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Slowing down the aging process might be possible one day with supplements derived from gut bacteria. Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston have identified bacterial genes and compounds that extend the life of and also slow down the progression of tumors and the accumulation of amyloid-beta, a compound associated with Alzheimer’s disease, in the laboratory worm C. elegans.

For a healthy body full of ‘good’ bacteria, you may need to do a lot more than eat a probiotic yoghurt, as Adam Rutherford discovered when he took a rather uncomfortable test.

Neuroscientists have, for the first time, shown that gut bacteria "speak" to the brain to control food choices in animals.

The life expectancy of older fish is extended if their gut is colonized with the microorganisms of younger fish.

Once anathema, it now seems that a 'dirty' environment can enrich a baby's microbiome and lessen her or his likelihood of developing everything from obesity to asthma. Again, it seems that we can rely on man's best friend to help us out.

By comparing behavioral observations with data from poop analysis, the researchers were able to uncover a smart strategy: mandrills don't ostracize members of the horde who've come down with a bug, but they do groom them less.

The gut microbes of young killifish can extend the lifespans of older fish – hinting at the microbiome’s role in ageing. 

Probiotic Found in Yogurt Can Reverse Depression Symptoms, UVA Finds

A legal loophole means some promising drugs are already available as food or cosmetics. Is that a good idea?