gut

The state of our gut microbiome continues to be linked to a range of health outcomes, with the diversity of these microbial populations believed to play an important role in our vulnerability to disease. A small pilot study suggests that moderate consumption of lager beer may influence this diversity in a positive way, whether it's a traditional brew or one of the increasingly popular non-alcoholic variety.Led by scientists in Portugal, the study sought to build on previous research hinting that moderate beer consumption…

According to a new study, men can increase the diversity of their gut microbes by drinking either one alcoholic or non-alcoholic lager daily.Numerous studies have shown health benefits from moderate alcohol intake (or maybe not), especially wine. For example, drinking wine with meals is linked with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, and wine consumption was shown to improve blood pressure levels. Yet what about other alcoholic beverages, such as beer?Beer is a popular beverage, especially with men, that is also one of the…

Packing material, disposable cutlery, CD cases: Polystyrene is among the most common forms of plastic, but recycling it isn't easy and the vast majority ends up in landfills or finds its way to the oceans where it threatens marine life.  Scientists at Australia's University of Queensland have now discovered that superworms – the larvae of Zophobas morio darkling beetles – are eager to dine on the substance, and their gut enzymes could hold the key to higher recycling rates.Chris Rinke, who led a study that was published…

Intuition is a funny business. Back in the day, you might have thought that making life decisions by blindly following your “gut feeling” was a bad idea and could get you into trouble. But in 2005 along came Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink, a massive bestseller that made the scientific case for “the power of thinking without thinking”. Split-second decisions, Gladwell argued, are often far better than ones that involve deliberation. Perhaps ironically, the idea that intuition was a good thing was itself quite…

In an experiment on mice, transplanting fecal microbiota from young into old reversed hallmarks of aging in the gut, eyes, and brainIn the quest for eternal youth, poo transplants may seem like an unlikely way to reverse the aging process.However, scientists at the Quadram Institute and the University of East Anglia have provided evidence, from research in mice, that transplanting fecal microbiota from young into old mice can reverse the hallmarks of aging in the gut, eyes, and brain.In the reverse experiment, microbes…

The inherent difficulties in properly diagnosing concussion have scientists searching far and wide for biomarkers that clearly reveal the extent of a brain injury. For scientists at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, this search has led them to the communities of bacteria in the gut, where they've found that changes following a concussion could be used to reveal the state of recovery.Where severe consequences of an impact to the head such as skull fractures or brain swelling may show up through X-ray imaging or CT…

The connection between gut bacteria and human health continues to be illuminated in all kinds of ways, and among the more fascinating is the way these microbes might influence different aspects of the aging process. A study has not only highlighted new facets of this relationship, but demonstrated how hallmarks of aging in the brain, gut and eyes might even be reversed through fecal transplants. The makeup of the microbial communities in our gut is being shown to shape many different aspects of our wellbeing, and we're…

Researchers have homed in on several strains of gut bacteria that are associated with the severity of a common form of stroke. The findings build on a growing body of research suggesting future therapies targeting the gut microbiome could reduce a person’s stroke risk, and also aid in their recovery.The new research, yet to be peer-reviewed and published, was presented at this year’s European Stroke Organisation Conference. Led by Miquel Lledós, from the Sant Pau Research Institute in Spain, the research analyzed a number…