6 articles on gut & microbiome, backed by published research.
Some people never catch norovirus, even when everyone around them does. Often the reason is FUT2: non-secretors lack the sugars the virus uses to get in. What the studies show, what changes with the new GII.17 strain, and how to check your own DNA for free.
Fibre reaches your gut bacteria undigested. What they turn it into, short-chain fatty acids, is the molecular messenger connecting diet, microbiome and the host genes covered elsewhere in this series.
Two of the body's central inflammatory signals also help decide how tightly your gut lining holds together, and how strongly it reacts when gut bacteria cross it.
Best known for bone health, the VDR gene turns out to be one of the more studied genetic links to gut bacteria diversity and gut barrier strength.
A DNA test can't sequence your microbiome. But four genes shape the terrain it grows in: who can digest dairy, who carries which gut bacteria, and who reacts badly to fermented foods.
Rising anxiety, disrupted sleep, restlessness: for some people, a probiotic makes things worse instead of better. The genetics of histamine clearance, methylation and oxidative stress help explain why.
