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A randomized trial assessing whether the oral transfer of gut microbiota from mother to baby can safely restore normal microbiota after cesarean section (C-section) has found that over 42% of healthy mothers tested positive for potentially harmful pathogens and were unable to proceed with the transplant. The new research underscores the importance of screening fecal, perineal and vaginal samples to ensure safety of the transplant process. Birth by C-section is associated with an increased risk of many immune-related diseases, suggesting that the lack of maternal microbes in early life may have long-term health consequences for children. Vaginally born infants receive...

Bacteria have thousands of genes and functions that we, the human host, do not have. For instance, bacteria can help us digest fiber, provide support to our immune systems, and absorb important nutrients. But reaping the benefits of "good bacteria" is easier said than done. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, Ph.D., is trying to understand how to better prescribe probiotics based on our individual microbiomes—or the collection of genomes from all microbes that naturally live inside of us. Azcarate-Peril says that if you want to start boosting your microbiome more effectively and reliably, rotate your probiotics and consume a variety of fermented foods...

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder that affects the large intestine. It is characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. According to a team of Korean researchers, individuals with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) have a decreased diversity of bacteria in their intestines compared to healthy individuals. This is the first study to establish a clear connection between IBS and a reduction in gut microbiota diversity. The findings were published in the American Society for Microbiology’s journal Microbiology Spectrum. Normally, “More than 10,000 species of microorganism live in the human intestine,” said corresponding author...

The prevalence of zinc deficiency is about 50 percent in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is higher in patients with Crohn disease (CD) than those with ulcerative colitis (UC), according to a study. Roberta Zupo and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the prevalence of zinc deficiency in IBD. Nine articles met the inclusion criteria, which included 17 prevalence entries for CD and UC (nine and eight, respectively). The researchers found that across selected studies, the prevalence of zinc deficiency showed higher values in CD than in UC. In pooled analyses, the overall mean zinc deficiency prevalence...

Intestine Crohn’s Disease A mystery surrounding Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, may have been solved by a new study. This image depicts an intestine affected by Crohn’s disease. ========================================================= New research may have solved a mystery surrounding Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease where immune defenses meant to attack invading microbes mistakenly target the body’s own digestive tract instead. Norovirus is a common infection that causes vomiting and diarrhea. It is also one of several viruses and bacteria thought to trigger disease onset in people with Crohn’s disease, but the field does not know why....

The dietary supplement chlorophyllin alleviates inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, according to researchers. In addition, chlorophyllin significantly reduces mortality related to IBD, weight loss, diarrhea and hidden blood in the stool, intestinal epithelial damage and infiltration of inflammatory cells. Chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as IBD affect tens of millions of people living in the U.S. IBD has created a global health burden because of the rising cost of treating the condition. While the exact cause of IBD isn't fully understood, some contributing factors include stress and environmental, lifestyle, and dietary choices, such as high consumption...

Does eating more red and processed meat raise the risk of cardiovascular disease? Despite intense study, the impact of animal source foods on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is vigorously debated, and effects remain unclear. A study quantifies the risk of ASCVD associated with meat intake and identifies underlying biologic pathways that may help explain this risk. The study shows higher meat consumption is linked to higher risk of ASCVD—22 percent higher risk for about every 1.1 serving per day—and that about 10 percent of this elevated risk is explained by increased levels of three metabolites produced by gut bacteria from...

A rigorous examination of the gut microbes of study participants who were fed three different kinds of supplements in different sequences concludes that people who had been eating the least amount of fiber before the study showed the greatest benefit from supplements, regardless of which ones they consumed. "The people who responded the best had been eating the least fiber to start with," said Lawrence David. The benefit of dietary fiber isn't just the easier pooping that advertisers tout. Fermentable fiber—dietary carbohydrates that the human gut cannot process on its own but some bacteria can digest—is also an essential source...

Research in people with heart disease risk factors has shown that consuming green tea extract for four weeks can reduce blood sugar levels and improve gut health by lowering inflammation and decreasing "leaky gut." Researchers said this is the first study assessing whether the health risks linked to the condition known as metabolic syndrome, which affects about one-third of Americans, may be diminished by green tea's anti-inflammatory benefits in the gut. In the new study, green tea extract also lowered blood sugar, or glucose, and decreased gut inflammation and permeability in healthy people—an unexpected finding. "What this tells us is...

