Nutrition

News Watch

Despite their popularity, potatoes have a reputation for being an unhealthy food that is high in starchy carbohydrates. Work from the lab of Dr. Thomas Schmidt of the University of Michigan, however, offers some redemption for the humble potato. While potatoes are high in easily digestible starch that can lead to blood sugar spikes, they are also high in resistant…

Megan Mouw
Megan Mouw holds a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from McGill University (Canada). Driven by her experiences at UCSF medical center in San Francisco, Megan is passionate about the role that the gut microbiota plays in maintaining health and wellness. She is currently perusing graduate studies in Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology at the University of California Santa Cruz and hopes to share her love of science through writing.

Despite their popularity, potatoes have a reputation for being an unhealthy food that is high in starchy carbohydrates. Work from the lab of Dr. Thomas Schmidt of the University of Michigan, however, offers some redemption for the humble potato. While potatoes are high in easily digestible starch that can lead to blood sugar spikes, they are also high in resistant…

Megan Mouw
Megan Mouw holds a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from McGill University (Canada). Driven by her experiences at UCSF medical center in San Francisco, Megan is passionate about the role that the gut microbiota plays in maintaining health and wellness. She is currently perusing graduate studies in Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology at the University of California Santa Cruz and hopes to share her love of science through writing.

In Canada, 3,500 kids and their families are part of the CHILD Cohort Study, which is a large research project that is figuring out how the human microbiome influences allergies, asthma, obesity, and our everyday health and wellbeing, especially during childhood. Find out in the next video, produced by AllerGen NCE Inc., how the gut microbiota can be altered by many…

GMFH Editing Team
GMFH Editing Team

In Canada, 3,500 kids and their families are part of the CHILD Cohort Study, which is a large research project that is figuring out how the human microbiome influences allergies, asthma, obesity, and our everyday health and wellbeing, especially during childhood. Find out in the next video, produced by AllerGen NCE Inc., how the gut microbiota can be altered by many…

GMFH Editing Team
GMFH Editing Team

We all have heard that fiber is essential for our gut microbiota and therefore for our overall health, but does that mean that every time we eat a high-fiber snack we are actually feeding our gut bacteria the fiber it needs? Interviewed during the Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit held in Miami last March, Eric Martens, a researcher at…

Cristina Sáez
Cristina Saez is a freelance science journalist. She works for several media, for instance the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, where she coordinates the science section, Big Vang; as well as research centres and scientific societies. She has been awarded for her journalistic work, among others, with the Boehringer Ingelheim Award in Medical Journalism 2015. Follow Cristina on Twitter @saez_cristina

We all have heard that fiber is essential for our gut microbiota and therefore for our overall health, but does that mean that every time we eat a high-fiber snack we are actually feeding our gut bacteria the fiber it needs? Interviewed during the Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit held in Miami last March, Eric Martens, a researcher at…

Cristina Sáez
Cristina Saez is a freelance science journalist. She works for several media, for instance the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, where she coordinates the science section, Big Vang; as well as research centres and scientific societies. She has been awarded for her journalistic work, among others, with the Boehringer Ingelheim Award in Medical Journalism 2015. Follow Cristina on Twitter @saez_cristina

In this video proposed by GMFH, we talked to Boston-based registered dietitian Kate Scarlata about how gut microbiota influences our health and our wellbeing. “Irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease —even anxiety and depression— have all been linked to changes in the gut microbiome,” recalls Kate Scarlata. She also explains that most people are not eating enough fiber (food…

GMFH Editing Team
GMFH Editing Team

In this video proposed by GMFH, we talked to Boston-based registered dietitian Kate Scarlata about how gut microbiota influences our health and our wellbeing. “Irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease —even anxiety and depression— have all been linked to changes in the gut microbiome,” recalls Kate Scarlata. She also explains that most people are not eating enough fiber (food…

GMFH Editing Team
GMFH Editing Team

Think about this: from the moment you are conceived until you are 1000 days old, your growth is exponential, faster than in any other period of life. For the first 9 months, you go from two cells to a newborn measuring 50cm in length and 3 kg weight. Then, between birth and 3 years of age, your body size doubles…

Cristina Sáez
Cristina Saez is a freelance science journalist. She works for several media, for instance the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, where she coordinates the science section, Big Vang; as well as research centres and scientific societies. She has been awarded for her journalistic work, among others, with the Boehringer Ingelheim Award in Medical Journalism 2015. Follow Cristina on Twitter @saez_cristina

Think about this: from the moment you are conceived until you are 1000 days old, your growth is exponential, faster than in any other period of life. For the first 9 months, you go from two cells to a newborn measuring 50cm in length and 3 kg weight. Then, between birth and 3 years of age, your body size doubles…

Cristina Sáez
Cristina Saez is a freelance science journalist. She works for several media, for instance the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, where she coordinates the science section, Big Vang; as well as research centres and scientific societies. She has been awarded for her journalistic work, among others, with the Boehringer Ingelheim Award in Medical Journalism 2015. Follow Cristina on Twitter @saez_cristina

Research & Practice

The source of variation in the composition and function of the microbiome within and between species is yet to be fully understood. Although genetic background and diet have been suggested as major drivers of gut microbiome composition, the role of genetics versus environmental factors in driving gut microbiome variation in closely related primates remains unclear. A new study by Dr.…

GMFH Editing Team
GMFH Editing Team

The source of variation in the composition and function of the microbiome within and between species is yet to be fully understood. Although genetic background and diet have been suggested as major drivers of gut microbiome composition, the role of genetics versus environmental factors in driving gut microbiome variation in closely related primates remains unclear. A new study by Dr.…

