Social anxiety disorder (SAD) or social phobia is marked by feelings of fear, anxiety and distress in social situations, including talking to people, meeting new people, and attending parties or gatherings. It is a crippling psychiatric disorder that can disrupt a person’s life and may even affect everyday activities. But while phobias are typically said to be ‘all in your head’, a recent study shows how social phobia might be in a person’s gut.&nbsp;

A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows that people with social anxiety disorder not only have different gut microbes but can also affect their brain, paving the way for new possibilities for therapies.

<h2>What did the study find?</h2>

Researchers believe that gut microbes could play a role in the intense anxiety some people feel in social situations. They built&nbsp;on previous findings which said that gut microbiome – a collection of bacteria and other organisms living in our gastrointestinal system – of people with social phobia differs from those who do not.&nbsp;

In the latest study, scientists transplanted microbes from the guts of people with SAD into mice and they observed heightened sensitivity to social fear as well as changes in immunity and in the brain.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/intermittent-fasting-leads-to-healthy-changes-in-the-brain-and-gut-says-research-674068">Intermittent fasting leads to healthy changes in brain and gut, says research</a>

John Cryan, a professor at the University College Cork in Ireland and co-author of the study, said while a person’s genetics, environment and other factors can also play a role in disorders like SAD, the latest study explores the effect of our gut health.&nbsp;

“The main point is we need to look after our microbes, especially throughout development and even in adulthood, to keep the social brain working appropriately,” said Cryan, as quoted by the Guardian.&nbsp;

The researchers in the study wrote how they took faecal samples from six healthy people and six people with SAD following DNA analyses they were able to confirm that there was quite a bit of difference between the samples collected from the two groups.&nbsp;

The researchers then transferred this sample to mice who had received antibiotics to kill their microbiota. Subsequently, they were given a series of tests to check their sociability, social cognition, and stress-coping behaviours.&nbsp;

<h2>What did the scientists find?</h2>

At the end of the study, researchers found that the mice who received gut microbes from people with SAD had different levels of three bacterial species in their faeces than those who received them from healthy individuals.

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According to the study, mice with SAD faecal microbiota showed little to no changes through most of the tests but did behave differently after the social fear experiment.&nbsp;

Eventually, mice with gut microbes from healthy people regained their curiosity towards other mice but those with microbes from people with SAD continued to be scared of approaching others.

Scientists also noted certain changes in the levels of hormones and immune systems between the two groups of mice. The researchers concluded that the “microbiota can play a causal role in heightened social fear responses in the disorder.”

Cryan, as per the Guardian said the findings can be used to develop therapeutics for people with SAD including changes in diet to alter the microbiome. “Increasing the amount of fibres and fermented foods in the diet may have beneficial effects,” said the co-author.

(With inputs from agencies)

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) or social phobia is marked by feelings of fear, anxiety and distress in social situations, including talking to people, meeting new people, and attending parties or gatherings.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) or social phobia is marked by feelings of fear, anxiety and distress in social situations, including talking to people, meeting new people, and attending parties or gatherings. It is a crippling psychiatric disorder that can disrupt a person’s life and may even affect everyday activities. But while phobias are typically said to be ‘all in your head’, a recent study shows how social phobia might be in a person’s gut. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows that people with social anxiety disorder not only have different gut microbes but can also affect their brain, paving the way for new possibilities for therapies. What did the study find? Researchers believe that gut microbes could play a role in the intense anxiety some people feel in social situations. They built on previous findings which said that gut microbiome – a collection of bacteria and other organisms living in our gastrointestinal system – of people with social phobia differs from those who do not. In the latest study, scientists transplanted microbes from the guts of people with SAD into mice and they observed heightened sensitivity to social fear as well as changes in immunity and in the brain. ALSO READ | Intermittent fasting leads to healthy changes in brain and gut, says research John Cryan, a professor at the University College Cork in Ireland and co-author of the study, said while a person’s genetics, environment and other factors can also play a role in disorders like SAD, the latest study explores the effect of our gut health. “The main point is we need to look after our microbes, especially throughout development and even in adulthood, to keep the social brain working appropriately,” said Cryan, as quoted by the Guardian. The researchers in the study wrote how they took faecal samples from six healthy people and six people with SAD following DNA analyses they were able to confirm that there was quite a bit of difference between the samples collected from the two groups. The researchers then transferred this sample to mice who had received antibiotics to kill their microbiota. Subsequently, they were given a series of tests to check their sociability, social cognition, and stress-coping behaviours. What did the scientists find? At the end of the study, researchers found that the mice who received gut microbes from people with SAD had different levels of three bacterial species in their faeces than those who received them from healthy individuals. ALSO READ | ‘Big One’ earthquake might not be as big as predicted earlier, says new study According to the study, mice with SAD faecal microbiota showed little to no changes through most of the tests but did behave differently after the social fear experiment. Eventually, mice with gut microbes from healthy people regained their curiosity towards other mice but those with microbes from people with SAD continued to be scared of approaching others. Scientists also noted certain changes in the levels of hormones and immune systems between the two groups of mice. The researchers concluded that the “microbiota can play a causal role in heightened social fear responses in the disorder.” Cryan, as per the Guardian said the findings can be used to develop therapeutics for people with SAD including changes in diet to alter the microbiome. “Increasing the amount of fibres and fermented foods in the diet may have beneficial effects,” said the co-author. (With inputs from agencies)

