BUGS TO THE RESCUE

OUR microbiome, the community of bacteria that live in and on us, has been linked with many health benefits. And now comes news that reducing the by-products of one bacterium in the gut may reduce our risk of dying from heart disease. The bacterium produces trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), which has been linked to a higher risk of blood clots. Now a team in the U.S. has developed an oral medication that in mice reduced the production of TMAO but didn’t kill the bacterium, which overall remains beneficial to health.

It is news like this that, in an era of NHS crises and fears over drug resistance, gives me great hope for the future.