Bacterial genomes hold clues for creating personalized probiotics
Peer-Reviewed Publication
This month, we’re focusing on nutrition and the powerful role it plays in our lives. Here, we’ll share the latest research on how nutrients affect the body and brain, how scientists investigate diet and health, what these findings may mean for building healthier habits, and more.
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 9-Jan-2026 14:11 ET (9-Jan-2026 19:11 GMT/UTC)
Probiotics are emerging tools used by neonatal intensive care units to promote healthy outcomes and prevent intestinal diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis. Probiotic treatment often includes the administration of bacterial strains that belong to the Bifidobacterium genus. Bifidobacterium strains are especially abundant in the guts of children — particularly children who are breastfed — and are considered beneficial to human health.
Scientists have sought to use probiotics to deliver the benefits of Bifidobacterium to infants suffering from malnutrition. Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys and and colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine, Sabanci University and the University of California San Diego published findings July 16, 2025, in Nature Microbiology demonstrating the ability to predict the nutritional adaptations of Bifidobacterium strains by analyzing the distribution of hundreds of metabolic genes in thousands of Bifidobacterium genomes.What we eat goes a long way in preserving our health and preventing diseases. While many studies have assessed the diversity and frequency of food consumption, few address gender- and age-specific variations in dietary patterns. In a new study, researchers from Fujita Health University, Japan, have used specific statistical tools to understand variations in dietary preferences and food intake across different gender and age groups. Their findings can aid tailored nutritional management through dietary modifications.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government enabled schools to provide all children, regardless of need, with free meals to address nutrition and food insecurity. While program participation increased, many students declined the free meals, missing out on potential health and academic benefits.
A new study by nutrition researchers identifies several barriers cited by foodservice directors—the leaders who run school food programs—to student participation, including student preferences for home-cooked meals or fast food, and concerns about how healthy the meals are.