Microbiome News and Research

Latest Microbiome News and Research

Urine-based autism screening using gut microbial metabolites

Elevated gut microbe metabolites may distinguish children with autism, paving the way for a non-invasive urine test and a new ASD subtype linked to microbiome.

29 May 2026

Gut microbes may reveal who is at risk of type 2 diabetes years before diagnosis

A large Swedish prospective cohort study found that specific gut microbial species and metabolic pathways measured years before diagnosis were associated with future type 2 diabetes risk. The findings suggest that gut microbiome composition and functional potential may help explain T2D development, but replication is needed before clinical use.

28 May 2026

Gut changes linger years after polyp removal and may signal colorectal cancer risk

Researchers found that women who had undergone colorectal adenoma resection still showed gut microbiome and fecal metabolome alterations an average of about 12 years later. These persistent changes partly resembled colorectal cancer-associated patterns, suggesting that the host-microbiome axis may remain altered along the adenoma-cancer continuum.

28 May 2026

How common spices may improve gut, brain, and metabolic health

The health effects of spices are explored, revealing their potential to influence blood sugar, inflammation, and brain function through various mechanisms.

28 May 2026

Gut microbiota may determine severity of life-threatening sepsis infections

Why do some people recover easily from bacterial infections while others rapidly deteriorate into life-threatening sepsis? According to a new study, the answer may lie not only in the invading pathogen itself, but also in the microorganisms already living inside the gut.

28 May 2026

How do everyday spices help protect the heart?

A Nutrition Reviews supplement article reviewed controlled studies showing that culinary spice and herb blends may improve selected cardiometabolic risk markers, including post-meal triglycerides, insulin responses, inflammation, endothelial function, and 24-hour blood pressure. The review also highlighted exploratory evidence that spices and herbs may influence immune-cell activity, circulating phytochemical metabolites, and gut bacterial composition, while emphasizing the need for longer and more diverse studies.

27 May 2026

New mathematical model tracks microbial contribution to human digestion

Food labels make calories seem simple. They show the number of calories per serving, which is calculated based on how much fat, carbohydrates and protein the food contains.

27 May 2026

Aging immune system may destabilize the gut microbiome balance

Why does the gut microbiome lose its balance as we age? Researchers at the Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) in Jena now present a new explanation in a paper published in "PLoS Biology".

27 May 2026

Can AI help build a fairer food system from farm to plate?

AI could help make food systems more personalized and climate-resilient by linking nutrition, health, farming, logistics, and sustainability data. The review highlights promise in precision nutrition, vertical farming, traceability, and smarter supply chains, while warning that privacy, equity, energy use, data silos, and governance gaps must be addressed.

27 May 2026

Persistent gut microbiome changes linked to sustained colorectal cancer risk

More than a decade after removal of an adenoma-a precancerous mass-from the colon, alterations to the gut microbiome and metabolites remain and may drive heightened risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

27 May 2026

Urine test may help identify autism risk in children

A simple urine test may help identify children at risk for autism sooner than current assessments - opening the door for earlier diagnosis and treatment, and better long-term outcomes for children who do have autism spectrum disorder.

26 May 2026

Yoga and meditation show promise for gut health

This systematic review found that yoga and Buddhist meditation were associated with favorable gut microbiota and metabolite profiles in four human studies involving healthy adults. However, because participants largely followed vegetarian or vegan diets and no randomized controlled trials were included, the findings cannot prove that meditation alone reshapes the gut microbiome.

24 May 2026

RNA modifications shape gut immunity and intestinal macrophage function

A new perspective on gut immunity is highlighting the powerful role of RNA modifications in shaping how the body maintains balance in the digestive system.

24 May 2026

Internal mutations and microbes may drive a distinct subtype of oral cancer

A new study reveals that many oral cancers are no longer driven by traditional risk factors like smoking or Human papillomavirus infection.

22 May 2026

What medicine-exposed rats reveal about the next urban zoonotic threat

Researchers found that more than half of urban rats sampled from low-income communities in Salvador, Brazil, carried active pharmaceutical ingredients in their brain tissue. These pollutants were associated with altered zoonotic infection patterns, including lower Leptospira infection probability in rats carrying azithromycin and higher Capillaria infection probability in rats carrying citalopram.

22 May 2026

Minimal exposure to modern medicine rapidly alters the human microbiome

Even minimal exposure to modern medicine can rapidly change the human microbiome. In a new study publishing May 20 in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports, researchers reveal that the gut microbes of remote Amazonian Indigenous communities began shifting toward patterns more commonly seen in urban, industrialized populations after only a few medical visits.

20 May 2026

Vitamin C may reduce cancer-linked digestive chemical reactions

A new study from the University of Waterloo uses mathematical modeling to examine how Vitamin C affects chemical reactions in the digestive system that are linked to cancer development.

20 May 2026

Methylene blue enhances hair follicle stem cell regeneration under stress

A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on May 5, 2026, titled "Methylene blue protects hair follicle stem cells from oxidative and metabolic stress to enhance hair regeneration."

19 May 2026

Gut microbiome metabolite butyrate relieves chronic jaw joint pain

Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain is associated with disrupted gut microbiome metabolites. Researchers reveal that butyrate, administered as tributyrin, alleviates pain by restoring histone acetylation and reversing gene regulatory changes in the brain.

18 May 2026

Body weight and genes directly alter gut microbiota composition

Your body weight and genes influence the types of bacteria you have in your gut. In turn, this appears to affect the risk of developing conditions such as coeliac disease and haemorrhoids.

18 May 2026