Probiotics, which are living bacteria and yeasts, are not recommended for most patients

Are probiotics a scam?

Probiotics are microbes meant to benefit the gut microbiome's health when consumed. This internal cityscape is packed with thousands of species of microbes whose roles and impacts have yet to be untangled. The odds are low that the probiotics have the effects they're marketed to have, and most of the gut helpers on grocery shelves have little to no evidence of impacting gut microbiome health.

Fecal transplants can help treat infections

Fecal transplants aim to transplant healthy gut bacteria into ill patients by transferring (literally) samples of human waste from a healthy patient to a sick patient. The technique has been shown to cure otherwise deadly Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections and is being studied for a range of other uses.

Pooping or puking out pathogens is sometimes recommended with food poisoning

Sometimes stopping food poisoning-linked diarrhea with over-the-counter medications is a bad idea because it may prolong illness. Doctors can advise you if your diarrhea or vomiting is severe about what medications to take and when, but generally doctors recommend trying to stay hydrated during a bout of food poisoning and letting the body naturally remove pathogens from the body via vomiting or diarrhea, as needed.

Researchers generally group gut bacteria into six different categories

The trillions of bacteria in the gut microbiome can be grouped into six categories: firmicutes, actinomycetota, pseudomonadota, fusobacteriota, bacteroides, and a broad miscellaneous category. The functions of each are complex but range from breaking down food and producing vitamins to fighting pathogens.

Gut microbiome rewrites may help reduce allergies

Researchers are investigating different strategies to determine if one day they could give people a combination of gut microbes to set them up for fewer allergies. In animal research, scientists have already prevented severe allergic responses in allergy-prone mice—supplying them with gut microbes from healthy, non-allergic human babies.

Western babies often are missing a key gut microbe common elsewhere

Studies show infants in Europe and North America often lack Bifidobacterium infantis, a microbe widespread in babies in Africa and South Asia that helps digest breast milk and train the immune system. Researchers link the gap to antibiotics, formula use, and sanitized spaces.

What happens when the gut microbiome is out of whack?

An imbalance in gut microbiome flora can lead to a condition known as dysbiosis. This condition is typically characterized by a drop in microbiota diversity and an increase in harmful unicellular and acellular organisms, such as viruses, that can negatively impact the host's immune system and overall health. Genetics, infections, dietary choices, antibiotics, food additives, artificial sweeteners, and other lifestyle and environmental factors can cause dysbiosis.

Supplements ahead of exertional heatstroke helped protect mice against brain damage

In the lab, mice dosed with probiotics prior to inducing exertional heatstroke, had better cognitive outcomes. This evidence underscores the links between the gut microbiome and the brain, at least in rodents.

Overuse of antibiotics gives bacteria more opportunity to evolve their defenses

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics are significant contributors to the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Experts say antibiotics should only be used for specific medical problems, and patients need to be sure to take antibiotics exactly as prescribed in order to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.

The US FDA issued a 2025 warning about BPC-157 and other popular peptides

BPC-157, which mimics a naturally occurring gut peptide involved in soft tissue repair, has been marketed for various regenerative properties. But the FDA warned in July 2025 that it doesn't have enough data to assess its safety in humans and that such products may also pose risks related to contamination.

GLP-1s are netting interest for treating autoimmune diseases, but are considered experimental

Already used to treat type 2 diabetes, the novel medications are showing some early promise in experimental studies at reducing inflammation and treating autoimmune conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel conditions. But researchers caution that side effects are still under investigation—rarely the medication has caused lupus, an autoimmune disease.

Research suggests the cleanliness of the ISS may make astronauts unhealthy

The International Space Station's sterile conditions deprive astronauts of the opportunity to strengthen their immune systems through microbial exposure. To address this problem, future missions may use probiotic-based cleaners and foster diverse microbes in space habitats.

Research on bacterial cultures used in yogurt production led to CRISPR's discovery

Scientists learned it was a microbial immune system that could be repurposed to protect dairy cultures from viruses. Today, nearly all yogurt is made with CRISPRized bacteria, as are genetically modified crops like herbicide-resistant corn, wheat, and soy.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Vitamin B1 is linked to gut motility—helping fight constipation—in 2026 research

A study published in early 2026 found a link between vitamin B1 and the successful movement of food through your GI tract, known as gut motility. The work incorporated genetic and survey data about poop frequency to identify genes associated with gut motility and then separately linked poop frequency data with how much vitamin B1 people ingested, theorizing that the vitamin supports the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that stimulates GI system contractions.

The FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they go to market

The US Food and Drug Administration does not regulate products including vitamins, probiotics, and herbal mixes as drugs due to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, which amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Because dietary supplements are regulated as a subcategory of foods, inspectors do not assess whether dietary supplements work as advertised before sale.

