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Chronic constipation is associated with cognitive decline

19 July 2023

A large study found that infrequent bowel movements are associated with a 73 per cent increased risk of cognitive decline, including deficits in memory and attention


Nerve pain from diabetes can be treated with faecal transplants

13 July 2023

Faecal transplants alleviated nerve pain in people with diabetes, suggesting gut bacteria may play a role in causing such pain


Hadza people with bows and arrows

Hunter-gatherers in Tanzania have incredibly diverse gut microbiomes

21 June 2023

The huge diversity of the gut microbiome of Hadza hunter-gatherers from Tanzania hints at how industrialisation has influenced the variety of people’s internal microbe communities


Keto diet may treat epilepsy by changing the gut microbiome

Keto diet may treat epilepsy by changing the gut microbiome

12 April 2023

Mice that received gut microbes from children with epilepsy on the ketogenic diet were protected from seizures. The finding suggests the microbiome is behind the diet's seizure-reducing effect


Faecalibacterium prausnitzii bacteria, illustration - Image ID: W0YJBD (RF)

Chronic fatigue syndrome linked to lower levels of some gut bacteria

8 February 2023

People with chronic fatigue syndrome have less of a kind of gut bacteria that produces inflammation-fighting molecules, suggesting a possible target for new treatments


People exercising

Your gut bacteria may influence how motivated you are to exercise

14 December 2022

A study conducted in mice suggests certain gut bacteria can regulate motivation to exercise by increasing dopamine levels in the brain during physical activity


Pain that affects the gut lining of mice may have some protective properties

Gut pain may help to maintain a healthy microbiome in mice

14 October 2022

Neurons that transmit pain signals in the gut lining of mice are linked to the production of mucus that may maintain a healthy microbiome


An artificial intelligence that analyses the microbiome and then recommends personalised diets may relieve chronic constipation more effectively that the standard treatment

AI that recommends diets based on the microbiome relieves constipation

15 August 2022

People with chronic constipation who ate an AI-recommended diet for six weeks had an average 2.5-fold increase in weekly complete bowel movements


Computer artwork showing how irritable bowel syndrome affects the digestive tract

Faecal transplants ease irritable bowel syndrome for three years

28 June 2022

Two-thirds of people with IBS who received a stool transplant from a donor with a healthier mix of gut microbes had fewer symptoms and better quality of life three years later


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