‘It’s in your gut’: Microbes in gut may contribute to social anxiety disorder, finds study

Cancer remains one of the most dreaded ailments anyone can suffer from. Often, those suffering from the disease don't even realise it till it's too late.

To change this narrative, researchers, as per a report in Science Alert, are working on harnessing the capabilities of engineered bacteria. These bacteria will help scientists and doctors detect early signs of colorectal cancer in the human body.&nbsp;

<h2>How does that work?</h2>

The approach involves using modified microbes as diagnostic tools. Taking advantage of the fact that our gastrointestinal tract is naturally inhabited by various bacteria, scientists have for years been trying to harness the natural abilities of some specific strains, and use them as probiotic sensors. Finally, they might've cracked the code.

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In this study, a team of researchers led by biologist Robert Cooper at the University of California, San Diego, used a bacterium called Acinetobacter baylyi. The bacterium is known for its ability to collect DNA from its environment.&nbsp;

They genetically engineered it to target specific DNA sequences associated with colorectal cancer mutations. It was used to detect snippets of DNA shed from lab-grown colorectal cancer cells and mice harbouring colorectal tumours.&nbsp;

<h2>Diagnosing abilities</h2>

As per the&nbsp;study author Susan Woods, "This study demonstrates how bacteria can be designed to detect specific DNA sequences to diagnose disease in hard-to-reach places."&nbsp;

How it works is very fascinating. When the bacterium encountered these cancer-related DNA snippets, it incorporated them into its own genome, which in turn triggered the activation of an antibiotic resistance gene.&nbsp;

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This allowed the modified bacteria to grow on agar plates containing antibiotics, and provided researchers a clear signal that cancer cells had been detected.

"This shows that our biosensing system can be used to catch colorectal cancer DNA within a complex ecosystem," says biomedical scientist Woods, who is working at the University of Adelaide in Australia.

<h2>The groundbreaking benefits</h2>

As per the report, this detection system's sensitivity&nbsp;and reliability in detecting cancer cells from stool samples will help determine its potential for clinical use.&nbsp;

Early detection of colorectal cancer could significantly improve a patient's survival rate. However, as&nbsp;per the study published in Science, while the research is promising, it still requires further exploration and testing before it could&nbsp;be used in patients.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
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Cancer remains one of the most dreaded ailments anyone can suffer from. Often, those suffering from the disease don't even realise it till it's too late. To change this narrative, researchers, as per a report in Science Alert, are working on harnessing the capabilities of engineered bacteria.

Cancer remains one of the most dreaded ailments anyone can suffer from. Often, those suffering from the disease don't even realise it till it's too late. To change this narrative, researchers, as per a report in Science Alert, are working on harnessing the capabilities of engineered bacteria. These bacteria will help scientists and doctors detect early signs of colorectal cancer in the human body. How does that work? The approach involves using modified microbes as diagnostic tools. Taking advantage of the fact that our gastrointestinal tract is naturally inhabited by various bacteria, scientists have for years been trying to harness the natural abilities of some specific strains, and use them as probiotic sensors. Finally, they might've cracked the code. Also read | Virgin Galactic's tourist 'astronauts' left 'starstruck' after trip to edge of space. Watch! In this study, a team of researchers led by biologist Robert Cooper at the University of California, San Diego, used a bacterium called Acinetobacter baylyi. The bacterium is known for its ability to collect DNA from its environment. They genetically engineered it to target specific DNA sequences associated with colorectal cancer mutations. It was used to detect snippets of DNA shed from lab-grown colorectal cancer cells and mice harbouring colorectal tumours. Diagnosing abilities As per the study author Susan Woods, "This study demonstrates how bacteria can be designed to detect specific DNA sequences to diagnose disease in hard-to-reach places." How it works is very fascinating. When the bacterium encountered these cancer-related DNA snippets, it incorporated them into its own genome, which in turn triggered the activation of an antibiotic resistance gene. Also read | Scientists unearth Europe’s oldest lakeside stilt village behind a fortress of defensive spikes This allowed the modified bacteria to grow on agar plates containing antibiotics, and provided researchers a clear signal that cancer cells had been detected. "This shows that our biosensing system can be used to catch colorectal cancer DNA within a complex ecosystem," says biomedical scientist Woods, who is working at the University of Adelaide in Australia. The groundbreaking benefits As per the report, this detection system's sensitivity and reliability in detecting cancer cells from stool samples will help determine its potential for clinical use. Early detection of colorectal cancer could significantly improve a patient's survival rate. However, as per the study published in Science, while the research is promising, it still requires further exploration and testing before it could be used in patients. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Engineered bacteria offer new hope for early detection of cancer

