Microbiome and Health Insights

🚨 Could a bacterial toxin your exposed to as a child be the cause of early onset colon cancer ?? A groundbreaking study published in Nature has identified a potential culprit behind the alarming increase in early-onset colorectal cancer: a bacterial toxin called colibactin, produced by certain strains of E. coli. Key Findings 👇👇 • Colibactin leaves distinct DNA mutations—known as mutational signatures SBS88 and ID18—that were 3.3 times more prevalent in colorectal cancer patients diagnosed before age 40 compared to those diagnosed after 70. • These mutations appear early in tumor development, suggesting that exposure to colibactin-producing bacteria may occur during childhood. • The study analyzed 981 colorectal cancer genomes from 11 countries, revealing that these mutational signatures were more common in regions with higher early-onset colorectal cancer rates, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Russia, and Thailand So what does this finding mean for treatment and prevention of colon cancer ? 👇👇 We may need to rethink everything: • Prevention starts earlier—possibly before age 1 • Pediatric microbiome health could become a cancer prevention tool • Screening guidelines may shift to include microbial risk, not just family history • Targeted therapies could one day exploit these specific mutational signatures • Global health policies must consider how environment and geography shape cancer risk We’ve been looking at genetics, lifestyle, and screening age. Maybe it’s time we start looking at the first few years of life ? Is microbiome medicine the next frontier in cancer prevention? #ColorectalCancer #Microbiome #EarlyOnsetCancer #PublicHealth #HealthcareonLinkedin

When most people think of the nervous system, they think of the brain. But did you know that we have what’s called the “second brain”?  It lives in your gut and it’s called the Enteric Nervous System. Just like the brain in your skull, it’s constantly active, responding, and regulating. It contains over 500 million neurons — more than the spinal cord — and it has its own reflexes, memory, and even the ability to produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. In fact, over 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut — not the brain. (Yes, you read that right.) So if you have your second brain in your gut, how does your gut talk to your brain? That’s where my favorite nerve comes in: the vagus nerve.  This long, wandering nerve connects your brainstem to nearly every major organ — including your lungs, heart, and digestive tract. It’s the primary pathway of the gut-brain axis. And here’s the most fascinating part: Over 80% of vagus nerve fibers send messages from the body to the brain, not the other way around. Which means that when your gut is inflamed, imbalanced, or disrupted — your brain feels it. Research shows that disruptions in the gut — like poor microbiome diversity, inflammation, or even antibiotic overuse — can directly impact mood, anxiety levels, stress reactivity, and cognition.   The vagus nerve helps regulate this by acting as a neural anti-inflammatory switch — known as the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway. But if vagal tone is low, or if gut signaling is dysregulated, the whole system can suffer. We now understand that: - People with gut inflammation often have higher rates of depression and anxiety - Gut microbiota imbalances are associated with brain fog and poor decision-making - Stress itself can further disrupt gut function, creating a vicious cycle. So what can we do? - Eat for your microbiome — fiber-rich foods, fermented staples like kimchi or kefir, and a focus on plant diversity - Support vagal tone — with breathwork, cold exposure, singing, or meditation - Reduce systemic inflammation — through stress management, sleep optimization, and In my practice, I talk about this a lot with my patients and actively show them the vagus nerve and how breathwork and HRV can impact their mood, anxiety, and cognition. I also talk a lot about the use of food as medicine as well for this reason! Remember this - what’s good for your gut is also good for your brain. — Follow me for science-backed insights on how your brain, hormones, and body work together — especially in midlife and high-performance settings. #GutBrainAxis #VagusNerve #MentalHealth #HRV #WomensHealth #Neuroscience #Inflammation #ExecutiveFunction #CognitiveHealth #Psychiatry #MidlifeWellness #SecondBrain #Guthealth #mood #anxiety #MindBodyMedicine #foodasmedicine

MEDITERRANEAN DIET IMPROVES MEMORY VIA GUT MICROBIOME CHANGES A new study reveals that the Mediterranean diet may enhance cognitive function by altering gut microbiota. Rats fed a Mediterranean-style diet showed distinct bacterial changes linked to better memory, cognitive flexibility, and working memory compared to those on a Western diet. Beneficial bacteria levels increased, while harmful ones decreased, improving performance on memory and learning tasks. These findings suggest that dietary patterns influence brain health through the gut, potentially benefiting young adults during critical developmental periods. 3 Key Facts: 1. Gut-Brain Connection: The Mediterranean diet reshapes gut microbiota, improving cognitive function. 2. Cognitive Gains: Better memory, flexibility, and working memory were linked to gut bacteria changes. 3. Dietary Impact: Mediterranean components like olive oil, fish, and fiber boosted beneficial bacteria. Source: https://lnkd.in/gJxtD4F7

