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Microbiota Affect Your Nervous System Via a Gut-Brain Circuit
Researchers published in the journal Nature analyzed the gut-brain connection in mice and found that there is evidence of sympathetic nervous system activation outside of the gut and that it is controlled by microbiota via a gut-brain circuit.
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Rituals are Life Hacks for Stress Reduction
For many, having to quarantine has produced anxiety. One finding in a recent paper published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society suggests this could be due, in part, to the fact that our human rituals, like weddings, parades, and funerals, have been canceled. Dimitris Xygalatas, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of…
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Study Connects Biological Clock to Overeating and Obesity
In a study published in the journal Current Biology, Güler and his team explored the connection between the pleasure center of the brain and our internal biological clock. Looking at the 24/7 availability of high-calorie foods and how regular consumption and snacking can lead to obesity in mouse models. Güler and his team found that…
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A New Study Exposes the Mechanism Behind Sugar Cravings
A new paper published in the journal Nature has shown that the gut-to-brain activity of sweetness is specific to sugar molecules, but not artificial sweeteners. The sugar sensing pathway that was discovered by Charles Zuker, and his team, at Howard Hughes Medical Institute provides insight into the neural basis for sugar preferencing. Zuker urges us…
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High Dietary Fiber Intake Improves Overall Health
A review of studies and trials conducted over the last 40 years has shown that there is a link between eating more dietary fiber and whole grains and a lower risk of non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
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Why We Can’t Stop Putting Our Hand in the Candy Dish
A national team of researchers has identified a circuit in the brain that appears to regulate impulse control and be associated with psychiatric disorders ranging from overeating to drug abuse.
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The Mediterranean Diet Changes the Gut Microbiome in Older People
A new study investigated the role of the Mediterranean diet on the gut flora of an elderly group over one year, and the results showed an improvement in health outcomes and reduced frailty.
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Molecule Links Weight Gain to Gut Bacteria
UT Southwestern scientists have discovered a key driver behind the communication that helps synchronize nutrient absorption in the gut and the rhythms of the Earth’s day-night light cycle.
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Avocados Support Healthy Weight Management
Scientists have shown for the first time that a compound found only in avocados may inhibit processes in the pancreas that usually lead to diabetes and obesity.
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New Microbiome Study Has Major Implications For Weight Control
A new study has been published in Science by UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Lora Hooper, Chair of Immunology and her team discovered that “good bacteria” programs the metabolic rhythms of the body. More specifically, they found that a protein named deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) was activated by microbes. HDAC3 is a protein made by cells…