Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Latest Gastrointestinal Health News and Research

Plant-based diets improve heart health via the gut microbiome

A new study published in February 2020 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reports that a reduced intake of animal-based foods and a diet based on plants can result in a lower risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) by influencing the gut microbiome pattern to favor beneficial species.

17 Feb 2020

Adaptive gut microbiome of ancient humans could have been critical for evolution

The microbiome of our ancestors might have been more important for human evolution than previously thought, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

14 Feb 2020

Lab mice may have differences in small-intestine microbiome as compared to humans

There is a growing consensus that the gut microbiome is involved in many aspects of physical and mental health, including the onset of Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and even some behaviors.

14 Feb 2020

Unusually large, bacteria-killing viruses discovered

Scientists have discovered hundreds of unusually large, bacteria-killing viruses with capabilities normally associated with living organisms.

13 Feb 2020

Newly discovered large phages blur the life/non-life boundary

A new study published in the journal Nature shows that there are literally hundreds of viruses large enough to consume bacteria, and with properties that are typical of a living organism rather than the non-living self-replicating packages of DNA/RNA that viruses are often assumed to be.

12 Feb 2020

Microbiome in dermis skin layer is the same regardless of age and gender

In the dermis skin layer, the same bacteria are found across age and gender. This has been shown by researchers from the University of Copenhagen in a new study which has studied skin samples from knees and hips.

12 Feb 2020

Gut bacteria composition and diversity linked to human personality traits

Dr. Katerina Johnson, who conducted her Ph.D. in the University's Department of Experimental Psychology, was researching the science of that 'gut feeling' - the relationship between the bacteria living in the gut (the gut microbiome) and behavioral traits.

12 Feb 2020

Bacterial viruses in intestinal tracts of children may play a role in stunting

New research spearheaded by McGill University has discovered that bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) found in the intestinal tracts of children may play a role in childhood stunting, a significant impediment to growth that affects 22% of children under the age of five around the world.

12 Feb 2020

Diets high in fat and protein exacerbate C. diff infections in mice

Popular diets low in carbs and high in fat and protein might be good for the waistline, but a new UNLV study shows that just the opposite may help to alleviate the hospital-acquired infection Clostridioides difficile.

12 Feb 2020

NETRF announces $3.5 million in research grants to improve neuroendocrine tumor treatment

The Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation, Boston, MA, today announced $3.5 million in neuroendocrine tumor research grants to fund 12 projects around the world in pursuit of more precise treatments for this uncommon cancer affecting an estimated 171,000 Americans.

12 Feb 2020

Study provides new details about therapy-associated polyposis in childhood cancer survivors

In a paper published online today, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers provide new details about a recently discovered condition in which childhood cancer survivors develop numerous colorectal growths called polyps despite not having a hereditary susceptibility to the condition.

12 Feb 2020

Microbiome can predict a person's chronological age

Our microbiomes - the complex communities of microbes that live in, on and around us - are influenced by our diets, habits, environments and genes, and are known to change with age.

11 Feb 2020

High-fat, high-protein meals may appeal to Clostridioides difficile bacteria

Diets like the Keto, Paleo and Atkins focus on high-fat, high-protein meals that are often low in carbohydrates. This mix may appeal to Clostridioides difficile bacteria, too.

11 Feb 2020

Metformin could help leaky gut

A team of researchers from University of California, San Diego, have successfully used gut organoids in their lab to show the effects of medications to treat conditions such as “leaky gut”. The study was titled, “The stress polarity signaling (SPS) pathway serves as a marker and a target in the leaky gut barrier: implications in aging and cancer,” and was published in the journal Life Science Alliance today.

10 Feb 2020

Rhizosphere microbiome can systemically shape and control root exudation

Roots are plant organs, that typically absorb water and minerals from soil. It is lesser known that roots also secrete metabolites, so-called root exudates, which impact the properties of soil directly around the root.

9 Feb 2020

Genomic sequencing technique helps understand gut microbiota one cell at a time

A population of microorganisms living in our intestine, known as the gut microbiota, plays a crucial role in controlling our metabolism and reducing the risk of conditions such as obesity and diabetes.

9 Feb 2020

Fly model could help lay the foundation for new therapies to fight 'difficult' pathogen

The Clostridium difficile pathogen takes its name from the French word for "difficult." A bacterium that is known to cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening colon damage, C. difficile is part of a growing epidemic of concern for the elderly and patients on antibiotics.

8 Feb 2020

New guidelines recommend no-biopsy approach for childhood celiac disease diagnosis

The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition has today issued new guidance to physicians on the diagnosis of celiac disease in children recommending the no-biopsy approach at diagnosis for the majority of children suspected of having the disease.

7 Feb 2020

Study identifies two possible targets to halt liver damage in NASH

As much as 12 percent of adults in the United States are living with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), an aggressive condition that can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

6 Feb 2020

Cedars-Sinai researchers to study role of fat in promoting cancer spread to liver

A diagnosis of pancreatic or colon cancer often sparks dread about the disease's likely next destination: the liver. That's because liver metastasis is a leading cause of death in these patients.

6 Feb 2020