316: Food Addiction and the Gut Microbiome
Aug 23, 2024•56 min•Ep. 316
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Summary
TWiM delves into two fascinating microbiology studies. The first investigates the connection between gut microbiota and food addiction, identifying Blautia species as a key signature and demonstrating how rhamnose-based prebiotics can influence compulsive eating behaviors in mice. The discussion highlights the complex gut-brain axis and its broader implications for other behavioral disorders. The second paper explores talosins, phage-derived proteins, used by Pseudomonas bacteria to suppress competitors in wild plant environments, illustrating a powerful mechanism for maintaining microbial diversity and its potential for targeted antibacterial therapies.Episode description
TWiM describes experiments to explore gut microbiota signatures of vulnerability to food addiction in mice and humans, and how a phage tail-like protein suppresses competitors in populations of bacteria of plants.
Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Michael Schmidt, Petra Levin and Michele Swanson.
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Links for this episode- Gut microbiota and food addiction (Probiotics)
- Blautia may have probiotic properties (Gut Microbes)
- Blautia wexlerae ameliorates obesity and type 2 diabetes (Nat Commun)
- Phage tail–like bacteriocin suppresses competitors (Science)
- What is a bacteriocin? (Front Micro)
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Send your microbiology questions and comments (email or recorded audio) to twim@microbe.tv
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