Microbiome

Colourful picture of fungal spore colonising a macrophage

Health & Medicine

Why antibiotics give you thrush and other microbiome mishaps

Antibiotics cause an imbalance between fungi and bacteria in our microbiome. New ways of understanding this imbalance can help protect against serious disease

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Health & Medicine

The key to young-onset bowel cancer may be gut bacteria

We don’t yet understand why rates of bowel cancer have doubled in young people, but new research finds DNA damage caused by gut bacteria may be part of the puzzle

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Sciences & Technology

Postbiotics: the new kid in the gut health family

Joining prebiotics and probiotics is the latest concept in gut health, known as ‘postbiotics’. Here we explain what they are and why they’re important

How do organic and non-organic foods influence our gut microbiome? thumbnail image

Health & Medicine

How do organic and non-organic foods influence our gut microbiome?

The effect of organic and conventionally farmed foods on the gut microbiome remains unclear, indicating more research is needed into which foods are beneficial

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Arts & Culture

The microbiota and our mental health

Research is revealing the connection between our microbes and our mental health, suggesting that your ‘gut-feeling’ is not just metaphorical

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Health & Medicine

How to maintain a healthy biome in a COVID-19 world

COVID-19 has changed our lives, and although it may also be changing our microbiomes, there are many actions that we can take to support the microbes within and around us

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Health & Medicine

Are you taking care of the microbes in your mouth?

Our mouths contain billions of microbes. Increasing evidence suggests they are important for our oral and overall health, but modern diets are causing problems

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Sciences & Technology

Getting to know your microbiome better

Research into our gut microbiome – or our ‘second brain’ – has already produced vast amounts of data, but we are only scratching the surface of our own complex ecosystems

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Health & Medicine

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Podcast

Being bold in medical research

Professor Fabienne Mackay’s work led to the first new treatment for lupus, an autoimmune disease, in more than 50 years, but there is much more to do and she says researchers need to ask the big questions – and be prepared for surprises

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Health & Medicine

Ending anaemia in the developing world

Iron supplements may be the answer to tackling anaemia in poorer countries. Now major trials, including new intravenous treatments, will test the evidence