RESEARCH ALERT: The New Geography of the Gut

Investigators from Cedars-Sinai; the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF); Harvard University; and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel conducted a study to determine where individual nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine. For the first time, they identified the molecular markers that define five distinct intestinal regions.

Fungi That Live in the Gut Influence Health and Disease

Bacteria’s role in gut health has received a lot of attention in recent years. But new research publishing in Nature shows that fungi—another microorganism that lives within us—may be equally important in health and disease. Fungi thrive in the healthy gut, but when interactions with the immune system are off-balance, they cause intestinal damage that may contribute to gastrointestinal disease. Additional investigation demonstrate that vaccines could be developed as therapeutics to improve gut health.

High-fat diet with antibiotic use linked to gut inflammation

UC Davis researchers have found that combining a Western-style high-fat diet with antibiotic use significantly increases the risk of developing pre- inflammatory bowel disease. This combination shuts down the mitochondria in cells of the colon lining, leading to gut inflammation. Mesalazine can help restart the mitochondria and treat pre-IBD condition.