THE BIOME BUZZ
BUGS AND WORMS AND OTHER GREAT STUFF
Tag: children
Probiotics and Mental Health: A Review of Human Studies
As regular readers of this blog know, one of my particular areas of interest is the relationship of the gut biome to mental health, including memory and cognition. Very early on, if you remember, I told you the story of losing my grandmother to… Continue Reading “Probiotics and Mental Health: A Review of Human Studies”
Children, Allergies, the Microbiome and Heavy Metals
For your reading pleasure (NOT), two distressing pieces of research. New research out of Ohio State University is truly horrifying.[i] These scientists have traced a link between low dose exposure to the heavy metal, cadmium, and the activation of the antibodies that cause allergies.… Continue Reading “Children, Allergies, the Microbiome and Heavy Metals”
Prevotella: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
How many times on this blog have a talked about how insanely complex is the human biome? Yesterday, I had one of those moments where I almost threw up my hands and thought, “I give up!” Everything seems so damn contradictory. Then, of course,… Continue Reading “Prevotella: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”
Antibiotics Early in Life: More on Their Detrimental Effects
Because I know how to have a good time, I spent a lot of time yesterday reading incredibly depressing articles, one after another, about the gut: paper after paper about the differences in the gut microbiota of those on the autism spectrum, subsequent differences… Continue Reading “Antibiotics Early in Life: More on Their Detrimental Effects”
Glyphosate, Gut Bugs and Autism
A controversy I have been following: what do we REALLY know about glyphosate (the chemical found in the herbicide, Roundup) and its effects on health. As you all know, I like to look at the actual science, not the sensationalist media headlines. Back last… Continue Reading “Glyphosate, Gut Bugs and Autism”
Propionic Acid and Autism: A Mechanistic Study
Many times now, I have written about propionic acid (PPA) and its likely role in causing autism (here and here, to give you just a couple of many examples). In fact, one of the earliest posts on this blog was an introduction to you… Continue Reading “Propionic Acid and Autism: A Mechanistic Study”
Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes: Helminths May Hold the Answers
I found a bunch of new research on helminths and will, over the next month or so, make my way through the papers. I wanted to share first an article just published by researchers in Australia (where some of the best hookworm (Necator americanus)… Continue Reading “Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes: Helminths May Hold the Answers”
Maternal Stress, Autism and a Possible Preventative Probiotic Treatment?
A few weeks back, a study came out of the University of Colorado, Boulder, which is worth reporting.[i] It is one in a long line of similar studies which show that exposure to our “old friends” modulates the immune system in such a way… Continue Reading “Maternal Stress, Autism and a Possible Preventative Probiotic Treatment?”
The Maternal Microbiome and Risk for Food Allergy in Babies
The big (biome) buzz of the last couple of weeks: research just published out of Australia shows that the presence of a certain species of gut bacteria, Prevotella copri, in pregnant women protects babies from developing food allergies – at least within their first… Continue Reading “The Maternal Microbiome and Risk for Food Allergy in Babies”
Babies, Anxiety and the Gut Biome
Remember last Thursday, when I wrote about the relationship of the gut bacteria to the structure and function of the brain? I mentioned in that post that, “In Western populations, Bacteroides and Prevotella species tend to dominate, with the former outnumbering the latter… Continue Reading “Babies, Anxiety and the Gut Biome”
