Gut bacteria tagged posts

Review of studies suggests a potentially useful link between gut bacteria and mental disorders. People who experience anxiety symptoms might be helped by taking steps to regulate the microorganisms in their gut using probiotic and non-probiotic food and supplements, suggests a review of studies published today in the journal General Psychiatry.

Anxiety symptoms are common in people with mental diseases and a variety of physical disorders, especially in disorders that are related to stress. Previous studies have shown that as many as a third of people will be affected by anxiety symptoms during their lifetime.

Increasingly, research has indicated that gut microbiota – the trillions of microorganisms in the gut wh...

Highlights
•Plasma TMAO levels are elevated in type 2 diabetic patients
•Levels of the TMAO-producing enzyme FMO3 in adipose tissue correlate with obesity
•Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of Fmo3 stimulates white adipose tissue beiging
•Inhibition of Fmo3 promotes resistance to obesity

Cleveland Clinic researchers showed that blocking a specific intestinal microbial pathway can prevent obesity and insulin resistance, as well as cause fat tissue to become more metabolically active. The team, led by J. Mark Brown, Ph.D...

The fungus Pichia, a type of yeast, is linked to kids’ likelihood of developing asthma, new research shows.

University of British Columbia microbiologists have found a yeast in the gut of new babies in Ecuador that appears to be a strong predictor that they will develop asthma in childhood. The new research furthers our understanding of the role microscopic organisms play in our overall health. “Children with this type of yeast called Pichia were much more at risk of asthma,” said Brett Finlay, a microbiologist at UBC. “This is the first time anyone has shown any kind of association between yeast and asthma.”

In previous research, Finlay and his colleagues identified 4 gut bacteria in Canadian children that, if present in the first 100 days of life, seem to prevent asthma...

Salk researchers uncover a fasting molecule, Crtc, which enhances immunity. The gastrointestinal tract of flies lacking Crtc, which is turned on during fasting (right panel), expresses more immune-related molecules compared with those of normal flies (left panel). These signs of inflammation mean that the gut barrier is compromised and more permeable to bacteria. Credit: Salk Institute

A molecular pathway activated in the brain during fasting helps halt the spread of GI bacteria into the bloodstream, according to a new study researchers at the Salk Institute. A molecular pathway by which the brain communicates with the GIT prevents unnecessary activation of the immune system during fasting by strengthening the barrier against gut microbes...