Digestion News and Research

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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.

Researchers design E. coli-based transport capsule to help fight pneumococcal disease

Most people recoil at the thought of ingesting E. coli. But what if the headline-grabbing bacteria could be used to fight disease?

4 Jul 2016

Delivery mode, exposure to antibiotics and feeding method linked to change in baby's microbial communities

Birth by C-section, exposure to antibiotics and formula feeding slow the development and decrease the diversity of a baby's microbes through the first year of life. That is the finding of a study led by researchers from NYU Langone Medical Center and published June 15 in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

17 Jun 2016

Cells grown from pluripotent stem cells can pair with heart muscle cells to stimulate contractions

Researchers at Johns Hopkins report that a type of lab-grown human nerve cells can partner with heart muscle cells to stimulate contractions.

17 Jun 2016

Minimal zinc deficiency can impede human and animal health

The trace element zinc has an impact on the essential metabolic functions of most living organisms. New research carried out by the Chair of Animal Nutrition at the Technical University of Munich has found that even minimal zinc deficiency impairs digestion, albeit without any typical symptoms such as skin problems or fatigue.

10 Jun 2016

More effective absorption with a pioneering oral vitamin spray

What a difference a spray makes when it comes to effectively absorbing key nutrients, say health pioneers BetterYou following the BBC’s 'The Truth About Healthy Eating' programme which aired last week (2 June).

From BetterYou Ltd 7 Jun 2016

Scientists find tiny organisms in upper female reproductive tract once thought to be sterile

They're inside our gut, on the skin, and in the mouth. Thousands of different types of micro-organisms live in and on the body, playing helpful roles in digestion or in aiding the body's natural defense system.

6 Jun 2016

New study sheds light on link between gut microbiome and the brain

Intestinal bacteria that can boost bravery or trigger multiple sclerosis: An increasing body of research results confirms the importance of the "gut-brain axis" for neurology and indicates that the triggers for a number of neurological diseases may be located in the digestive tract.

30 May 2016

Majority of young adults with abdominal obesity unaware of CKD risk

Many young adults with abdominal obesity exhibit a readily detectable risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet the vast majority don't know they're at risk, according to a study of nationwide health data led by Albert Einstein College of Medicine researchers that was published online today in the journal PLOS ONE.

26 May 2016

High levels of secretin hormone may play vital role in management of chronic liver diseases

High levels of a digestive hormone called secretin may play an important role in the management of certain chronic liver diseases, according to new research published in the journal Hepatology. These findings could result in new ways to treat cholestatic liver diseases, a condition that impairs the movement of bile, the fluid produced by the liver to digest fats.

18 May 2016

Food components can have significant influence on immune system

An international team of researchers under the leadership of the LIMES Institute and the excellence cluster ImmunoSensation of the University of Bonn unraveled a new regulatory mechanism how food components and environmental factors influence the immune system.

18 May 2016

Pathogen-selective approach to antibiotic development less disruptive to gut microbiome

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists report the first evidence that a pathogen-specific antibiotic was less disruptive to the gut microbiome than broad-spectrum antibiotics.

10 May 2016

Scientists identify underlying cause of immune suppression in people with high level spinal cord injuries

Scientists report in Nature Neuroscience they have identified an underlying cause of dangerous immune suppression in people with high level spinal cord injuries and they propose a possible treatment.

19 Apr 2016

Newly developed implantable device can deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to pancreatic tumors

Pancreatic cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, in part because it is very difficult for chemotherapy drugs to reach the pancreas, which is located deep within the abdomen.

16 Apr 2016

BodyGuard wearable patch product shows superiority to common NSAID treatments in restoring joint function

Perth skin science technology company OBJ Limited is set to revolutionise treatment of joint injuries and osteoarthritis after its BodyGuard wearable patch product proved its superiority to the world-leading non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug product Voltaren.

31 Mar 2016

Kanazawa University researchers identify molecular mechanism that links liver disease and obesity

Kanazawa University researchers find similarities in the impeded signalling between central insulin activity and glucose production in the liver for both obese mice and mice that have had the vagus nerve removed.

16 Mar 2016

MU researchers discover microbiome that may be linked to male reproductive disorders

Research shows that bacteria can be beneficial to body processes such as digestion; however, some bacteria housed in the human body may cause disease. These specialized communities of bacteria in the body are known as microbiomes.

15 Mar 2016

Bilberries can be utilised in food products to boost dietary fibre intake

Bilberries - a unique part of the Nordic diet - could be utilised in higher amounts in food products to increase our dietary fibre intake. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd took an interest in bilberry press cake and developed methods to use it as a dietary fibre source in tasty snacks.

9 Mar 2016

Thermo Fisher exhibits new UHPLC-MS workflow solutions for biopharmaceutical characterization at Pittcon 2016

Biopharmaceutical companies can now achieve advanced levels of specificity, sensitivity and speed with specialized analytical workflow solutions for the characterization and quantification of proteins.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. 9 Mar 2016

Changes in gut bacteria strongly associated with PCOS-related obesity

Modifying gut bacteria could be a treatment option for some of the symptoms associated with the widespread disease polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a recent study by San Diego State University researchers in collaboration with investigators from the University of California, San Diego.

8 Mar 2016

NUS scientists formulate recipe for making healthier bread

A team of food scientists from the National University of Singapore has successfully formulated a recipe for making healthier bread by adding a natural plant pigment, called anthocyanin, extracted from black rice. This new bread option gets digested at a slower rate - hence improving blood glucose control - and is high in antioxidants, among other health benefits.

26 Feb 2016