Microbiome

The gut microbiome plays a key role in supporting overall health.

In recent years, growing research has revealed that the microbes living in and on our bodies may have profound influences on health. The human microbiome encompasses all the microbes associated with the human body, including gut, skin, respiratory tract, urogenital tract and other body sites. While the term microbiota refers to the microorganisms themselves (which may include bacteria, fungi and viruses), the term microbiome includes the microorganisms along with their collective genomes and metabolites (the molecules they produce).

Inside the gut, normal microbial residents as well as the microbes we eat are constantly interacting with our human cells, including cells of the gut wall and immune system. Beneficial interactions can reinforce the barrier function of the intestinal lining, decreasing passage of bacteria or outside substances from the intestine into the bloodstream, and serve to stimulate the immune system for optimal functioning. Not all actions of the microbiome are positive, however, and some microbial activities are thought to contribute to poor health. Research is underway to determine which gut microbes lead to which health outcomes, and how to modify them to support better health.

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  • Archive Highlight: Human milk oligosaccharides in the infant gut, with Dr. Simone Renwick PhD
    In this episode, the ISAPP hosts discuss human milk and the infant gut with Dr. Simone Renwick PhD from Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence (MOMI CORE) at UC San Diego, USA. Dr. Renwick talks about her work investigating how communities of microbes versus individual microbes in the infant gut metabolize human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) structures,…

  • Interactions of polyphenols in the gut, with Prof. Yves Desjardins PhD
    This episode features Prof. Yves Desjardins PhD from Laval University in Canada. Prof. Desjardins, an agrologist by training, explains that polyphenols are metabolites synthesized by plants and present in the plant foods we consume. When humans consume polyphenols, we absorb a small fraction (around 5%) of them in the upper gastrointestinal tract, but most of…

  • The interplay between gut microbiota, diet, and circadian rhythms, with Dr. Vanessa Leone PhD
    This episode features Dr. Vanessa Leone PhD from the University of Wisconsin – Madison on how gut microbes and eating patterns impact the host circadian system and overall health. In mouse models, Dr. Leone has found that in a 24-hour period, minor changes occur in the composition of the gut microbiota, while more important changes…

  • New paper summarizes current findings from global research on the vaginal microbiota
    Knowledge about the vaginal microbiota is important for women’s health worldwide, but the majority of the research to date has…

  • Gut microbes and other drivers of inflammation in Parkinson’s disease, with Prof. Malú Tansey PhD and Dr. Andrea Merchak PhD
    This episode features Prof. Malú Tansey PhD and colleague Dr. Andrea Merchak PhD from the University of Florida, USA, discussing neuroinflammation and the role of gut microbes in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other neurodegenerative diseases. “Inflammaging” tends to occur as aging progresses, but the links that have been made between the gut and the brain…

  • ISAPP panel concludes that more evidence is needed to determine whether probiotics help restore an antibiotic-disrupted microbiota
    By Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders PhD, Mary Ellen Sanders LLC, Colorado, USA, Dr. Hania Szajewska MD, Medical University of Warsaw,…

  • Using a microbiota-gut-brain axis on a microfluidic chip to gain insights into neurodegenerative diseases, with Prof. Kerensa Broersen PhD
    This episode features Prof. Kerensa Broersen PhD from University of Twente in the Netherlands, speaking about using an innovative model of the microbiota-gut-brain axis to learn about neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Prof. Broersen says that while clinical studies are applicable to human health and animal models have great physiological complexity, her lab focuses…

  • Archive Highlight: New evidence on the virome in gut-brain communication and stress, with Nathaniel Ritz and Thomaz Bastiaanssen
    Continuing our series on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, we are highlighting Episode 34 from our archives. 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….

  • Planning a Biotics Study? New Publication Recommends Adding Diet as a Variable
    Both dietary patterns and specific foods are known to affect the digestive tract environment, either directly or indirectly (for example, by shaping the gut microbiome), and are therefore of interest as potential factors in the response of an individual to a biotic intervention.

  • How the maternal microbiome influences offspring neurodevelopment, with Dr. Eldin Jašarević PhD
    This episode features Dr. Eldin Jašarević PhD from University of Pittsburgh discussing research that investigates how maternal signals influence the…