THE BIOME BUZZ
BUGS AND WORMS AND OTHER GREAT STUFF
Category: Probiotics
Fermented Foods and Infant Health
Reading and writing about epidemiological research is not my favorite, but I spotted a study on Tuesday that captured my interest as it’s in the vein of “things you can do now,” which you all know IS my favorite. Looking to ascertain the health…
Probiotics for Breast Cancer? (or…Talking About Needing More Research…)
I was surprised, but not surprised, by an article I read last night on the potential use of probiotics in treating breast cancer (BC).[i] As several friends have already battled BC, this is a topic of particular interest to me. I knew there was…
Probiotics for Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia? Probably, but the Science Isn’t Yet There
As regular readers know, I’m always on the lookout for “things you can do now.” I’m especially happy then when actual clinical trials happen as we can get some idea of the effectiveness of treatments. About 18 months ago, a paper was published reviewing…
The Two Sides of Bacteroides fragilis
Back in May, 2018, I wrote about Bacteriodes fragilis (B. fragilis), a species of bacteria some strains of which are toxic, some of which are highly beneficial. The main thrust of that post was about how our immune system, when functioning properly, can recognize…
Biofilms and the Mycobiome/IBD Connection: A Refresher and a Probiotic Treatment Finally?!
I’ve decided to start this week with some good news. A few days ago, the headline of a little op-ed sort of piece on a science-devoted website caught my eye: “It’s Time to Highlight Our Fungus Friends in Our Microbiomes.”[i] The author gives a…
Yet MORE on Akkermansia, This Time as a Pasteurized Probiotic!
A few weeks back, I shared a post about a recent study that looked at using our old friend, Akkermansia muciniphila (a quick summary of some of the findings re: this probiotic bacteria are in a postscript below) to improve glucose tolerance and insulin levels. …
Bloated? A Surprising Culprit May Be to Blame
This morning, I spotted an interesting little piece on Medical Daily entitled, “Bloated? High-Fiber Foods Are Not to Blame; This Ingredient Is.”[i] Curious to see what they were suggesting as a possible culprit (after all, bloating is the second most common complaint I hear…
Probiotics, Depression and Anxiety: A New Meta-analysis
One of the more common questions I get asked is “what probiotics are good for my condition?” Believe me, it does not make me happy to have to say, over and over again, “If only we knew.” I am always glad, therefore, to read…
The Microbiome and Mental Illness: An Old Story that is Too Far From its Happy Ending
I just finished reading an article from 2018 on mental health and the microbiome that describes some of where we are now, knowledge-wise, and where we need to be before psychobiotics become a treatment norm.[i] There were multiple pieces of information in it which…
Some Early-Stage, But Promising, Science About the Microbiome and Cancer
Yesterday morning, I posted a story on my Biome Buzz’ Facebook page about 2 new studies that independently showed that there is a distinctive microbiome composition associated with colorectal cancer.[i] One study “…identified a set of 29 species indicative of colorectal cancer across 7…
