Friends and lovers don’t just share advice and gossip. Amazingly, they also share microbes. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/friends-lo...

Friends and lovers don’t just share advice and gossip. Amazingly, they also share microbes. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/friends-lo...

A lot of claims are made for probiotics, but can they really reduce inflammation? scottcanderson.substack.com/p/can-probio...

Is there is a microbial fingerprint of autism? By analyzing oral microbes, researchers can predict whether or not a child will develop autism with 80 percent accuracy. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/autism-inf...

Our gut is lined with a delicate layer of cells constantly battered by the pathogens that hitch a ride with each bite of food. The danger of infection is high, and that’s why some 80% of our immune system is concentrated around our digestive system. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/can-probio...

I think we are in the middle of a huge shift in our understanding of our relationships with microbes. When we were kids, they were mostly regarded as harmful. Now we know that they are essential.

Laughing lowers your cortisol levels, resetting the immune system and altering gut microbes which then secrete molecules that further improve your mood. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/emotional-...

How you breathe can alter cortisol levels, which can lower stress and improve your resilience. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood...

Firstborns don’t have the luxury of a tested microbiota, typically passed down via sibling snot, to tutor their naïve immune system. That lack of education leads firstborns to overreact when exposed to new microbes. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/trials-of-...

Gut microbes likely play a role in ADHD, and that’s good news. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood...

Your amniotic bubble having popped, you become exposed to the world. It’s your big day and everything is cold, dry and infectious. You, of course, are naked. You have no real consciousness yet, and you won't remember this day, but you know enough to cry. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/birth-is-p...

The idea that beneficial bacteria could be passed down by mothers is shocking to many doctors and scientists, who think that microbes associated with embryos are universally pathogenic. Yet researchers keep finding microbes wherever they look. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/embryos-ar...

There is a connection between maternal depression and preterm birth. Surprisingly, even paternal depression can contribute to the preterm risk. However, there are hints that psychobiotic treatment can help minimize this effect. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/a-bed-fit-...

Reproductive biology is pretty perfunctory when it comes to the male contribution. In many animals, the male is actually optional. If one isn't around, the mother can execute the whole business on her own in a process called parthenogenesis. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/boy-meets-...

Studies by John Cryan and Ted Dinan have demonstrated that beneficial microbe can cause epigenetic effects in the brain, favoring the growth of new nerve cells and enhancing cognition. Amazing science! scottcanderson.substack.com/p/epigenetic...

The “Mozart Effect” probably doesn’t make you smarter, but it may improve gut microbes, which is arguably stranger. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood...

Pregnant women who are stressed can suffer from an impaired microbiome. That can be passed down to their babies, affecting their weight, mood, and attitude, often into their teens or later. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood...

Can a microbe help with postpartum depression? Learn more about a bacterium that improves gut health, soothes the immune system, reduces cortisol and boosts oxytocin. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/can-gut-mi...

The gut-brain axis explains the astonishing connections between the microbes that live in your gut and your brain issues, including OCD. When your gut microbes are out of balance, your mood may suffer, and your OCD may worsen. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/ocd-and-th...

Stressed moms have higher levels of cortisol, but also lower levels of oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone.” This one-two punch affects rat moms so deeply that they stop licking their pups. In that way, moms transfer stress to their pups. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood...

Is there is a microbial fingerprint of autism? By analyzing oral microbes, researchers can predict whether or not a child will develop autism with 80 percent accuracy. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/autism-inf...

Got kidney stones? Your gut microbes may have something to do with that. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/even-kidne...

What a fecal transplant lacks in dignity, it makes up for in efficacy. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/a-surprisi...

Variations in gut microbiome composition may influence drug metabolism, potentially explaining why some patients respond better to treatment than others. It may not be sufficient to test drugs without considering the microbiome. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/is-your-gu...

