The secret to a good night's rest lies in the 'brain' in your gut
Your entire body including your digestive system is designed to have predictable cycles of sleep, wakefulness and eating. By upsetting that pattern, you throw your body off-kilter, gut and all. An out-of-rhythm life can create an out-of-rhythm gut, but an out-of-rhythm gut can also create an out-of-rhythm life.Conversely, good gut health can lead to good sleep. So, the healthier your gut, the easier it is to nod off and stay slumbering.Getting your gut in order is therefore the place to start when it comes to ensuring the right amount and quality of sleep.
Mice carry a teeming community of bacteria in their guts, and these gut bugs influence how the rodents' brains work, according to a new study.
© Provided by Live Science close-up of a mouse's face peering over a ledge at camera Specifically, researchers wanted to find out how gut bacteria influence the activity of brain networks involved in mouse social behavior. Normally, when a mouse encounters a mouse it's never met, the two rodents will sniff at each other's whiskers and clamber over each other, much like how two dogs might greet each other at a dog park. However, germ-free mice, which lack gut bacteria, actively avoid social interactions with other mice and instead remain strangely aloof.
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GUT health is so pertinent for your overall wellbeing that experts stress the importance of getting your gut right to ensure everything else is right. Many people are unaware of this fact and as such are consuming certain foods which are unknowingly killing off their microbes (gut bacteria) creating devastating effects to not only digestion, but also mood and ability to lose weight. What foods should be avoided which may be ruining your gut"The gut is one of the most active parts of the human body with over 70 percent immune cells in our gut," began nutritionist Peter O'Halloran, ambassador of ProYouth Nutrition.
"The social impairment in germ-free mice, that's not new," said first author Wei-Li Wu, an assistant professor at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and a visiting associate at the California Institute of Technology. But Wu and his team wanted to understand what drives this standoffish behavior — do gut bugs actually influence which neurons fire in the mouse brain, and thus affect a rodent's willingness to mingle?
Related: 5 ways gut bacteria affect your health
Stranger danger
The first time Wu heard that bacteria could influence the behavior of animals, he thought, "That sounds amazing but a little bit unbelievable," he told Live Science. But as a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech, he began running experiments with germ-free mice and witnessed their odd social behavior firsthand. While these strange behaviors had been described in various studies, Wu wanted to understand why they emerged.
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In their new study, published Wednesday (June 30) in the journal Nature, the researchers compared the brain activity and behavior of normal mice with that of two other groups: mice raised in a sterile environment to be germ-free and mice treated with a powerful cocktail of antibiotics that depleted their gut bacteria. (As soon as the germ-free mice entered an unsterile environment, they would start picking up bacteria, so the researchers could use this batch only once; the antibiotic-treated mice were more versatile and could be used for multiple experiments.)
The team placed their germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice in cages with unknown mice, to observe their social interactions. As expected, both groups of mice avoided interactions with strangers. Following this behavioral test, the team ran a multitude of experiments to see what was happening in the animals' brains that may have driven this odd social dynamic.
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First, the team examined the animals' brains for c-Fos, a gene that switches on in active brain cells. Compared with the normal mice, the mice with depleted bacteria showed heightened c-Fos activation in brain regions involved in stress responses, including the hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus.
This spike in brain activity coincided with a spike in a stress hormone called corticosterone in the germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice, while the same increase did not occur in mice with normal microbiomes, or communities of microbes. "After social interaction — it's just a five-minute interaction — I can clearly see that ... they all have higher stress hormones," Wu said.
Gallery: 10 ways COVID-19 changed the world (Live Science)
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10 ways COVID-19 changed the world
The year 2020 was defined by the coronavirus pandemic, arguably the worst pandemic the world has seen in 100 years. The illness has affected nearly every aspect of life, from work and school to everyday activities like getting groceries, and even our wardrobes.
New discovery could help take down drug-resistant bacteria
The team tested this new strategy in mice and lab dishes.The study, conducted in lab dishes and mice, offers a promising strategy for taking down so-called superbugs without needing to make brand-new antibiotics.
Here are just some of the ways COVID-19 changed the world.
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New vocabulary
A number of new words and phrases entered the general lexicon in 2020. We were told we need to "social distance," or stay six feet apart, so that we could "flatten the curve," or slow the disease's spread in order to reduce the burden on the healthcare system. People even became familiar with relatively obscure epidemiological terms like the "basic reproduction number" (R0, pronounced R-nought), or the average number of people who catch the virus from a single infected person. And of course the name of the illness itself, COVID-19, is a new term, with the World Health Organization officially naming the disease on Feb. 11 2020.
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Wardrobe addition
The must-have fashion item of 2020 was a small piece of cloth to put around your face.
With medical masks in short supply at the beginning of the year, sewing enthusiasts began churning out homemade masks for their communities. Then, clothing companies and retailers got on board, adding masks to their fashion lines. Now, in many parts of the world, you can't leave your house without putting on a mask.
