Gut health

The type 2 diabetes drug taken by an estimated 20 million Americans has long been thought of doing its heavy lifting in the liver, suppressing glucose production. But research has found it's actually unleashing its power in another part of the body.

New research links fructose malabsorption — affecting more than half of healthy adults — to gut microbiome disruption, low-grade inflammation, and heightened anxiety, suggesting diet may play a larger role in mental health than previously recognized.

The community of bacteria living in the intestines could be one of the drivers of memory loss in old age, says a new study. The finding could lead to new strategies to protect gut-brain communications and slow cognitive decline.

Researchers have homed in on a single gut microbe that acts to prevent fat gain, even with a high-fat diet. The discovery adds to the booming science of finding ways to enlist the microbes that already live in our bodies to help us improve our health.

Adding to the growing body of research that proves our microbiome is a powerful ally in fighting disease, scientists have found that an easy-to-get nutrient in our food causes our guts to produce powerful insulin-regulating compounds.

You may be sitting on – so to speak – a very valuable asset that scientists would love to get their hands on: your poop. As well as blood, plasma and organs, you can now donate fecal samples to stool banks for research and use in transplants.

Scientists have made history with a device that successfully eavesdrops on the neuronal chatter between the brain and the gut, furthering our understanding of its intrinsic interconnectedness – and how it drives health and disease throughout the body.

A novel treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is on the horizon, with the discovery that two specific gut microbes produce serotonin that protects against inflammation and damage.

In a groundbreaking study, scientists have cultivated and then awoken more than 100 new viruses found within different human gut microbes, providing a remarkable look at our bacteria and forms the very first living model of the "gut virome."

For the first time, scientists have used innovative tech to demonstrated that a healthy microbiome needs a consistent flow of the right foods, finally proving that the "hunch" advice of 5 A Day is spot on, as far as your gut bugs are concerned.

Scientists have implicated a gut byproduct from meat and other animal foods in the growth of deadly abdominal aortic aneurysms. Often symptomless, as it develops, a ruptured aneurysm has a mortality rate above 80%. And currently, treatment is limited.

Smoking's not often touted for its health benefits. But it's been known to help those suffering from colitis even though it exacerbates Crohn's disease. New research that could help treat the conditions says it all has to do with bacteria migration.