects” to receive funding from the Danish Council for Independent Research (DFF).
The absence of one specific bacterial species in the gut is associated with the development of social behaviour that falls within a range of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), according to a study in mice.
The combination of multiple ‘omics’ technologies will give greater insights into the gut microbial communities, identifying the populations that inhabit this ecosystem, according to researchers.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has signed a $100,000 (€89,485) cheque for academics from the University College Cork in Ireland to study the microbiota of infants in developing countries.
The gut microbiome and the brain communicate to each other via the immune system, a study has shown as researchers delve deeper into the so-called 'gut-brain axis'.
Gut bacteria implicated in the onset of obesity are able to survive outside the human body, raising suggestions this bacteria could be transferred from person to person, a study has suggested.
The Spanish firm Biosearch Life has filed for a health claim linking a probiotic strain with the reduced risk of painful inflammation of the breast during breastfeeding.
Intestinal bacteria play a key role in causing and preventing obesity and neurodegeneration and a study has suggested they could also reduce cancer risk.
Research has shown gut bacteria to aid in digestion and the immune system. However, the microbiome has been implicated in negatively influencing the male reproductive function in a new study.
Uncontrolled bacterial growth in the small intestine could be damaging the guts of young children, leading to stunting and other conditions linked to malnutrition, a study suggests.
The protective function of natural gut antibiotics is impaired by alcohol leaving bacteria free to migrate to the liver aggravating alcohol-induced liver disease, a study has shown.
Gut bacteria that adapt to their environment could be exploited as a therapeutic for disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, a team of US scientists have predicted.
Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, present in yogurt and other dairy products, are used as probiotics, or “friendly bacteria,” to maintain a healthy digestive tract.
Insights into the gut microbiome in recent years have greatly accelerated our understanding of the role the gastrointestinal tract has in human health, well-being and disease outcomes.
Adopting a high-fibre diet may not only benefit the microbial profile of the person consuming the diet but also their future children, according to a study in Nature.
Faecal matter from a healthy, lean person can help obese individuals lose weight by transferring intestinal bacterium via a 'stool transplant,' a study intends to show.
A probiotic found in foods such as yoghurt and miso soup has been found to inhibit the development of a pathogen that causes middle ear infections in children and pneumonia, a study has shown.
The immature gut may be more sensitive to environmental influences and provide a 'window of opportunity' for better health, say researchers behind a study in rats.
Peek inside Probiota 2016: Amsterdam, February 2-4
Conflicting results from human epidemiological studies have made it difficult to be sure whether dietary fibre offers genuine protection against colorectal cancer.
Increased intakes of fermented foods like kimchi and beer are associated with significantly reduced risks of atopic dermatitis (eczema), says a new study from Korea.
Supplements containing Lactobacillus gasseri KS-13, Bifidobacterium bifidum G9-1, and Bifidobacterium longum MM2 may shift the microbiota of elderly adults to those of healthier and younger people, says a new study.
EFSA delivers long-awaited safety assessment despite data craters
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has said insect pathogens potentially harmful to humans are most likely to come from rearing and processing not intrinsically associated with the insect itself – but huge gaps in data remain.
Functional pasta that has been enriched with beta-glucans could help to boost levels of ‘good bacteria’ in the gut and reduce levels of ‘bad cholesterol’, say researchers.
The make-up of our gut bacteria may have a direct influence on iron status and storage, according to new research which also suggests certain probiotic strains may increase iron uptake and storage.
The omage-3 fatty acid EPA may help to support the growth and tolerance of probiotic bacterial strains in the human gut, according to new preliminary research.
Advances in the field of statistics and statistical software for modelling the microbiome are helping to unlock even more of its mysteries, say researchers behind the new metagenomics tools.
Even moderate malnutrition in the young coupled with poor sanitation is enough to provoke environmental enteropathy (EE), a condition that debilitates the digestive system so that even if the diet improves, nutritional uptake remains compromised.
A prebiotic-rich diet may shift the gut microbiota profiles of obese children to a more beneficial profile, regardless of whether the obesity was related to lifestyle or genetics, says a study from an international team of researchers.
A proprietary prebiotic blend can deliver immune system benefits to the healthy elderly better than placebo, an industry-backed study in the UK has found.
A high-fat diet may affect the bacterial populations in the gut and detrimentally affect satiety signaling to the brain, says a new study using lab rats.
