Digestion News and Research

RSS

Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components, to a form that can be absorbed, for instance, into a blood stream. Digestion is a form of catabolism; a break-down of macro food molecules to smaller ones.

New technique measures antioxidant capacities of citrus juices

The antioxidant activity of citrus juices and other foods is undervalued. A new technique developed by researchers from the University of Granada for measuring this property generates values that are ten times higher than those indicated by current analysis methods. The results suggest that tables on the antioxidant capacities of food products that dieticians and health authorities use must be revised.

5 Dec 2014

SAFit-ligands provide foundation for novel treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders

The FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) is an established risk factor for stress-related psychiatric disorders such as major depression. Drug discovery for FKBP51 has been hampered by the inability to pharmacologically differentiate against the very similar functional counterplayer FKBP52.

3 Dec 2014

New Mayo Clinic study shows impact of long-term use of proton pump inhibitors

Before reaching for that daily antacid, you might consider what it's doing to the trillions of bugs living in your gut. A new Mayo Clinic study in the open access journal Microbiome shows that people who regularly take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have less diversity among their gut bacteria, putting them at increased risk for infections like clostridium difficile and pneumonia, in addition to vitamin deficiencies and bone fractures.

25 Nov 2014

Five simple steps to reduce type-2 diabetes

There are 29 million U.S. adults diagnosed with diabetes and an additional 1 in 3 diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Diabetes is a serious disease which can result in serious health complications including nerve damage, vision loss, heart disease, and kidney failure, to name a few.

11 Nov 2014

Study identifies new targets for developing novel treatment for alcohol dependence

Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract fulfill many vital functions and are critical for digestion. Yet, these same bacteria can induce strong inflammatory responses by the immune system if they penetrate the gut and enter the bloodstream.

31 Oct 2014

Obeticholic acid drug shows promise against bile acid diarrhoea

A pilot study testing a new type of drug in patients with chronic diarrhoea has shown promising effects on reducing their symptoms.

21 Oct 2014

Autonomic dysfunction highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease, regardless of age, disease duration

New findings from The Parkinson Alliance (PA) survey entitled "Autonomic Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease With and Without Deep Brain Stimulation" show that autonomic dysfunction was highly prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD), regardless of age and disease duration.

20 Oct 2014

Parkinson's disease can migrate from gut to brain, shows research

Parkinson's disease is strongly linked to the degeneration of the brain's movement center. In the last decade, the question of where the disease begins has led researchers to a different part of the human anatomy.

13 Oct 2014

Diet may influence susceptibility to autoinflammatory bone disease in at-risk individuals

Diet-induced changes in the gut's bacterial ecosystem can alter susceptibility to an autoinflammatory bone disease by modifying the immune response, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists reported. The findings appeared September 28 as an advanced online publication of the scientific journal Nature.

3 Oct 2014

Postmenopausal women with diverse gut bacteria exhibit more favorable ratio of estrogen metabolites

Postmenopausal women with diverse gut bacteria exhibit a more favorable ratio of estrogen metabolites, which is associated with reduced risk for breast cancer, compared to women with less microbial variation, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

12 Sep 2014

Dell, Terascala and TGen to install genomic data management solution at NCI

Dell, Terascala and the Translational Genomics Research Institute are installing state-of-the-art computing and programing specialized for human genome investigations at the National Cancer Institute.

10 Sep 2014

Weak spot in complex life cycle of malaria could prevent spread of deadly disease

A new study has revealed a weak spot in the complex life cycle of malaria, which could be exploited to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

10 Sep 2014

BIOCRATES launches first-ever bile acids kit based on targeted metabolite quantitation

Austrian BIOCRATES Life Sciences AG, internationally renowned developer and marketer of innovative targeted metabolomics solutions, further expands its range of metabolomics-based kits with the addition of its assay for the determination of endogenous bile acids, allowing a panel of up to 19 analytes to be simultaneously quantitated from a single 10 µL sample of human or mouse plasma.

1 Sep 2014

AbbVie CF Scholarship program presents annual academic awards to 40 student scholars

AbbVie today announced the 40 outstanding students with cystic fibrosis (CF) who will each receive $2,500 to pursue their undergraduate or graduate school education during the 2014-2015 school year through the AbbVie CF Scholarship program.

19 Aug 2014

Researchers examine skin creams that contains toxic mercury much faster than before

As countries try to rid themselves of toxic mercury pollution, some people are slathering and even injecting creams containing the metal onto or under their skin to lighten it, putting themselves and others at risk for serious health problems.

13 Aug 2014

New disposable device may help doctors to monitor post-operative ileus

A disposal, plastic listening device that attaches to the abdomen may help doctors definitively determine which post-operative patients should be fed and which should not, an invention that may improve outcomes, decrease healthcare costs and shorten hospital stays, according to a UCLA study.

8 Aug 2014

Experts explain pros and cons of over-the-counter enzymes

Enzyme supplements available without a prescription are becoming increasingly popular, but should everyone add them to their shopping list? Brent Bauer, M.D., director of the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, is co-author of a new paper in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings on the pros and cons of over-the-counter enzymes.

5 Aug 2014

Consumption of resistant starch may help reduce colorectal cancer risk linked with high red meat diet

Consumption of a type of starch that acts like fiber may help reduce colorectal cancer risk associated with a high red meat diet, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

4 Aug 2014

Bacteria that aid in digestion help keep intestinal lining intact

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that bacteria that aid in digestion help keep the intestinal lining intact.