At first, it was unclear whether wearing cloth masks would protect against COVID-19, but as the year went on, numerous studies showed the benefits of wearing masks, for both the wearer and those around them.
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ADVANCES in our understanding of human autonomy continue to throw up novel solutions to living longer. Research suggests improving the health of your gut microbiome can unlock profound benefits.The gut microbiota is increasingly recognised as an important regulator of host immunity and brain health.
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Anxiety and depression
The pandemic took a serious toll on people's mental health in 2020. One study published in August by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that levels of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts skyrocketed amid the pandemic.
The study could not determine the reason for the rise in mental health conditions, but factors relating to the pandemic, such as social isolation, school and university closures, unemployment and other financial worries, as well as the threat of the disease itself, may play a role, the authors said.
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Pandemic drinking
Another insidious side effect of the pandemic was increases in alcohol consumption. A study published in October in the journal JAMA Network Open found that alcohol consumption in the United States rose 14% during pandemic shutdowns.
Women in particular reported worrying increases in heavy drinking during the spring of 2020, according to the study.
"In addition to a range of negative physical health associations, excessive alcohol use may lead to or worsen existing mental health problems," the authors concluded.
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New normal
As businesses began to open after initial lockdowns, people needed to adjust to a new normal to reduce the risk of spreading the disease from everyday activities. Businesses implemented universal mask policies. Dining switched to outdoors only. Waiting rooms became a thing of the past. You needed a reservation to go to the gym. And large gatherings and events were banned completely in many areas.
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A HIGHLY effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) could be available within just three to four years after scientists discover a key new cause of the disease.The study has shown that damage to the gut causes it to leak and allows bacteria to cross the lining of the gut into the body.
Although there is no way to ensure zero risk of catching COVID-19, officials said taking precautions could reduce the risk of spread. However, as the fall began, many areas went into lockdown again amid surging COVID-19 cases.
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Rampant rumors
From the idea that drinking bleach can kill the norovirus to a theory that the virus was created in a lab as a bioweapon, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a flurry of misinformation. Indeed, one study, published Aug. 10 in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, found that the pandemic has hatched more than 2,000 rumors, conspiracy theories and reports of discrimination.
Such false information can have serious consequences — the researchers of the new study found that COVID-19 related rumors were linked to thousands of hospitalizations and hundreds of deaths.
"Health agencies must track misinformation associated with ... COVID-19 in real time, and engage local communities and government stakeholders to debunk misinformation," the authors concluded.
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Pandemic puppies
With orders to stay at home as much as possible, many people decided to get a furry friend during quarantine.
The coronavirus pandemic has been a boon for pet adoptions, particularly dog adoptions. Many shelters, breeders and pet stores reported a surge in applications for dogs, with the demand far exceeding supply, according to The Washington Post. Some shelters reported double the number of adoptions compared with the previous year, and needed to resort to waitlists to handle the demand.
Not only is this good news for pets who need homes, but also for their humans, given that many studies show there are mental health benefits to pet ownership, according to NPR.
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School closures
Children seem to be largely spared from the most severe effects of COVID-19, but they can still act as spreaders of the disease. So many schools across the U.S. and the world made the decision to close in 2020, and opt for virtual learning instead. Questions around how long to remain closed and how to safely reopen were the subject of much debate. As fall arrived with a number of schools still closed, many children seemed to be falling behind in learning. Statewide polls have found that nearly 9 in 10 parents are worried about their children falling behind at school due to the pandemic closures, according to The Educational Trust.
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IF WE all do our bit to reduce our environmental impact, the world may be spared the worst of climate change. Using reusable water bottles is an effective action you can take immediately. However, they can present a hidden health risk, warned Abbas Kanani, pharmacist at Chemist Click. As Mr Kanani reported, studies that have swabbed reusable water bottles have found more than 300,000 colony forming units per square cm on reusable water bottles.A colony forming unit, or CFU, is a unit commonly used to estimate the concentration of bacteria in a test sample.
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Lowered emissions
Coronavirus lockdowns, which slowed the normal hustle and bustle of cities to a near halt, also appeared to dramatically lower emissions of carbon dioxide around the world. A study published May 19 in the journal Nature Climate Change found that daily global carbon dioxide emissions dropped by 17% in early 2020, compared with levels in 2019. That appears to be one of the biggest drops in recorded history. But this temporary drop is far from enough to undo the harmful effects of man-made climate change.
"Although this is likely to lead to the largest cut in emissions since World War II, it will make barely a dent in the ongoing build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," Richard Betts, Head of Climate Impacts Research at the Met Office Hadley Centre in England, said in a statement.