Two new treatments for Crohn's disease showed roughly equal performance in a clinical trial. This allows clinicians and patients to make treatment choices based on tolerance, according to Stephen Hanauer, MD. Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic, progressive inflammatory bowel disease, causing abdominal pain, weight loss and fatigue. Treatment for CD has typically focused on alleviating symptoms to achieve clinical remission using corticosteroids or immunomodulators, but a need for more effective treatment remains. "While there are numerous therapies and mechanisms of action for drugs approved for moderate-severe Crohn's disease there has been a therapeutic ceiling as far as outcomes are...

Intermittent fasting changes the gut bacteria activity of mice and increases their ability to recover from nerve damage. The researchers observed how fasting led to the gut bacteria increasing production of a metabolite known as 3-Indolepropionic acid (IPA), which is required for regenerating nerve fibers called axons—thread-like structures at ends of nerve cells that send out electro-chemical signals to other cells in the body. The team state that the bacteria that produces IPA, Clostridium sporogenesis, is found naturally in the guts of humans as well as mice and IPA is present in human's bloodstreams too. "There is currently no treatment...

A team of researchers has found that a metabolite produced by bacteria in the gut promotes neural cell death resulting in cognitive decline in mice. In their paper, the group describes their study of the metabolite isoamylamine (IAA) and its impact on cognitive decline. Prior research has suggested a strong link between gut bacteria and brain health. The researchers looked into the possible impact on the brain of just one metabolite produced by one family of bacteria in the gut, Ruminococcaceae. They found first that IAA becomes more prevalent in the gut as people age due to the presence of...

The gut microbiome may be linked to a person developing 'long COVID' many months after initial infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection. A growing body of evidence has implicated the gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that inhabit the digestive tract—in COVID-19 severity. And given that the gut has a major role in immunity, a disordered immune response to COVID-19 infection, induced by resident microbes, may affect the recovery process too. While initial viral load wasn't associated with long COVID, their gut microbiome differed from that of patients without long COVID and those who...

Researchers have modified standard baking yeast to sense signs of gut inflammation and respond by secreting anti-inflammatory particlesknorre/Depositphotos VIEW 1 IMAGES Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital have engineered yeast used in baking, wine-making and brewing to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The bacteria has been modified to secrete an anti-inflammatory molecule in response to signs of gut inflammation and has proven effective in preclinical tests. Our gut microbiome is increasingly implicated in everything from cancer to neurodegenerative disease but it is still unclear exactly how we can translate these novel findings into clinical treatments. Fecal transplants are probably the...

New research has discovered that common artificial sweeteners can cause previously healthy gut bacteria to become diseased and invade the gut wall, potentially leading to serious health issues. The study, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, is the first to show the pathogenic effects of some of the most widely used artificial sweeteners—saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame—on two types of gut bacteria, E. coli (Escherichia coli) and E. faecalis (Enterococcus faecalis). Previous studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can change the number and type of bacteria in the gut, but this new molecular research, led by academics from Anglia...

As you're sitting there, reading these words, you're probably breathing. Down the air goes, into your lungs, via the upper respiratory tract that includes your mouth and nose; up it comes again, back out the same way, after delivering its precious oxygen payload. This, we assume, is how most mammals breathe - but maybe it's not actually the complete picture. According to new research, rodents and pigs can also respirate through their butts. Technically, delivery of oxygen via their rectal intestines suggests a new, enema-like means of ventilating patients under respiratory distress - if the same strange ability can be...

http://www.cnsnews.com/video/cnsnews/farmer-best-super-bowl-ad-ever My first post ever. Flame away but! this is a great ad that could be piggybacked to A). Elect conservatives and B). attack the EPA.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says doctors have removed a polyp from the Israeli prime minister’s large intestine. The polyp was discovered Wednesday during what Netanyahu’s office was a “routine gastro examination.” …

McMaster research finds link between gut bacteria and behaviorHamilton, ON (May 17, 2011) - For the first time, researchers at McMaster University have conclusive evidence that bacteria residing in the gut influence brain chemistry and behaviour. The findings are important because several common types of gastrointestinal disease, including irritable bowel syndrome, are frequently associated with anxiety or depression. In addition there has been speculation that some psychiatric disorders, such as late onset autism, may be associated with an abnormal bacterial content in the gut. "The exciting results provide stimulus for further investigating a microbial component to the causation of behavioural...