Most adults don't need a daily vitamin, and it won't extend your life

A 20-year study by the National Cancer Institute involving almost 400,000 people found that daily multivitamins did not help people live longer. In some cases, these vitamins also increased the risk of death. Although some subpopulations—such as those with documented vitamin deficiencies and pregnant individuals—should take vitamins, daily multivitamins should not be taken uniformly by adults. Instead, patients should discuss vitamins with their clinicians and consider baseline vitamin testing before starting vitamin regimens.

There's no specific anti-inflammatory diet, but certain foods increase the chance of inflammation

Research suggests humans can reduce inflammation by limiting foods that are already known to be unhealthy for the human body—because they alter gut bacteria and stress the immune system—such as highly-processed foods, deep fried foods, sugary drinks, trans fats, red meats, and foods made with white flour. Foods that help the body include fatty fish such as salmon, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.

'Gram-negative' bacteria: Bugs with extra defenses along their cell walls

The term 'Gram-negative' bacteria refers to bugs which react a certain way under a Gram stain test. These bacteria are harder to kill due to their double-layer cell walls with a thin peptidoglycan layer in between. This structure makes the delivery of drugs into the bacterial cell substantially more difficult.

Home allergy tests don’t work well and experts urge caution

Doctors do not recommend at-home allergy test kits because their results may be inaccurate and confusing, and lead people to make lifestyle changes that are not warranted. Tests that require sending in a hair sample, for example, will not be helpful because hair does not have the relevant antibodies that blood testing would detect.

Psychedelic side effects, including worsening mental health for some patients, give pause

This article explores whether the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drug use is really as good as current research suggests. Scientists are exploring its applications for conditions ranging from the existential crisis that can accompany terminal diagnoses to chronic mental health conditions, including anxiety and PTSD.

Artificial sweeteners are considered safe for most people

These sugar substitutes are generally preferred because they are sweeter than sugar and can be used in smaller amounts while still getting a sugary taste. Though generally regarded as safe, sugar substitutes can cause flare-ups for individuals with bowel disease, and researchers are investigating how these substances affect gut microbiome health. Aspartame can also cause health issues for individuals with a rare genetic disease called phenylketonuria.

GMOs sound scary, but you eat them every day

Why are GMOs bad? They aren’t. We’ve been eating them for decades with no ill effects, which makes sense, because a genetically modified organism is simply an organism, like every other organism, produces hundreds of thousands of proteins, but one or two of them are proteins that were chosen specifically by humans. Watch this 11-minute video for more.

19 fungal pathogens are of key concern to world health officials

In 2022, this global health body issued its first-ever list of top fungal threats to human health. It said fungal threats are spreading and occurring more frequently. The WHO’s list included 19 fungal pathogens to watch, and said that the most dangerous ones to public health are Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, and Candida auris. There are only a handful of classes of medication currently available to combat fungal pathogens, with few others in the pipeline even though antimicrobial resistance is growing.

Post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome may be caused by bacterial remnants in the liver

PTLDS, which refers to lingering symptoms of Lyme after antibiotic treatment, is an area of active research. Rodent research published in 2025 suggests that these ongoing symptoms may potentially be due to the body's inflammatory response to lingering cellular components from the bacteria that cause Lyme, Borrelia burgdorferi. In rodents, components of the bacteria's cellular wall may remain in the liver after the bacteria were eliminated with antibiotics.

We may be using Q-tips in our ears—even when we shouldn't—because they can stimulate pleasure nerves

People continue to use Q-tips inside their ears even though we know it's risky. Some clinicians suggest that beyond the desire to get water out, this may be because the nerve bundle called the vagus nerve, which spans from the brain to the large intestine, can be stimulated that way, causing a pleasurable sensation in other body parts including the heart, belly, or genitals.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

About 12.5% of US adults experience a phobia in their lifetime, a diagnosis that hinges on the intense fear interfering with daily life and persisting for at least six months.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Astronauts have repaired genetic damage in space using CRISPR—a molecular tool that can make precise changes to DNA and is used in single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Artificial coral reefs have been 3D printed from nontoxic, biodegradable terracotta clay, which coral polyps have used as a foundation for rebuilding marine ecosystems.

See images of medical cases of firework injuries shared on this 'Instagram for doctors.' (Warning: Graphic content)

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

Alzheimer's can lead to brain shrinkage, with an average of around 2% of volume reduction per year

Urushiol, the oily toxin in poison ivy, can remain allergenic on clothing for years.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

Most of the observable universe's volume consists of voids and supervoids—enormous regions of space with little to no galaxies, stars, or light.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

44% of Americans say they pray at least once a day—discover how your state's religiosity stacks up against the rest of the country.

The Beatles' US label rejected the band's first two singles, 'Please Please Me' and 'From Me to You,' with one executive calling the band 'dead in the water.'

SpongeBob exemplifies Aristotle's philosophy for living well because he understands that happiness doesn't come from external factors like money, recognition, or power.