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Study reveals Relationship of Gut Microbiome on Children’s Brain Development and Function

Intestinal villi. Small finger-like projections that extend into the lumen of the small intestine. Gut bacteria, flora, microbiome. 3d illustration.
Credit: ChrisChrisW/Getty Images

Emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiome in cognitive outcomes and neurodevelopmental disorders, but the influence of gut microbial metabolism on typical neurodevelopment has not been explored in detail. Researchers from Wellesley College, in collaboration with other institutions, have demonstrated that differences in the gut microbiome are associated with overall cognitive function and brain structure in healthy children.

This study—published Dec. 22 in Science Advances—is a part of the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcome (ECHO) Program. This study investigates this relationship in 381 healthy children, all part of The RESONANCE cohort in Providence, Rhode Island, offering novel insights into early childhood development.

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Research shows a few Beneficial Organisms could play key role in treating type 2 -Diabetes

Lactobacillus johnsonii, SEM image by Kathryn Cross, IFR

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.

“Type 2 diabetes is in fact a global pandemic and the number of diagnoses is expected to keep rising over the next decade,” said study co-leader Andrey Morgun, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences in the OSU College of Pharmacy. “The so-called ‘western diet’ — high in saturated fats and refined sugars — is one of the primary factors. But gut bacteria have an important role to play in modulating the effects of diet.”

Formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabet...

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