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New vaccine
Developing a new vaccine normally takes years to decades. But in an unprecedented feat, researchers in the U.S. and several other countries created a coronavirus vaccine — taking it from lab bench to bedside — in just under 12 months. When 2020 began, COVID-19 and the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2, were unknown to science. But once the virus was identified, scientists acted quickly to begin developing a vaccine. By mid-March, early trials in humans had begun, and by late summer, the vaccines were ready for more advanced trials with thousands of participants. In December, the United States authorized two COVID-19 vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, after trials showed impressive results. Both vaccines used molecules known as mRNA to stimulate an immune response against the coronavirus, marking the first time that any mRNA vaccine has been authorized for use in people. The vaccines were heralded as an extraordinary scientific advancement, and the first doses were administered to healthcare workers in the U.S. in mid-December.
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Corticosterone primarily gets produced by the body's central stress response system, known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; the HPA axis links two brain structures (the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland) to the adrenal glands located on the kidneys. After seeing a spike in corticosterone in the germ-free mice, the team wondered if messing with the HPA axis could bring those levels back down and "correct" the rodents' behavior.
The team first looked at the adrenal gland, the last component of the HPA axis. They found that removing the adrenal gland appeared to boost the mice's social behavior; upon encountering a stranger, the mice without gut bugs behaved similarly to those with normal microbiomes. Blocking the production of corticosterone with drugs also increased the rodents' sociability, as did blocking or deleting the receptors that bind corticosterone in the brain, known as glucocorticoid receptors. Without receptors to bind the stress hormone, the mice didn't respond to spikes in corticosterone.
Related: From dino brains to thought control — 10 fascinating brain findings
The team then did more experiments targeting the hypothalamus, the first component in the HPA axis. They zoomed in on a specific population of brain cells that produce corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), a peptide that triggers a chain reaction of activity along the HPA axis and is key for corticosterone production. They inserted specifically designed receptors onto CRF neurons in the hypothalamus, which allowed the team to switch those neurons on and off at whim using a specific drug. Switching off the neurons in antibiotic-treated mice boosted their sociability toward strangers; conversely, switching on the cells in normal mice caused them to suddenly avoid social interactions.
This finding hinted that these hypothalamus cells might be overactive in germ-free mice and that somehow, gut bugs help tune them down in normal mice. This would, in turn, modulate the activity of the HPA axis and the production of stress hormones.
Backing up this theory, the team found that introducing the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis into the germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice also promoted social activity and reduced corticosterone levels in the animals. "When they put it back in, it seemed that the social behavior was 'rescued,' so to speak," said Diego Bohórquez, an associate professor and neuroscientist at Duke University School of Medicine who studies the gut-brain connection and was not involved in the study.
But while the team specifically highlighted E. faecalis, in reality, Bohórquez said he suspects an array of microbes work together to modulate stress hormone production.
Collectively, these experiments made a strong case that, in normal mice, gut bugs somehow modulate the production of corticosterone and help the animals engage in social behaviors, while germ-free mice deal with an overabundance of the stress hormone and thus balk at opportunities for social interaction, Bohórquez said. But how that works at the level of the gut remains unclear, he added.
"It was a logical step to go look into the brain, but there's a big gap in terms of what's happening between the gut and the brain," he said. For instance, the gut produces its own endocannabinoids, a class of chemical messenger also found in the brain, and these chemicals engage with the HPA axis, he noted. Receptors for CRF can also be found in the gut. Now, the big question is how the gut microbiome might use these networks to "talk" to the brain, and thus help control behavior from the depths of the intestines, Bohórquez said.
"We still want to tackle, what, exactly, does this bacteria do to the body?" Wu said, echoing the sentiment. "I think that's the clear pathway where we want to do further digging."
Beyond mouse experiments, this line of research could someday help scientists treat individuals with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and autism spectrum disorder, assuming some of the observations in animals carry over to people, Bohórquez said. Research suggests that anxiety and autism often coincide with gastrointestinal disorders, such as constipation and diarrhea, as well as with disruptions of the gut microbiome, scientists have reported in the journals General Psychiatry and JAMA. For the past decade, scientists have been investigating this gut-brain link in hopes of developing new treatment approaches for such disorders, Bohórquez said.
"This specific work, I don't know if it moves the needle forward" in terms of crafting microbiome-based treatments for autism, he added. But in general, "they are bringing more granularity in terms of how these microbes affect social behavior," he said.
Originally published on Live Science.
Do you reuse the same water bottle? Pharmacist issues health warning about 'bad habit' .
IF WE all do our bit to reduce our environmental impact, the world may be spared the worst of climate change. Using reusable water bottles is an effective action you can take immediately. However, they can present a hidden health risk, warned Abbas Kanani, pharmacist at Chemist Click. As Mr Kanani reported, studies that have swabbed reusable water bottles have found more than 300,000 colony forming units per square cm on reusable water bottles.A colony forming unit, or CFU, is a unit commonly used to estimate the concentration of bacteria in a test sample.