The secret to successful ageing may lie in part in your gut, according to a new report. The study found that it may be possible to predict your likelihood of living a long and healthy life by analysing the trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that inhabit your intestinal tract.

The new research, published in the journal Nature Metabolism, found that as people get older, the composition of this complex community of microbes, collectively known as the gut microbiome, tends to change. And the greater the change, the better, it appears.

In healthy people, the kinds of microbes that dominate the gut in early adulthood make up a smaller and smaller proportion of the microbiome over the ensuing decades, while the percentage of other, less prevalent species rises. But in people who are less healthy, the study found, the opposite occurs: The composition of their microbiomes remains relatively static and they tend to die earlier.

The new findings suggest that a gut microbiome that continually transforms as you get older is a sign of healthy ageing, said a co-author of the study, Sean Gibbons, a microbiome specialist and assistant professor at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, a nonprofit biomedical research organisation.

“A lot of ageing research is obsessed with returning people to a younger state or turning back the clock,” he said. “But here the conclusion is very different. Maybe a microbiome that’s healthy for a 20-year-old is not at all healthy for an 80-year-old. It seems that it’s good to have a changing microbiome when you’re old. It means that the bugs that are in your system are adjusting appropriately to an ageing body.”

The researchers could not be certain whether changes in the gut microbiome helped to drive healthy ageing or vice versa. But they did see signs that what happens in people’s guts may directly improve their health. They found, for example, that people whose microbiomes shifted toward a unique profile as they aged also had higher levels of health-promoting compounds in their blood, including compounds produced by gut microbes that fight chronic disease.

To get a better understanding of what happens in the gut as people age, Gibbons and his colleagues, including Dr. Tomasz Wilmanski, the lead author of the new study, looked at data on over 9,000 adults who had their microbiomes sequenced. They ranged in age from 18 to 101.

About 900 of these people were seniors who underwent regular checkups at medical clinics to assess their health. Gibbons and his colleagues found that in midlife, starting at around age 40, people started to show distinct changes in their microbiomes. The strains that were most dominant in their guts tended to decline, while other, less common strains became more prevalent, causing their microbiomes to diverge and look more and more different from others in the population.

“What we found is that over the different decades of life, individuals drift apart — their microbiomes become more and more unique from one another,” said Gibbons.

People who had the most changes in their microbial compositions tended to have better health and longer life spans. They had higher vitamin D levels and lower levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. They needed fewer medications, and they had better physical health, with faster walking speeds and greater mobility.

The researchers speculated that some gut bugs that might be innocuous or perhaps even beneficial in early adulthood could turn harmful in old age. The study found, for example, that in healthy people who saw the most dramatic shifts in their microbiome compositions there was a steep decline in the prevalence of bacteria called Bacteroides, which are more common in developed countries where people eat a lot of processed foods full of fat, sugar and salt, and less prevalent in developing countries where people tend to eat a higher-fibre diet. When fibre&nbsp;is not available, Gibbons said, Bacteroides like to “munch on mucus,” including the protective mucus layer that lines the gut.

“Maybe that’s good when you’re 20 or 30 and producing a lot of mucus in your gut,” he said. “But as we get older, our mucus layer thins, and maybe we may need to suppress these bugs.”

If those microbes chew through the barrier that keeps them safely in the gut, it is possible they could trigger an immune system response.

“When that happens, the immune system goes nuts,” Gibbons said. “Having that mucus layer is like having a barrier that maintains a détente that allows us to live happily with our gut microbes, and if that goes away it starts a war” and could set off chronic inflammation. Increasingly, chronic inflammation is thought to underlie a wide range of age-related ailments, from heart disease and diabetes to cancer and arthritis.

One way to prevent these microbes from destroying the lining of the gut is to give them something else to snack on, such as fibre from nutritious whole foods like beans, nuts and seeds and fruits and vegetables.

Other studies have shown that diet can have a substantial effect on the composition of the microbiome. While the new research did not look closely at the impact of different foods on changes in the microbiome as we age, Gibbons said he hopes to examine that in a future study.

“It may be possible to preserve the ageing mucus layer in the gut by increasing the amount of fibre&nbsp;in the diet,” Gibbons said. “Or we might identify other ways to reduce Bacteroides abundance or increase indole production through diet. These are not-too-distant future interventions that we hope to test.”

