FDA approved a 1st-of-its-kind treatment made from human poop. What does it do? | Live Science

December 6, 2022December 5, 2022 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a treatment that’s made using donated human poop, the agency announced(opens in new tab) Wednesday (Nov. 30). The treatment, called Rebyota, contains gut bacteria collected from the stool of healthy human donors and is approved for the prevention of a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection.

By administering the liquid treatment into a patient’s rectum through a tube, doctors can help restore balance to the patient’s gut microbiome, the community of microbes living in the lower digestive tract.

No, Drinking Diet Soda Won’t Poison Your Gut Bacteria, But It Could Do Harm | Live Science

October 4, 2018October 3, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Your gut is teeming with bacteria. This ecosystem of microbes keeps you healthy — but when it’s thrown off balance, it can lead to a variety of diseases. Now, a new study finds that artificial sweeteners, such as the ones found in diet soda, can damage some of these bacteria.

But there’s one important caveat to keep in mind: The new study was done in the lab, in test tubes — not in people or lab animals. Still, the researchers speculated that the findings could apply to humans; namely, the chemicals in artificial sweeteners could harm the human gut microbiome, according to the study, published Sept. 25, in the journal Molecules.