All posts tagged: Microbiome

Gut microbiome changes can signal Parkinson’s disease risk years before symptoms

Gut microbiome changes can signal Parkinson’s disease risk years before symptoms

Published by Jenni Sidey

A person can seem healthy and still carry subtle biological signs of trouble long before the first tremor or slowed movement appears. In Parkinson’s disease, one of those early signals may be living in the gut. A new study led by researchers at University College London found that people with Parkinson’s have a distinct pattern of gut microbes, and that similar patterns also appear in some people who do not yet have the disease, including those with a known genetic risk. That raises a striking possibility: changes in the microbiome could help flag elevated Parkinson’s risk before symptoms begin. Parkinson’s is already one of the world’s fastest-growing neurological disorders. By the time doctors can diagnose it through motor symptoms, more than half of the brain’s dopamine-producing neurons have typically already been lost. That makes early detection one of the field’s biggest priorities. Professor Anthony Schapira of the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology said the need is urgent. “Parkinson’s disease is a major cause of disability worldwide, and the fastest growing neurodegenerative disease in terms …

Modern living may be causing big changes to our oestrogen levels

Modern living may be causing big changes to our oestrogen levels

Published by skeptic

Our gut microbiome has a significant impact on our hormones nopparit/Getty Images Discarded sex hormones can be returned to the bloodstream by bacteria in the gut – and now, a study has found that there are far more of these sex-hormone-recycling bacteria in the guts of people in industrialised societies than in those of hunter-gatherers and non-industrial farmers. This might mean that, as a result of modern living, some people have higher blood levels of certain sex hormones, which would have profound health effects. “We don’t how the body would respond to this increased input,” says Rebecca Brittain at Jagiellonian University Medical College in Poland. “But the implications could be quite large.” Sex hormones, such as oestrogens, circulate in the blood. When levels are too high, cells in the liver add a chemical tag that results in a hormone being excreted, often via the gut. But that tag happens to be a sugar molecule that certain bacteria feed on. So some bacteria in the gut cut off the tags, using enzymes called beta-glucuronidases. Once a …

Modern living may be causing big changes to our oestrogen levels

Urban living may be causing big changes to our oestrogen levels

Published by skeptic

Our gut microbiome has a significant impact on our hormones nopparit/Getty Images Discarded sex hormones can be returned to the bloodstream by bacteria in the gut – and now, a study has found that there are far more of these sex-hormone-recycling bacteria in the guts of people in industrialised societies than in those of hunter-gatherers and non-industrial farmers. This might mean that, as a result of urban living, some people have higher blood levels of certain sex hormones, which would have profound health effects. “We don’t how the body would respond to this increased input,” says Rebecca Brittain at Jagiellonian University Medical College in Poland. “But the implications could be quite large.” Sex hormones, such as oestrogens, circulate in the blood. When levels are too high, cells in the liver add a chemical tag that results in a hormone being excreted, often via the gut. But that tag happens to be a sugar molecule that certain bacteria feed on. So, some bacteria in the gut cut off the tags, using enzymes called beta-glucuronidases. Once a …

Is it true that … having a diverse microbiome stops you from getting sick? | Health & wellbeing

Is it true that … having a diverse microbiome stops you from getting sick? | Health & wellbeing

Published by Sam Flores

The trillions of microorganisms that live in and on our bodies – known as the microbiome – have been hailed as the key to better immunity. “Lots of studies correlate the types of bacteria in your microbiome with health and disease across almost every mental and physical condition,” says Prof Daniel M Davis, head of life sciences at Imperial College London and the author of Self Defence: A Myth-busting Guide to Immune Health. “But most of that evidence is correlative, and we still need to understand exactly how the microbiome affects health.” Scientists often look at one measure: diversity. In other words, how many different species of microbes live in the gut. “The more diverse your microbiome is, the more it seems to correlate with not being ill.” double quotation mark Be very sceptical of products that promise, ‘This is going to change your microbiome and make it healthier’ However, studies indicate that the story is more complicated. “New research suggests that what really matters is competition,” says Davis. “If groups of bacteria are feeding off each other and synergising in ways that …

Scientists reveal the hidden forces shaping the human microbiome

Scientists reveal the hidden forces shaping the human microbiome

Published by Jenni Sidey

The human gut is alive with activity. Millions of microorganisms compete, cooperate, and coexist in ways that can profoundly affect your health. Yet, for all the research on which bacteria live in our intestines, scientists have only begun to understand the invisible rules that govern their communities. A new study by Pyry Sipilä of the University of Helsinki, Finland, and colleagues sheds light on how these microbial neighborhoods organize themselves and hints at ways they might one day be guided to improve health. The research examined microbial communities not just as collections of species but as dynamic systems. Instead of cataloging who is present, the scientists focused on how these species interact. Their goal was to understand why certain community “types” emerge in some people and not others, even when diet and environment are similar. “Our findings suggest that the overall network structure is less important than the strength of interactions among key species,” they write. In other words, it’s not just which microbes exist in the gut, but which ones strongly influence the rest …