The secret to successful ageing may lie in part in your gut, according to a new report. The study found that it may be possible to predict your likelihood of living a long and healthy life by analysing the trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that inhabit your intestinal tract.

The secret to successful ageing may lie in part in your gut, according to a new report. The study found that it may be possible to predict your likelihood of living a long and healthy life by analysing the trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that inhabit your intestinal tract. The new research, published in the journal Nature Metabolism, found that as people get older, the composition of this complex community of microbes, collectively known as the gut microbiome, tends to change. And the greater the change, the better, it appears. In healthy people, the kinds of microbes that dominate the gut in early adulthood make up a smaller and smaller proportion of the microbiome over the ensuing decades, while the percentage of other, less prevalent species rises. But in people who are less healthy, the study found, the opposite occurs: The composition of their microbiomes remains relatively static and they tend to die earlier. The new findings suggest that a gut microbiome that continually transforms as you get older is a sign of healthy ageing, said a co-author of the study, Sean Gibbons, a microbiome specialist and assistant professor at the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, a nonprofit biomedical research organisation. “A lot of ageing research is obsessed with returning people to a younger state or turning back the clock,” he said. “But here the conclusion is very different. Maybe a microbiome that’s healthy for a 20-year-old is not at all healthy for an 80-year-old. It seems that it’s good to have a changing microbiome when you’re old. It means that the bugs that are in your system are adjusting appropriately to an ageing body.” The researchers could not be certain whether changes in the gut microbiome helped to drive healthy ageing or vice versa. But they did see signs that what happens in people’s guts may directly improve their health. They found, for example, that people whose microbiomes shifted toward a unique profile as they aged also had higher levels of health-promoting compounds in their blood, including compounds produced by gut microbes that fight chronic disease. To get a better understanding of what happens in the gut as people age, Gibbons and his colleagues, including Dr. Tomasz Wilmanski, the lead author of the new study, looked at data on over 9,000 adults who had their microbiomes sequenced. They ranged in age from 18 to 101. About 900 of these people were seniors who underwent regular checkups at medical clinics to assess their health. Gibbons and his colleagues found that in midlife, starting at around age 40, people started to show distinct changes in their microbiomes. The strains that were most dominant in their guts tended to decline, while other, less common strains became more prevalent, causing their microbiomes to diverge and look more and more different from others in the population. “What we found is that over the different decades of life, individuals drift apart — their microbiomes become more and more unique from one another,” said Gibbons. People who had the most changes in their microbial compositions tended to have better health and longer life spans. They had higher vitamin D levels and lower levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, a type of fat in the blood. They needed fewer medications, and they had better physical health, with faster walking speeds and greater mobility. The researchers speculated that some gut bugs that might be innocuous or perhaps even beneficial in early adulthood could turn harmful in old age. The study found, for example, that in healthy people who saw the most dramatic shifts in their microbiome compositions there was a steep decline in the prevalence of bacteria called Bacteroides, which are more common in developed countries where people eat a lot of processed foods full of fat, sugar and salt, and less prevalent in developing countries where people tend to eat a higher-fibre diet. When fibre is not available, Gibbons said, Bacteroides like to “munch on mucus,” including the protective mucus layer that lines the gut. “Maybe that’s good when you’re 20 or 30 and producing a lot of mucus in your gut,” he said. “But as we get older, our mucus layer thins, and maybe we may need to suppress these bugs.” If those microbes chew through the barrier that keeps them safely in the gut, it is possible they could trigger an immune system response. “When that happens, the immune system goes nuts,” Gibbons said. “Having that mucus layer is like having a barrier that maintains a détente that allows us to live happily with our gut microbes, and if that goes away it starts a war” and could set off chronic inflammation. Increasingly, chronic inflammation is thought to underlie a wide range of age-related ailments, from heart disease and diabetes to cancer and arthritis. One way to prevent these microbes from destroying the lining of the gut is to give them something else to snack on, such as fibre from nutritious whole foods like beans, nuts and seeds and fruits and vegetables. Other studies have shown that diet can have a substantial effect on the composition of the microbiome. While the new research did not look closely at the impact of different foods on changes in the microbiome as we age, Gibbons said he hopes to examine that in a future study. “It may be possible to preserve the ageing mucus layer in the gut by increasing the amount of fibre in the diet,” Gibbons said. “Or we might identify other ways to reduce Bacteroides abundance or increase indole production through diet. These are not-too-distant future interventions that we hope to test.”

A changing gut microbiome may predict how well you age

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‘It’s in your gut’: Microbes in gut may contribute to social anxiety disorder, finds study

Engineered bacteria offer new hope for early detection of cancer

A changing gut microbiome may predict how well you age