Category Biology/Biotechnology

A visualization of the changes to the colon and the gut bacteria after eating a low-fiber, Western-type diet and then subsequently eating a diet supplemented with fiber. Credit: Shroeder, et al.

Anyone watching their waistline this holiday season may want to pay attention to what their gut bacteria are eating. It’s not just calories that matter in a healthy diet – it’s fiber that resists digestion by the body but is readily eaten by bacteria in the gut. The amount of fiber in someone’s diet can influence weight gain, blood sugar, insulin sensitivity, and colon health. Two studies with mice, publishing December 21 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, help shed light on how and why fiber has such a powerful effect on the entire body.

“Once the mechanism is understood, it can be exploited in d...

Top alternatives to mean proteins

Health benefits could be even greater if people combined plant proteins with other cholesterol-lowering foods. Substituting 1 to 2 servings of animal proteins with plant proteins every day could lead to a small reduction in the 3 main cholesterol markers for cardiovascular disease prevention, a new study suggests. The health benefits could be even greater if people combined plant proteins with other cholesterol-lowering foods such as viscous, water soluble fibres from oats, barley and psyllium, and plant sterols, said lead author Dr. John Sievenpiper of St. Michael’s Hospital.

Dr...

Cognitive Improving Effects by Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium crymbosum L.) Vinegar on Scopolamine-Induced Amnesia Mice Model

Dementia affects millions of people worldwide, robbing them of their ability to think, remember and live as they once did. In the search for new ways to fight cognitive decline, scientists report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that blueberry vinegar might offer some help. They found that the fermented product could restore cognitive function in mice.

Recent studies have shown that the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, have lower levels of acetylcholine and its receptors. Research has also demonstrated that blocking acetylcholine receptors disrupts learning and memory...

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory researchers Heather Enright (left) and Anna Belle hold the brain-on-a-chip device and a microelectrode array. Credit: Image courtesy of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists and engineers have developed a “brain-on-a-chip” device aimed at testing and predicting the effects of biological and chemical agents, disease or pharmaceutical drugs on the brain over time without the need for human or animal subjects.

The device, part of the Lab’s iCHIP (in-vitro Chip-Based Human Investigational Platform) project, simulates the central nervous system by recording neural activity from multiple brain cell types deposited and grown onto microelectrode arrays...