Did you know that a specific bacterium in your gut, Akkermansia muciniphila, could significantly impact your health? Comprising 1% to 4% of our intestinal bacteria, recent studies highlight its potential in several key areas: 🔹 Glucose Metabolism: Individuals with obesity, high BMI, cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose often have lower levels of Akkermansia. Interestingly, those with higher levels who follow calorie-restricted diets show notable improvements in insulin resistance. Additionally, Akkermansia may enhance the effectiveness of metformin, a diabetes medication, by increasing goblet cells in the gut—crucial for maintaining a healthy intestinal barrier. 🔹 Intestinal Immunity: Akkermansia plays a vital role in strengthening the intestinal barrier, reducing its permeability, and preventing harmful substances like lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from entering the bloodstream. Research by Chelakkot et al. suggests that extracellular vesicles derived from Akkermansia might improve metabolic function, particularly in high-fat diet conditions. 🔹 Polyphenol Functionality: This bacterium interacts positively with polyphenols, compounds found in foods like berries, grapes, and coffee. Polyphenols from grapes and cranberries can increase Akkermansia levels, leading to improved intestinal barrier function, incretin secretion, and reductions in obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation. 🔹 Cancer Immunotherapy: Emerging research indicates a link between Akkermansia and the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors. Patients responding well to these treatments show higher levels of Akkermansia. Remarkably, transferring the microbiome from these patients to mice has resulted in positive responses to anti-PD-1 antibody treatment. Unlocking the potential of Akkermansia muciniphila could revolutionize our approach to health and wellness. Stay informed and explore how this remarkable bacterium could be the key to better health outcomes. #Akkermansia #DrPal #GutHealth

The Gut Microbiome’s Hidden Role in Ageing—and How to Fight Back Introduction: Rethinking Our Relationship with “Friendly” Microbes The human gut microbiome, long hailed as a health-promoting ecosystem of beneficial bacteria, may have a darker side. Groundbreaking research suggests that these microbes could actually drive the ageing process from within. This challenges the prevailing view that the gut microbiome is simply an ally—and opens new possibilities for combating age-related decline by rebalancing or even reengineering our microbial companions. Key Insights from New Microbiome Research 1. Microbes as Agents of Ageing • Scientists have discovered that, with age, the gut microbiome shifts toward a pro-inflammatory state—a phenomenon called “inflammaging.” • These changes in microbial composition contribute to chronic inflammation, which is strongly linked to age-related diseases like arthritis, cardiovascular illness, and dementia. • The microbiome may actively accelerate systemic decline by damaging gut integrity, leading to the leakage of microbial products into the bloodstream that further fuel immune dysfunction. 2. The Double-Edged Nature of Symbiosis • While gut microbes help digest food, produce vitamins, and support immunity in youth, they become less cooperative over time. • Researchers describe a shift from mutualism to parasitism: microbes begin to act more in their own evolutionary interest, extracting resources from the body while offering diminishing benefits. 3. Evidence from Animal Models • In experiments with mice, transferring young microbiomes into older animals has extended lifespan and improved physical and cognitive performance. • Conversely, microbiomes from older individuals transplanted into younger mice induced signs of premature ageing, suggesting a causal role in biological decline. 4. Interventions to Delay Microbial Ageing • Emerging strategies to combat microbiome-driven ageing include: • Probiotics and prebiotics designed to restore a youthful microbial profile. • Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from young, healthy donors. • Caloric restriction and high-fiber diets, which may sustain microbiome diversity and reduce inflammation. • Targeted antibiotics or phage therapy to eliminate specific harmful microbial species that emerge with age. Conclusion: A Paradigm Shift in Anti-Ageing Science This new understanding of the gut microbiome reframes it not just as a health supporter, but as a potential driver of ageing. While not inherently malicious, the microbiome’s evolutionary trajectory may misalign with our longevity goals as we grow older. Recognizing this opens up powerful new tools for promoting healthy ageing—by learning how to tame the microbes within. Analog Physics qai.ai