Frailty sets in far earlier than you’d expect, but you can reverse it

Frailty sets in far earlier than you’d expect, but you can reverse it

Published by skeptic

If we live long enough, many of us will eventually start to exhibit telltale signs of frailty, from unsteady feet to mental confusion. Yet not all. Think of Julia Hawkins, who set world records in the 100-metre sprint after taking up running at age 100. Or the journalist Leonard Barden, who still files weekly chess columns at the age of 96. Such people defy the odds and seem to dodge the destiny of frailty. The question is: why? The answer lies in new insights into frailty, which show that it is a far more complex and diverse condition than it first appears. Surprisingly, we are also discovering how it can start developing early in our life, with a significant number of people in their 30s or 40s unknowingly in a “pre-frail” state. The good news is that we have more control over our future frailty than we might realise. Many of the factors that lead to it are modifiable, and midlife is a great time to take action. What’s more, this new understanding of how …

Your microbiome may determine your risk of a severe allergic reaction

Your microbiome may determine your risk of a severe allergic reaction

Published by skeptic

Peanuts are one of the most common food allergens Radharc Images / Alamy The microbiomes in our gut and mouth may determine whether people with a peanut allergy develop a life-threatening reaction. This could help explain why some people with the allergy experience relatively mild reactions, while others develop severe, or even fatal, symptoms. “There’s a big question around why some patients are more susceptible to more severe reactions,” says Rodrigo Jiménez-Saiz at the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain. Peanut allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly identifies proteins in the legume as a threat, causing it to produce excessive amounts of a particular type of antibody. This ramps up inflammation, leading to symptoms such as itching, swelling and vomiting. In extreme cases, peanut exposure causes anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that typically involves breathing difficulties. Jiménez-Saiz and his colleagues wondered whether the microbes that live on and within us play a role here, given the huge influence that our body’s various microbiomes have on our immune system. To find out, they inserted a small …

Your Gut Microbiome Could Affect Colon Cancer – What You Can Do

Your Gut Microbiome Could Affect Colon Cancer – What You Can Do

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Zena le Roux via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), “Supporting the gut microbiome can help reduce colorectal cancer risk and may even enhance prevention and treatment,” Sachin Aryal, gut microbiome researcher at the University of Toledo, told The Epoch Times. Rost9/Shutterstock The microbiome has been linked to many aspects of health and has been shown to also play a key role in colorectal cancer. The good news is that the microbiome is not fixed and that it can be influenced by everyday habits and choices. How Gut Bacteria Influence Colorectal Cancer “We’re learning that the bacteria in the gut matter more than we used to think,” Dr. Cedrek McFadden, colorectal surgeon and medical advisor to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, told The Epoch Times. Gut bacteria are not just sitting there as bystanders. They interact directly with the lining of the colon, the immune system, and inflammatory processes over time. When the microbial balance is off—a condition called dysbiosis—some bacteria can create a low-level inflammatory state or produce substances that irritate the colon lining. …

How baby microbiomes in the West differ from those everywhere else

How baby microbiomes in the West differ from those everywhere else

Published by skeptic

A scanning electron micrograph of Bifidobacteria bacteria – the main genus found in the large intestine of infants DR GARY GAUGLER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY An unprecedented look at how the gut microbiome varies among babies in different parts of the world reveals that infants in the West lack a microbe that is common elsewhere. This could aid the development of probiotics, which are sometimes given to premature babies, that are tailored according to where the infant lives, to maximise the chance of these bacteria becoming established. The first 1000 days of a child’s life are very important for seeding their microbiome, which influences everything from their immune function and mental health to their future disease risk. Our understanding of this was almost exclusively limited to infants in the West, but now, a global atlas of baby microbiomes is finally providing a broader picture. Yan Shao at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in South Cambridgeshire, UK, and his colleagues sequenced more than 1900 genomes of a bacterium called Bifidobacteria longum, which has been linked to the development of …

Stop taking probiotics until you understand your gut microbiome

Stop taking probiotics until you understand your gut microbiome

Published by skeptic

Qures discusses why generic probiotics may not work and how a personalised stool test and diet plan can restore your gut’s natural balance. Interest in the gut microbiome has surged over the past decade. Ever since Hippocrates famously claimed that all disease begins in the gut, we have been captivated by the idea of improving its performance. Today, there are countless tests, supplements, and probiotic products – some even made from dried and powdered stool extracts –promising to improve gut health. While our ability to analyse the microbiome has advanced dramatically, our ability to treat and improve it has not kept pace. This is why my message is simple: stop taking probiotics – at least until you know what your unique gut microbiome requires. Why are you taking probiotics? Are you taking probiotics because you have gut pain, because your friends are taking them, or simply because adverts promise they are beneficial? Whatever the reason, pause. Until you truly understand what your gut microbiome needs, probiotic supplementation may do little, and in some cases may …