Microbiome News and Research

Latest Microbiome News and Research

Large study finds SARS-CoV-2 viral load is lowest in children

A new study by researchers in the Netherlands confirms the hypothesis that for SARS-CoV-2 infection, higher age is associated with increased viral loads.

19 Jan 2021

Green Mediterranean diet reduces non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, show randomized trials

A green Mediterranean (MED) diet reduces intrahepatic fat more than other healthy diets and cuts non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in half, according to a long-term clinical intervention trial led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers and a team of international colleagues.

18 Jan 2021

MIND and Mediterranean diets correlated with later onset of Parkinson's disease

A new study from UBC researchers suggests a strong correlation between following the MIND and Mediterranean diets and later onset of Parkinson's disease (PD).

13 Jan 2021

The Cancer Microbiome Atlas gives clearer picture of microbiota living in organs

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised an algorithm to remove contaminated microbial genetic information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

13 Jan 2021

Researchers identify a simple way to eliminate sequencing errors produced by portable DNA sequencer

Researchers have found a simple way to eliminate almost all sequencing errors produced by a widely used portable DNA sequencer, potentially enabling scientists working outside the lab to study and track microorganisms like the SARS-CoV-2 virus more efficiently.

13 Jan 2021

Inherited or transmitted gut microbes affect skeletal development in animals

Gut microbes passed from female mice to their offspring, or shared between mice that live together, may influence the animals' bone mass, says a new study published today in eLife.

12 Jan 2021

Poor gut health may adversely affect COVID-19 prognosis

People infected with COVID-19 experience a wide range of symptoms and severities, the most commonly reported including high fevers and respiratory problems.

12 Jan 2021

Study examines the role of gut microbes in anorexia

You are likely familiar with the serious consequences of anorexia for those who experience it, but you might not be aware that the disorder may not be purely psychological.

12 Jan 2021

Study: Sugar substitute doesn't lead to the development of diabetes in healthy adults

For those trying to live a healthy lifestyle, the choice between sugar and artificial sweeteners such as saccharin can be confusing.

12 Jan 2021

Seed-borne bacterium can lead to complete resistance to a particular pathogen

Rice is the staple food of about half the world's population. The cultivation of the rice plant is very water-intensive and, according to the German aid organization Welthungerhilfe, around 15 per cent of rice is grown in areas with a high risk of drought.

12 Jan 2021

Study uncovers strong links between a person's diet, gut microbes and health

Diets rich in certain plant-based foods are linked with the presence of gut microbes that are associated with a lower risk of developing conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to recent results from a large-scale international study that included researchers from King's College London, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Trento, Italy, and health science start-up company ZOE.

11 Jan 2021

Gut and oral microbiomes predict COVID-19 severity

One question that continues to remain unanswered during the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been why is there a distinctive hit-and-miss pattern when it comes to severe disease? An interesting new study that appears on the medRxiv* preprint server pinpoints one highly relevant risk factor: the state of the oral and gut microbiomes.

7 Jan 2021

Study highlights an important link between dietary fiber intake and depression

Fiber is a commonly recommended part of a healthy diet. That's because it's good for your health in so many ways--from weight management to reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.

6 Jan 2021

Gut microbe may play a role in the development of breast cancers

A microbe found in the colon and commonly associated with the development of colitis and colon cancer also may play a role in the development of some breast cancers, according to new research from investigators with the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

6 Jan 2021

Researchers test the effects of growth molecules exuded by oral bacteria

The human body is filled with friendly bacteria. However, some of these microorganisms, such as Veillonella parvula, maybe too nice.

6 Jan 2021

Few organisms in the gut microbiome found to play a key role in type 2 diabetes

Researchers at Oregon State University have found that a few organisms in the gut microbiome play a key role in type 2 diabetes, opening the door to possible probiotic treatments for a serious metabolic disease affecting roughly one in 10 Americans.

4 Jan 2021

Children’s hospitals are partly to blame as superbugs increasingly attack kids

A memory haunts Christina Fuhrman: the image of her toddler Pearl lying pale and listless in a hospital bed, tethered to an IV to keep her hydrated as she struggled against a superbug infection.

4 Jan 2021

Gut cells alert the body to danger during parasite invasion

To effectively combat an infection, the body first has to sense it's been invaded, then the affected tissue must send out signals to corral resources to fight the intruder.

28 Dec 2020

Research shows how colanic acid extends lifespan in C. elegans

Baylor College of Medicine researcher Meng Wang had already shown that bacteria that make a metabolite called colanic acid (CA) could extend the lifespan of worms in her lab by as much as 50%, but her collaboration with Rice University synthetic biologist Jeffrey Tabor is providing tools to answer the bigger question of how the metabolite imparts longer life.

22 Dec 2020

Nanoplastics affect composition and diversity of human intestinal microbiome

We live in a world invaded by plastic. Its role as a chemically stable, versatile and multi-purpose fostered its massive use, which has finally translated into our current situation of planetary pollution.

22 Dec 2020