This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"While indigestible to us, dietary fiber feeds the trillions of microbes that inhabit our gastrointestinal tract. So low fiber in the diet can spell trouble for gut health. To clarify the effects of low fiber, researchers monitored microbial communities in pigs fed a fiber-free diet. The similarity between humans and pigs in terms of gut ecosystem and fiber breakdown makes pigs a useful model for studying fiber intake. Within 1 week, fiber deprivation led to the gradual extinction of “good” bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are found in certain fermented foods. A diet rich in xylan, a natural plant fiber, was found to promote gut balance versus a fiber-free diet, largely by promoting the gut-friendly bacterium Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum and boosting the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which fuel microbial activity..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"A fundamental law of genetics states that offspring do not inherit traits from their parents that were acquired in response to environmental conditions. Recent research in the field of epigenetics, however, is turning this principle on its head. Several recent studies have come to the remarkable conclusion that unhealthy diets in males can contribute to the development of metabolic diseases in their offspring. Even when those offspring are raised with healthy diets_._ Now, a study has identified small RNAs as the molecules responsible for the transmission of these disorders. For a long time scientists thought that inheritance of traits only occurred via DNA being passed from parent to offspring. It is now clear, however, that the experiences of one generation can have an effect on the next. When parents have a high-stress lifestyle or an unhealthy diet, for example, chemical modifications can occur on genes that are then passed to their children. This is termed ‘epigenetic inheritance..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Termites are one of the few animal lineages able to digest the most abundant biomolecule on earth, lignocellulose. Of the nine families of termites, all but one of them eat wood, with the last feeding on soil. While termites produce enzymes that break down lignocellulose, their gut microbes are still a critical part of the digestion process. But most termite gut microbiome research to date is based on research from wood-feeding or pest species of termites. So, a recent study examined the prokaryotic gut microbes from a sample of termite species that better represent the diversity of termites. The gut microbes possessed a similar set of carbohydrate and nitrogen metabolism genes across the termite phylogenetic tree. The proportions of these genes varied with the hosts’ diet and position on the phylogenetic tree. Surprisingly, the soil-feeding termites didn't even have unique microbial metabolic genes or pathways compared to wood-feeding species..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Our gut microbes keep us healthy, regulating metabolism and immunity, but at the end of life, the gut microbiota is fragile, enhancing our susceptibility to diseases like C. difficile. One method of enhancing intestinal health is to incorporate prebiotics like galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) into the diet. A recent study evaluated the impact of GOS diets on hallmarks of gut aging, including dysbiosis, inflammation and increased intestinal permeability. Using a mouse model, researchers found that older animals had increased ratios of bacteria that don’t process sugars (non-saccharolytic) to those that do (saccharolytic). GOS also reduced age-associated intestinal permeability and increased mucus thickness in older mice..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"The 'Western' diet is often associated with highly processed foods rich in fat and low in fiber, which can be bad for our metabolism. But unhealthy food choices can also affect our brain, resulting in neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment. In a new study using a mouse model of obesity, researchers evaluated the effect of fiber on cognition and brain function via the gut-brain axis. β-glucan, the major soluble fiber in oat and barley grains, was fed to the mice for 15 weeks. The addition of this fiber prevented diet-induced cognitive impairment in the obese mice and counteracted diet-induced activation of inflammatory cells called microglia in the brain. β-glucan also promoted signaling to create new synapses in the brain and reversed gut barrier dysfunction in the colon. These results highlight the impact that the Western diet has on the gut-brain axis and suggests that increasing consumption of β-glucan-rich foods may help attenuate diet-induced cognitive decline..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.