probiotics tagged posts

Ketogenic Diet may Reduce Friendly Gut Bacteria and raise cholesterol levels

Keto diet on a plate
Source: Adobe Stock

Published in Cell Reports Medicine, the research from the Centre for Nutrition, Exercise, and Metabolism involved 53 healthy adults for up to 12 weeks. Participants followed either a moderate sugar diet (control), a low-sugar diet (less than 5% of calories from sugar), or a ketogenic (keto) low-carbohydrate diet (less than 8% of calories from carbohydrates).

Key findings include:

Increased Cholesterol: The keto diet raised cholesterol levels, particularly in small and medium sized LDL particles. The diet increased apolipoproteinB (apoB), which causes plaque buildup in arteries. In contrast, the low-sugar diet significantly reduced cholesterol in LDL particles.

Reduced Favourable Gut Bacteria: The keto diet altered gut microbiome composition, notably decreas...

Read More

The way to Better Mental Health may go through your Stomach

A cup of granola and yogurt on a fragmented background of orange, tan, and blue
Yogurt could help your mood as well as your gut. UVA researchers say a bacterium in fermented foods may help change the way you feel, opening a realm of possible treatments for mental health and other medical issues. (Illustration by Emily Faith Morgan, University Communications)

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered how Lactobacillus, a bacterium found in fermented foods and yogurt, helps the body manage stress and may help prevent depression and anxiety.

The findings open the door to new therapies to treat anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions.

UVA researcher Alban Gaultier and collaborators say the discovery is notable because it pinpoints the role of Lactobacillus, separating it out from all the other microorganisms that natura...

Read More

Take 2 E. coli and call me in the morning

When E. coli bacteria are exposed to a certain biological signal, the trigger element engineered into their DNA flips the memory element into an “on” state, allowing easy identification of bacteria that “remember” the presence of the signal. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

Synthetic bacterial memory circuits enable microbial diagnostics for sensing biomolecules in the gut...

Read More

‘Gut-on-a-Chip’ system shows Intestinal Barrier Disruption is the onset initiator of Gut Inflammation

Biomedical engineering assistant professor Hyun Jung Kim with the gut-on-a-chip. Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Biomedical engineering assistant professor Hyun Jung Kim with the gut-on-a-chip. Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Once the gut barrier has been damaged, probiotics can be harmful just like any other bacteria. The first study investigating the mechanism of how a disease develops using human organ-on-a-chip technology has been successfully completed by engineers at The University of Texas at Austin.

Researchers from the Cockrell School of Engineering were able to shed light on a part of the human body – the digestive system – where many questions remain unanswered. Using their “gut inflammation-on-a-chip” microphysiological system, the research team confirmed that intestinal barrier disruption is the onset initiator of gut inflammation.

The study also include...

Read More