I’ve been stress eating since the election. It turns out that gut microbes play a major role in stress eating. That’s actually great, because we have some control over our microbiome. Ready for some cool science? scottcanderson.substack.com/p/stress-eat...

Gut microbes play a major role in stress eating. That’s great because we have some control over our microbiome. Want to learn more? scottcanderson.substack.com/p/stress-eat...

It’s June 6, and Harvard scientist Kseniya Petrova is still in detention in Louisiana. This is a gift from Trump to Putin and a blow to Harvard and Alzheimer’s research. How can you help? scottcanderson.substack.com/p/we-are-jai...

Juicing is a health-food staple, but what is it doing to the gut-brain axis? scottcanderson.substack.com/p/what-juici...

Food additives may not have a big effect on human biology, but some of them kill beneficial bacteria in the gut. Here’s what to look out for: scottcanderson.substack.com/p/4-scary-fo...

Trump affects your gut-brain axis by stressing you with his flip-flopping. Here are some hacks to help. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/what-trump...

It’s May 31, and Harvard scientist Kseniya Petrova is still in detention in Louisiana. This is a gift from Trump to Putin and a blow to Harvard and Alzheimer’s research. A total outrage. Here are some tips to help. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/we-are-jai...

As Trump changes his mind on an hourly basis, flinging America around like a dog with a chew toy, we are subject to uncertainty and loss of control. This is a sure path to anxiety and gut issues. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/what-trump...

Her Harvard supervisor says Petrova is "spectacular, the best I've ever seen in 20 years at Harvard." Without her, the research has been put on hold. What a victory for the Trump administration. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/we-are-jai...

As Trump changes his mind on an hourly basis, flinging America around like a dog with a chew toy, we are subject to uncertainty and loss of control. This is a sure path to anxiety and gut issues. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/what-trump...

Addiction has a connection to your gut microbes. This weird association is both intriguing and liberating. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/addiction-...

bsky.app/profile/psyc... Early life stress can leave deep scars, but a good microbiome can improve resilience. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood...

People with fewer and less-diverse gut microbes are more likely to have cognitive impairment, including dementia and Alzheimer’s. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/a-microbia...

The neuroinflammation model of depression reveals how inflammation can affect the brain, leading to fatigue, low energy, and difficulty thinking. Here's what that could mean for our understanding of depression and future treatments.

Schizophrenia is associated with psychotic symptoms, withdrawn behaviors, and cognitive deficits. A new drug approved by the FDA could help in all 3 areas. Here's how.

A gut microbe has been identified that mimics the effects of Ozempic to mitigate diabetes and obesity. Here's how to take advantage of it.

Continuous stress is a modern malady that our bodies are unprepared for. It can lead to anxiety, neurosis, depression, and even cancer. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/how-stress...

“Nut-picking” is the primary weapon of the culture wars, allowing each side to scorn the other side’s bozos with perfect justification. Are you not entertained? scottcanderson.substack.com/p/defusing-a...

Buddhist monks have different gut microbes than their non-meditating neighbors. What does that mean for you? scottcanderson.substack.com/p/does-medit...

While scientists work to mitigate early life stress, some politicians attempt to worsen it. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood...

What congress is about to do to our children can never be forgiven. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mood...

Surprisingly, there is something simple that has a big influence on your immune system and lupus: your gut microbes. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/lupus-and-...

Her Harvard supervisor says Petrova is "spectacular, the best I've ever seen in 20 years at Harvard." Without her, the research has been put on hold. What a victory for the Trump administration. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/we-are-jai...

The Constitution provides all the tools we need to deal with Donald Trump. The problem is not the Constitution. The problem is that the people who have been entrusted with positions of authority to uphold the Constitution refuse to do so.

Her Harvard supervisor Peshkin says Petrova is "spectacular, the best I've ever seen in 20 years at Harvard." Without her, the research has been put on hold. What a victory for the Trump administration. scottcanderson.substack.com/p/we-are-jai...