The gut-brain axis communicates through metabolic, neural, immune, and endocrine pathways, which are influenced by the gut microbiota. Prebiotics are foods used by the gut microbiota to improve health. Prebiotics, such as inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), are present in many foods and microbiome-supporting supplements. It’s a relatively inexpensive and easyRead
Managing chronic pulmonary diseases can be challenging, with factors such as air pollution and COVID-19 compounding the issue. Microbial imbalances in the gut microbiome also contribute to the development of chronic lung diseases through the gut-lung axis. New research supporting modulation of the gut microbiome may offer a solution forRead
The Leap to Postbiotics – Born of Necessity and Insight Early 2020. COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill, and with it, our fledgling FMT program. Overnight, the idea of transplanting raw stool seemed fraught with new risk – could SARS-CoV-2 be lurking in feces? We lacked reliable tests initially,Read
Early Days of Probiotics: Promise and Marketing Hype Modern microbiome science emerged in the 2000s with the realization that trillions of gut microbes form a virtual “organ” influencing health. Early on, probiotics – live bacteria administered for health benefits – were embraced as a simple way to modulate this gutRead
The statements mentioned in this content have not been evaluated by the FDA, and are not intended to prevent, diagnose, or treat any disease. Always work with your personal healthcare provider. Gastrointestinal problems like inflammatory bowel disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), abdominal pain caused by stress, constipation, and diarrheaRead
First introduced in 1989, the “hygiene hypothesis” proposed that exposure to specific microbes, perhaps during crucial windows of development, educates the immune system in a way that modifies the risk for allergic, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases. Initially, this was proposed in response to the observation that the position of a child inRead
This is the first trial showing the efficacy of this probiotic mixture in reducing fever duration in children with URTIs. Fever management can be intimidating for parents, and a safe therapy like probiotics benefits the pediatric patient and their caregiver. Probiotics may also prevent the incidence of and reduce other URTI symptoms.
As a medical education specialist at a functional medicine laboratory, I speak with clinicians daily about their patient’s stool test results. Alcohol use as a cause for abnormal results is often overlooked or is not regarded as a serious enough gut toxicant, especially in casual drinkers. But how many ofRead
The gut microbiome—the trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in our intestines—plays an extensive role in human health and disease. An imbalance between healthy and unhealthy gut bacteria has been linked to a wide variety of adverse health conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, andRead
Our gut microbiota is made up of the millions of microscopic creatures that inhabit our gastrointestinal tract. It is responsible for producing enzymes, metabolites, and other molecules crucial for optimum health, helping regulate our metabolism, immunity, and other processes throughout the body. Previous research has also shown that a mother’sRead
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