Fermented foods sustain both microbiomes and cultural heritage

From kimchi to kombucha and sauerkraut to sourdough, many traditional food staples across cultures make use of fermentation. And these variations are reflected in your microbiome.

Joseph Orkin, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Université de Montréal • conversation
April 17, 2024 • ~8 min

Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research

Most infection prevention guidelines center on the hospital environment rather than the patient. But the source of antibiotic-resistant microbes is often from the patient’s own body.

Chloe Bryson-Cahn, Associate Professor of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of Washington • conversation
April 10, 2024 • ~9 min

Salty foods are making people sick − in part by poisoning their microbiomes

Salt is an essential nutrient that has helped civilizations flavor and preserve their foods for millennia. Too much dietary salt, however, is linked to a host of health problems.

Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington • conversation
March 12, 2024 • ~10 min

Bacteria in your gut can improve your mood − new research in mice tries to zero in on the crucial strains

The organisms living in your gut microbiome can influence your mental and physical health. Researchers have developed a way to better test for those biological effects.

Andrea Merchak, Postdoctoral Associate in Neuroscience, University of Florida • conversation
Feb. 15, 2024 • ~7 min

Your unique smell can provide clues about how healthy you are

The science of smell is an exciting area of research.

Aoife Morrin, Associate Professor of Analytical Chemistry, Dublin City University • conversation
Feb. 9, 2024 • ~7 min

Your body already has a built-in weight loss system that works like Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro – food and your gut microbiome

Weight loss and diabetes drugs target regulatory pathways involved in metabolism that the microbes in your gut and certain molecules from food already play a key role in regulating.

Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington • conversation
Jan. 16, 2024 • ~7 min

Your microbes live on after you die − a microbiologist explains how your necrobiome recycles your body to nourish new life

With the help of the microbes that once played an essential role in keeping you alive, the building blocks of your body go on to become a part of other living things.

Jennifer DeBruyn, Professor of Environmental Microbiology, University of Tennessee • conversation
Sept. 28, 2023 • ~8 min

Acne bacteria trigger cells to produce fats, oils and other lipids essential to skin health – new research

Bacteria and lipids get a bad rap for causing breakouts and oily skin. But both play an essential role in helping your skin barrier stay strong against pathogens and insults from the environment.

Samia Almoughrabie, Postdoctoral Researcher in Dermatology, University of California, San Diego • conversation
Aug. 23, 2023 • ~5 min

Gut microbes are the community within you that you can't live without – how eating well can cultivate your microbial and social self

Nurturing your gut microbiome can go hand in hand with nurturing your social community, with health benefits all around.

Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington • conversation
Aug. 11, 2023 • ~9 min

Fiber is your body's natural guide to weight management – rather than cutting carbs out of your diet, eat them in their original fiber packaging instead

Many processed foods strip carbs of their natural fibers. Eating foods with an ideal total carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio can help with weight management and improve overall health.

Christopher Damman, Associate Professor of Gastroenterology, School of Medicine, University of Washington • conversation
July 3, 2023 • ~8 min

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