Gut Summit 2013: impressions from the third day

Gut microbiome-targeted interventions are being explored as means of improving cognitive performance. A new meta-analysis of 22 randomized controlled studies has found no significant effect on improving cognition for probiotics, prebiotics and fermented foods, whether alone or used in combination.

Host lifestyle and diet are known to have a significant impact on the gut microbiome. A large observational study across 3400 individuals shows that, beyond interindividual variability, gut microbiome heterogeneity may play a role in individual responses to diet, lifestyle and medication.

How the enteric nervous system interacts with surrounding host and microbial cells is largely unknown, mainly due to the limitations of available methodologies for studying enteric neurons. A recent study provides new insights into enteric nervous system cells from both the mouse and human intestine.