Can prebiotics benefit brain health in older adults? ISAPP experts weigh in on a recent study

With increasing age and frailty come changes in the gut microbiota – leading scientists to ask whether targeting the gut microbiota using prebiotics could contribute to healthier aging. Of particular interest is whether prebiotics have the potential to affect brain health and cognitive performance in older adults. An intervention study led by researchers at King’s […]

Episode 36: Uncovering the mechanisms of sorbitol intolerance, with Dr. Jee-Yon Lee MD PhD

This episode features Jee-Yon Lee MD PhD, assistant project scientist at the University of California Davis, USA, speaking about a recent paper on the mechanisms of sorbitol intolerance and the contributions of the gut microbiota. Dr. Lee explains how gut microbes in the large intestine can drive sorbitol intolerance, and how their research group designed […]

Should bacteriophages be considered as a member of the biotic family?

By Prof. Colin Hill PhD DSc, University College Cork, Ireland ISAPP has provided consensus definitions for a number of biotics that confer a health benefit on the host. These include prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics and postbiotics, but here I want to put forward an argument that bacteriophages (phages) could qualify as a new member of the […]

Episode 35: Investigating gut microbiome links to chronic diseases, with Dr. Purna Kashyap MBBS

In this episode, the ISAPP hosts discuss the gut microbiome’s role in chronic diseases with Dr. Purna Kashyap MBBS, from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Dr. Kashyap talks about how to discover the complex factors that trigger and perpetuate chronic diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, zeroing in on the gut microbiome as a […]

pigs in mud

The gut-brain axis in livestock animals: Is there a place for biotics in changing pig behavior?

By Prof. Seppo Salminen PhD, University of Turku, Finland When pigs are kept as livestock, ‘manipulative behaviour’ is relatively common and it most often consists of biting, touching, or close contact with ears or tails of pen mates, without always resulting in visible wounds. Such pig behavior can cause stress and sometimes results in physical […]

Woman holding yogurt. In the US, yogurt now has an approved Qualified Health Claim.

A guide to the new FDA Qualified Health Claim for yogurt

Fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi, and fermented pickles have traditionally been associated with health benefits in countries around the world, but the science that backs these health benefits is relatively new. Amidst a growing number of scientific studies examining the health benefits of specific fermented foods, a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcement […]

Episode 34: New evidence on the virome in gut-brain communication and stress, with Nathaniel Ritz and Thomaz Bastiaanssen

In this episode, the ISAPP hosts discuss a new study on how the gut virome affects the host during stress, with Nathaniel (Nate) Ritz from the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, USA and Thomaz Bastiaanssen from APC Microbiome Ireland. The guests give an overview of the microbiota-gut-brain axis, then delve into a new study […]

Episode 33: From probiotic mechanisms to applications, with Prof. Graciela Lorca PhD

This episode, we discuss how to advance from probiotic mechanisms to human applications, with Prof. Graciela Lorca PhD at the University of Florida in Gainesville, USA. Prof. Lorca talks about her experiences seeking out the mechanisms of action of a probiotic – including which molecules from bacteria may have beneficial effects – and bringing a […]

Fermented Food Microbiology Researcher in Mohali, India Receives 2024 Gregor Reid Award for Outstanding Scholars in Developing Nations

ISAPP’s board of directors is happy to announce the 2024 winner of the Gregor Reid Award for Outstanding Scholars in Developing Nations: Dr. Rounak Chourasia PhD, a research associate at the National Agri-food Biotechnology Institute in Mohali, Punjab (India). Dr. Chourasia’s work focuses on discovering microorganisms with specific properties that contribute to the enhanced health […]

Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis Researcher in Belgium Receives ISAPP’s 2024 Glenn Gibson Early Career Researcher Award

The ISAPP selection committee for the Glenn Gibson Early Career Researcher Award is pleased to announce that Dr. Boushra Dalile PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at KU Leuven (Belgium), is the recipient of this year’s award. Dr. Dalile is a researcher who moved from studying psychology and cognitive neuroscience into biomedical sciences, completing her PhD in […]