Does Gut Microbiota Exacerbate HIV?

The human gastrointestinal (GI) tract is home to trillions of symbiotic microbes that benefit our body by aiding in digestion and outcompeting pathogenic microbes. The delicate balance between gut flora and the immune system is disrupted by chronic viral infections such as HIV. Chronic HIV infection is characterized by persistent immune activation and the continuous depletion of CD4+ helper T-cells. Recent studies have been exploring the gut microbiome’s role in HIV infection and have found that alterations to gut flora caused by HIV may have a role in exacerbating the disease. Namely, HIV causes damage to intestinal epithelia, allowing gut flora to enter the bloodstream and contribute to chronic immune activation. HIV may also be correlated with shifts in the gut floral community towards pathogenic microbes that could increase risks for disease and perpetuate HIV progression.

The Truth About Diet Soda: Do Artificial Sweeteners Increase Rates of Obesity?

In modern America, much emphasis has been placed on the issue of rising rates of obesity and type two diabetes. In 2015, more than 2/3 of Americans are overweight (body mass index of 25-29 kg/m2,) and 1/3 are obese (body mass index great than 30 kg/m2.) Because of this obesity epidemic, many Americans are becoming more health-conscious and beginning to shift their dietary tendencies. A decision that generally goes hand in hand with increased focus on obesity prevention is switching to “diet” drinks, usually soda. The popular belief around the non-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) used to replace sugar in these drinks is that they lower caloric intake and reduce weight. “Diet” drinks are seen as the perfect beverage by many health-conscious people; they seem to aid in diet and normalize blood sugar while retaining the taste of the original drink containing sugar. Recently however, NAS has come under fire for, in fact, causing weight gain rather than loss. Critics of NAS struggled to find definitive proof of its negative effects, though, because many, if not most, people who drink diet sodas are already overweight, or suffer from metabolic syndrome manifestations. Since using humans for observation of artificial sweeteners' effect usually led to inconclusive conclusions, a group of Israeli researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science conducted a study on mice. The results were, in the words of Cathryn Nagler, a pathology professor at the University of Chicago, “very compelling.”

The Impact of Breast Milk on Development of Infant Gut Microbiota

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization both recommend exclusive breastfeeding, meaning the use of breast milk as an infant's sole source of nutrition, for the first six months of life.  The benefits of breast milk, which contains all of the vitamins and nutrients a baby needs for the first months of life, have long been studied by researchers and promoted by physicians.  If new mothers choose to breastfeed their infants, breast milk is the main, or only, source of nutrition during a crucial development period of a baby's immune system.  Recent research has focused on the impact of breast milk on this development, specifically in regard to formation of an infant's gut microbiota and allergic phenotype.