Blog — microbiome

The Truth Behind ‘Gut Feelings’  Sometimes, I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach when something huge is about to take place. It’s happened ever since I was a kid. It can sometimes be caused by dread, by excitement, by nerves, happiness or sadness. For years I thought it was unique to me; this gut feeling. As it turns out, it’s a feeling; a sensation and almost a knowing that all of us have. It all comes down to the existence of a network of neurons (about 100 million) that line our guts and have resulted in the...

Fermented Foods and Bone Broth – A Winning Combination There was a time when processed foods weren’t even a twinkle… When traditionally prepared foods like fermented vegetables and bone broth were the most commonly consumed meals. Fermented foods are not only an effective method of food preservation, but offer fantastic intestinal support and are great for overall health. Food fermentation is a highly valued, ancient art. People of the Roman era, Ancient Indians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Swedish and various Asian cultures all consumed fermented foods for centuries. Many modern illnesses were virtually non-existent in these times, so it makes sense that...

Written by Ana Belo Van Wijk, PHD for Multiple Selerosis News, Study Generates New Piece of Puzzle on Role of Gut Microbiota Researchers found a significant increase in some types of gut bacteria and lower levels of an anti-inflammatory factor in untreated multiple sclerosis twins. The study offered working evidence that components of gut microbiota contribute to autoimmune diseases like MS. Researchers published their article in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It was titled Gut microbiota from multiple sclerosis patients enables spontaneous autoimmune encephalomyelitis in mice.  Our gut contains millions of good bacteria, fungi, bacteria-like archaea,...

Article written by Dr. Francis Collins - National Institute of Health Many people still regard bacteria and other microbes just as disease-causing germs. But it's a lot more complicated than that. In fact, it's become increasingly clear that the healthy human body is teeming with microorganisms, many of which play essential roles in our metabolism, our immune response, and even our mental health. We are not just an organism, we are a 'superorganism' made up of human cells and microbial cells' and the microbes outnumber us! Fueling this new understanding is NIH's Human Microbiome Project (HMP), a quest begun a...