This research shows that 2′-fucosyllactose, a natural compound found in breast milk, can significantly improve gut health in older mice. The treatment strengthened the intestinal barrier, reduced harmful inflammation, and increased beneficial bacteria populations. These findings suggest that 2′-FL could be developed as a food supplement to help older people maintain better digestive and immune health.
This review explains how our diet affects both our gut bacteria and our mental health through the gut-brain axis, a communication system between our digestive system and brain. Mediterranean diets rich in fiber and healthy foods support beneficial bacteria and mental well-being, while Western diets high in processed foods harm gut health and increase obesity risk. Emotional eating driven by stress and depression worsens obesity, but targeted dietary interventions with prebiotics, probiotics, and fiber can help restore balance and improve both physical and mental health.
Wolfiporia cocos, a fungus used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years, contains polysaccharides that act as prebiotics to improve gut health. These polysaccharides promote the growth of beneficial bacteria while inhibiting harmful ones, increase production of healthy metabolites, and strengthen the intestinal barrier. By improving gut microbiota composition, these polysaccharides can help prevent and treat various diseases including obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory conditions.
Melanoidins are natural brown compounds formed when foods are cooked or fermented, found in items like roasted coffee, bread, and soy sauce. When eaten, these compounds pass through the stomach and small intestine unchanged, then are broken down by beneficial bacteria in the colon. This breakdown produces helpful substances that support gut health, reduce inflammation, and may help prevent digestive diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease.
Lycium barbarum, a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine for over 2000 years, contains special compounds called polysaccharides that boost the immune system. These compounds work by activating immune cells like macrophages and T cells, and can help fight infections and reduce inflammation. Research shows they may also help with conditions like arthritis, cancer, and gut health by acting as a natural prebiotic that promotes beneficial bacteria.
Sea buckthorn is an ancient medicinal plant containing hundreds of bioactive compounds that show promise in treating digestive diseases like stomach ulcers, colitis, and liver problems. This comprehensive review of 85 scientific studies found that sea buckthorn’s active ingredients work through multiple mechanisms including reducing inflammation, fighting harmful bacteria, protecting the intestinal lining, and balancing gut bacteria. The research suggests sea buckthorn could become a valuable natural supplement for digestive health, though more clinical trials are needed to confirm optimal doses and long-term effectiveness in humans.
This review explores how digestive enzymes like proteases and lipases work similarly to prebiotics—foods that feed beneficial bacteria in your gut. When animals consumed supplements of these enzymes, their gut bacteria became healthier, producing more beneficial compounds and showing improved intestinal health. These findings suggest that fermented foods and raw foods containing natural digestive enzymes, as well as enzyme supplements, may help promote a healthy gut microbiome.
This research reveals that the types of fungi living in our gut are linked to fatty liver disease in ways we didn’t fully understand before. While researchers have long studied bacteria in our gut, they largely ignored fungi, which turns out to play an important role too. The study found that certain fungal species are more common in people with fatty liver disease, and these fungi influence the metabolites (chemical compounds) in the blood that affect liver health. By combining information about fungi, bacteria, and blood chemistry, scientists developed a test that could identify fatty liver disease with 77% accuracy, suggesting that looking at gut fungi could help doctors diagnose and treat this common liver condition.