🔬 Thrilled to share our new review, just published in Nature Reviews Genetics: "Genomics of host–microbiome interactions in humans" https://lnkd.in/gy8USbBi Over the past decade, we've witnessed an explosion of research on how human genetics influence our gut microbiome -- and increasingly, how our microbial communities regulate our genes. What started as small twin studies has grown into large-scale genome wide association studies with tens of thousands of participants. In this review, we synthesize the current state of this fascinating field, covering: - Studies quantifying the heritability of microbiome traits - How association studies are identifying the human genetic variants that affect microbiome composition - New transcriptomic approaches uncovering the crosstalk between host and microbe - The challenges the field faces as it matures: reproducibility, population diversity, sample sizes, and methodological standardization - Emerging technologies and computational approaches that will shape the next chapter of this research It was a lot of fun writing this review with three exceptional postdocs in my lab, Pamela Ferretti, Sambhawa Priya, PhD, and Kelsey Johnson, who brought complementary expertise in microbiome research, human genetics, and computational biology. As we move toward an era of precision medicine, understanding the genetic basis of host-microbiome interactions will be crucial for developing targeted therapeutic interventions. This review provides a roadmap for where we've been and where we're headed. #Microbiome #Genetics #Genomics

What if your gut bacteria could help prevent obesity? A new study just uncovered a powerful connection between microbial metabolites and body fat regulation. 🔹 The Key Player: 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (4HPAA), a metabolite produced by gut microbes from aromatic amino acids like tyrosine and phenylalanine. 🔹 The Effect: Mice given 4HPAA were protected from high-fat-diet-induced obesity—gaining 45% less weight than untreated mice. 🔹 How It Works: Instead of directly altering the microbiome, 4HPAA: - Modulates immune responses in the gut - Reduces lipid absorption in the intestines - Decreases chronic gut inflammation, a key driver of metabolic dysfunction 💡 What This Means for Us: - Specific gut microbial metabolites may play a direct role in obesity prevention. - Supporting the right microbes and their metabolic pathways—through diet or supplementation—could be a promising strategy for weight management. - The gut-immune-metabolism axis is more powerful than we ever imagined! This research highlights why gut health isn’t just about digestion—it’s central to metabolic health. Could targeted gut metabolites be the next frontier in obesity prevention?

🧠 - The more we learn about the impact of gut health and the microbiome on the brain and cognitive health, the more interesting it becomes. Maybe it should not be surprising given that we know gut bacteria produce significant amounts of many of our most important neuro-chemicals like GABA, norepinephrine, histamine, dopamine, acetylcholine and melatonin. A full 90% of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut. Research is starting to paint a picture that proper care and feeding of the microbiome can have a significant impact on cognition and memory - perhaps not just playing a role in prevention but in the treatment of cognitive decline. In this recent study, a daily prebiotic (inulin 3.375 mg and fructo-oligosaccharides 3.488 mg) was given to adults over the age of 60 for 3 months. Compared to the placebo group (taking maltodextrin) the intervention group performed better on a common test used as an early identifier of Alzheimer’s dementia. Food for thought? I think so. #fiber #prebiotics #FOS #inulin #cognition #brainhealth #healthaging #microbiome #gutbrainaxis #nutrition #foodismedicine https://lnkd.in/gbS8Vu2c

This groundbreaking study uses metabolic modeling to explore the intricate relationship between host metabolism and the gut microbiome during aging. The researchers reconstructed integrated metabolic models of host tissues and 181 mouse gut microorganisms, revealing a complex dependency of host metabolism on various microbial interactions. A key finding was the pronounced reduction in metabolic activity within the aging microbiome, coinciding with increased systemic inflammation and the downregulation of essential host pathways vital for intestinal barrier function, cellular replication, and homeostasis.   The study highlights the critical role of the microbiome in age-related metabolic decline. The authors observed a decrease in beneficial interactions between bacterial species and a shift towards increased competition within the aging gut microbiome. These changes were associated with the downregulation of key host metabolic pathways. The research not only elucidates potential targets for microbiome-based anti-aging therapies but also underscores the potential of metabolic modeling in designing interventions to mitigate microbiome-driven aspects of aging.   #microbiome #aging #metabolicmodeling #guthealth #inflammation #metabolism #healthspan #microbiomeresearch https://lnkd.in/gyP_JYxZ

“Deconstructing the food matrix in ultra-processed foods disrupts natural nutrient and fiber structures, reducing beneficial microbial diversity and favoring the growth of pathogenic [bad] bacteria in the gut. This disruption can impair glucose tolerance [the body’s ability to process sugars effectively] by promoting rapid carbohydrate digestion, which leads to blood sugar spikes and inflammation. Furthermore, altered gut microbiota and inflammatory responses can accelerate cellular aging processes, increasing susceptibility to age-related diseases," said Alyssa Simpson, RDN, CGN, CLT.