GMFH Editing Team
GMFH Editing Team

Imbalances in the small intestinal microbiome can drive clinical consequences in the form of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), characterized by higher numbers of bacteria and a distribution more commonly associated with the colon. In recent times, SIBO has been recognized as a frequent cause of common gastrointestinal conditions that share risk factors such as maldigestion and malabsorption. Methods used…

GMFH Editing Team
GMFH Editing Team

Imbalances in the small intestinal microbiome can drive clinical consequences in the form of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), characterized by higher numbers of bacteria and a distribution more commonly associated with the colon. In recent times, SIBO has been recognized as a frequent cause of common gastrointestinal conditions that share risk factors such as maldigestion and malabsorption. Methods used…

GMFH Editing Team
GMFH Editing Team

Different environmental factors may shape human gut microbiome variation. Although diet has a major influence on gut microbiome shifts within an individual, at population level, diet contributes little to gut microbiome variation. Although our gut microbiome might contribute to interindividual variability in response to diet, close monitoring of how temporal variation in diet alters gut microbiome composition and stability at…

Andreu Prados
Andreu Prados holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy & Human Nutrition and Dietetics. Science writer specialised in gut microbiota and probiotics, working also as lecturer and consultant in nutrition and healthcare. Follow Andreu on Twitter @andreuprados

Different environmental factors may shape human gut microbiome variation. Although diet has a major influence on gut microbiome shifts within an individual, at population level, diet contributes little to gut microbiome variation. Although our gut microbiome might contribute to interindividual variability in response to diet, close monitoring of how temporal variation in diet alters gut microbiome composition and stability at…

Andreu Prados
Andreu Prados holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy & Human Nutrition and Dietetics. Science writer specialised in gut microbiota and probiotics, working also as lecturer and consultant in nutrition and healthcare. Follow Andreu on Twitter @andreuprados

Specific dietary modifications have been an area of focus to treat a myriad of diseases such as obesity and IBS. However, the individual response to dietary interventions can vary greatly, partly due to our unique gut microbiota compositions. Personalized nutrition is a promising area of research that aims to predict physiological response to dietary interventions based on a person's gut microbial…

Allison Clark
Allison Clark has a master in nutrition and health from Open University in Barcelona and a master in journalism. She is a freelance writer and nutritionist and has written various peer review papers about the role the gut microbiota plays in health, disease and endurance exercise performance. Allison is passionate about the role diet and the gut microbiota play in health and disease. Follow her on Twitter @Heal_your_Gut

Specific dietary modifications have been an area of focus to treat a myriad of diseases such as obesity and IBS. However, the individual response to dietary interventions can vary greatly, partly due to our unique gut microbiota compositions. Personalized nutrition is a promising area of research that aims to predict physiological response to dietary interventions based on a person's gut microbial…

Allison Clark
Allison Clark has a master in nutrition and health from Open University in Barcelona and a master in journalism. She is a freelance writer and nutritionist and has written various peer review papers about the role the gut microbiota plays in health, disease and endurance exercise performance. Allison is passionate about the role diet and the gut microbiota play in health and disease. Follow her on Twitter @Heal_your_Gut

Many consumers and healthcare providers are aware that certain probiotics may be beneficial for health. But they sometimes have difficulty identifying high quality products in the marketplace. What is a high quality probiotic product? It contains microbial strains that are properly identified, characterized and quantified, it meets specifications for purity, it is safe for its intended use, and it is…

Mary Ellen Sanders
Mary Ellen Sanders is a consultant in the area of probiotic microbiology, with special expertise on paths to scientific substantiation of probiotic product label claims. Dr. Sanders served as the founding president of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) and is currently the organization’s Director of Scientific Affairs/ Executive Officer. This international, non-profit association of academic and industrial scientists is dedicated to advancing the science of probiotics and prebiotics (www.isapp.net). Through numerous written, oral and video pieces, including a website, www.usprobiotics.org, she strives to provide objective, evidence-based information on probiotics for consumers and professionals. Key activities include: Panels to determine GRAS status of probiotic strains ; member of the American Gastroenterological Association Scientific Advisory Board for AGA Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education ; World Gastroenterology Organisation Committee preparing practice guidelines for the use of probiotics and prebiotics for GI indications (2008, 2011, 2014) ; working group convened by the FAO/WHO that developed guidelines for probiotics (2002).

Many consumers and healthcare providers are aware that certain probiotics may be beneficial for health. But they sometimes have difficulty identifying high quality products in the marketplace. What is a high quality probiotic product? It contains microbial strains that are properly identified, characterized and quantified, it meets specifications for purity, it is safe for its intended use, and it is…

Mary Ellen Sanders
Mary Ellen Sanders is a consultant in the area of probiotic microbiology, with special expertise on paths to scientific substantiation of probiotic product label claims. Dr. Sanders served as the founding president of the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) and is currently the organization’s Director of Scientific Affairs/ Executive Officer. This international, non-profit association of academic and industrial scientists is dedicated to advancing the science of probiotics and prebiotics (www.isapp.net). Through numerous written, oral and video pieces, including a website, www.usprobiotics.org, she strives to provide objective, evidence-based information on probiotics for consumers and professionals. Key activities include: Panels to determine GRAS status of probiotic strains ; member of the American Gastroenterological Association Scientific Advisory Board for AGA Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education ; World Gastroenterology Organisation Committee preparing practice guidelines for the use of probiotics and prebiotics for GI indications (2008, 2011, 2014) ; working group convened by the FAO/WHO that developed guidelines for probiotics (2002).