Gut Bacteria and Gene Expression: The Connection
Here are the relevant facts from the provided text:
* Research Focus: The University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa conducted research on the role of gut microbes in human health.
* Key Finding: Gut microbes may have a larger impact on health (disease risk, aging, medical treatments) than previously understood, interacting with human genes.
* Publication: The research was published in September 2025 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26178658).
* Mechanism: The gut microbiome affects epigenetics – the process of turning genes on or off without changing the DNA itself, through chemical tags like DNA or RNA methylation.
* Researchers: Alika K. Maunakea (professor at UH John A. burns School of Medicine) and Riley Wells are mentioned as being involved in the research.
* Reading Time: The article is estimated to take 2 minutes to read.
