ACT in action.

UMN researchers explore the overlooked role of nutrition in optimizing fecal microbiota transplants for better health outcomes

Consuming an 85% cocoa dark chocolate significantly altered the diversity of the gut microbiome and improved mood in a randomized controlled trial with healthy young adults.

Research indicates significant changes in the gut bacteria of COVID patients. A new study suggests a high fiber diet is protective against COVID inflammation.

Although the concept of beneficial bacteria is no longer novel, in recent decades there has been increasing attention paid to the potential effects of probiotics. Generally, existing research supports that probiotics have rather limited benefits that extend only to specific conditions. While probiotics may be limited, microbial therapeutics including Intestinal Microbiota Transplants (IMT) are increasingly being used to treat specific diseases and conditions.

Rates of obesity are rising across the globe; a third of the world’s population is now overweight and nearly a fifth is obese. Public health policy has mainly focused on diet to reverse these rising rates, but the impact of these policies has been limited. The latest science suggests why this strategy is failing: one diet does not fit all. Dietary advice needs to be personalised.

Nearly half of all deaths worldwide in children under the age of 5 is from malnutrition. And those who manage to survive suffer long-term consequences, such as stunted growth and delays in neurodevelopment.