Gut microbes News

A balanced gut can contribute to the regulation of health risk factors such as hypertension and elevated cholesterol levels, here is an expert guide to how your gut impacts your heart health.

Young pigs` gut microorganisms were changed toward a more favorable profile after two weeks of consuming a diet high in tomatoes, according to a recent study. Ten recently weaned control pigs were fed a standard diet and 10 pigs were fed the standard diet fine-tuned so that 10 percent of the food consisted of a freeze-dried powder made from tomatoes. Fiber, sugar, protein, fat and calories were identical for both diets.

Eating a handful of almonds a day significantly increases the production of butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that promotes gut health, according to a recent study. A team of researchers from King`s College London investigated the impact of whole and ground almonds on the composition of gut microbes. The study, published today in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is funded by the Almond Board of California.

Researchers linked specific genes in an animal - in this case, a mouse - to the presence and abundance of specific microbes in its gut.

The gut microbiota is a complex community of microorganisms that live in the digestive tract.

An increased abundance of bacteria common in yogurt was found in the mice that exhibited reduced malaria pathology.