by Washington University School of Medicine As people go through their daily and nightly routines, their digestive tracts follow a routine, too: digesting food and absorbing nutrients during waking hours, and replenishing worn-out cells during sleep. Shift work and jet lag can knock sleep schedules and digestive rhythms out of whack. Such disruptions have been linked...
Tag: <span>gut microbiome</span>
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New tool to decipher the gut microbiome
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MD The millions of bacteria residing in the gut play a very important role in health and in disease. However, a constant issue has been the lack of understanding of the actual composition of the healthy human gut microbiome. Now, a group of scientists have come up with a new method for...
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Just a Phage? How Bacteria’s Predators Can Shape the Gut Microbiome
The gut microbiome is a complex, interconnected ecosystem of species. And, like any ecosystem, some organisms are predators and some are prey. A new study led by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Wyss Institute investigates the impact of bacteriophage, viruses that infect and kill bacteria. They find that phage can have a profound impact on the dynamics of the gut microbiome, not...
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Could the bacteria in our gut help treat cancer?
by Cancer Research UK Our body is home to around 39 trillion bacteria, with the majority living in the gut. Credit: Cancer Research UK”The microbiome is a huge part of who we are,” says Dr. Marios Giannakis. “We have more microbes in our bodies than human cells and yet we still don’t fully understand the role they play in health and disease.”...
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‘Small meets smaller’: Dietary nanoparticulates impact gut microbiome
The intestinal microbiome is not only key for food processing but an accepted codeterminant for various diseases. Researchers led by the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) identified effects of nanoparticles on intestinal microorganisms. The ultra-small particles adhere to intestinal microorganisms, thereby affecting their life cycle as well as cross talk with...
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Cellular pumps protect the gut from toxins
Cells that provide structural support to the intestine’s interior lining also have special defenses against toxins DUKE-NUS MEDICAL SCHOOL The master regulators of gut stem cells, called intestinal myofibroblasts, have pumps that protect them, and thus the gut, from the toxic effects of a wide range of compounds, including the anticancer drug tamoxifen, according to...
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Depleting microbiome with antibiotics can affect glucose metabolism
Salk Institute study in mice finds microbiome-induced changes in the liver may influence diabetes SALK INSTITUTE LA JOLLA–(July 23, 2018) A new study from the Salk Institute has found that mice that have their microbiomes depleted with antibiotics have decreased levels of glucose in their blood and better insulin sensitivity. The research has implications for...
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The Secret To Treating Autoimmune Disease May Lie In The Gut
An estimated 50 million Americans ― that’s 20 percent of the general population ― suffer from autoimmune diseases like lupus, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, and many experts say that number is rising at an alarming rate. Autoimmunity occurs when the immune system begins attacking the body’s healthy tissue as if it were an outside invader, leading to chronic...