THE BIOME BUZZ
BUGS AND WORMS AND OTHER GREAT STUFF
Category: Human Biome
Adding to the Pile of Evidence Linking IBD to the Virome
Yet another study, this one out of Massachusetts General Hospital (one of Harvard’s teaching hospitals) associating inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with alteration in the virome. These scientists wanted to move beyond correlation and look for actual causation. Exactly how does the virome affect intestinal… Continue Reading “Adding to the Pile of Evidence Linking IBD to the Virome”
New Information on the Ever-Growing Parkinson’s Disease/Microbiome Connection
As you know, I’ve been following the developing story of the bacterial microbiomes relationship to the development of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) for years now. This past week, science took another step forward: Brazilian researchers published a paper in Scientific Reports that suggest, yet again,… Continue Reading “New Information on the Ever-Growing Parkinson’s Disease/Microbiome Connection”
Two Pieces of Research on Specific Bacteria Associated with Disease: Heart Attacks and IBD
Two interesting bits of research for you this week, to make up for missing a post last week. Sorry – just too busy these days to get to write regularly. Both are about research that has isolated specific bacterial microbiome differences in those with… Continue Reading “Two Pieces of Research on Specific Bacteria Associated with Disease: Heart Attacks and IBD”
More Fascinating Findings on Phages: Affects on Memory and Cognition
For today, a topic I haven’t had a chance to write about in months: the virome. Published last week in Cell Host & Microbe is an article that shows that a specific bacteriophage has been found to improve executive function and memory in both… Continue Reading “More Fascinating Findings on Phages: Affects on Memory and Cognition”
A Bacterial-Derived Metabolite and Anxiety in Autism and Schizophrenia
Readers with (or who have family members with) anxiety issues, autism, or schizophrenia, please pay special attention to today’s post. I have feeling that this is a really significant finding. Researchers at Cal Tech (along with colleagues at Stanford and other major California Universities)… Continue Reading “A Bacterial-Derived Metabolite and Anxiety in Autism and Schizophrenia”
A Step Forward in Figuring Out the Microbiome/Weight Gain Connection
Today, for your reading pleasure, a quick summary of a super interesting article I spotted in the journal, Nature Metabolism, over this past weekend. As you know from my (many) past posts on the topic of obesity, it is NOT a simple question of… Continue Reading “A Step Forward in Figuring Out the Microbiome/Weight Gain Connection”
Multiple Sclerosis, the Microbiome and Meat Consumption: A Complex Interplay
We have a big dividing line – metaphorically – running through my kitchen: on the one side is me with my beloved heaping salads; acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, cranberries and walnuts; mushroom risottos; cashew korma with basmati rice, etc. On the other,… Continue Reading “Multiple Sclerosis, the Microbiome and Meat Consumption: A Complex Interplay”
Common Toothpaste Ingredient Potentially Linked to Gut Damage Seen in IBD
How many of you have heard of triclosan [TCS]? I had not, until I spotted a paper out of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and Hong Kong Baptist University, on its potential toxicity, re: our gut bacteria. … Continue Reading “Common Toothpaste Ingredient Potentially Linked to Gut Damage Seen in IBD”
How Your Blood Type Encourages the Growth of Specific Bacterial Species
Almost exactly 3 years ago, I wrote a post about your blood type affecting your microbiome. From that post: “Like me, I’m sure most of you know that the best known way of categorizing blood type is the ABO system. That is, each of… Continue Reading “How Your Blood Type Encourages the Growth of Specific Bacterial Species”
Mechanism Discovered: How Stress Leads to Crohn’s Flare Ups
Today’s news is on a topic very near and dear to my heart, especially right now: stress. And the news isn’t good. Researchers at McMaster University have isolated a mechanism by which stress causes a flare up of Crohn’s disease.[i] And surprise, surprise –… Continue Reading “Mechanism Discovered: How Stress Leads to Crohn’s Flare Ups”
