Getting the gut right

Newborns are high maintenance—right down to their gut microbiome. A recent study found that most U.S. infants lack sufficient Bifidobacterium, historically dominant gut microbes critical to healthy immune system development.

Initial results from Persephone Biosciences’ My Baby Biome seven-year longitudinal analysis revealed that some three-quarters of U.S. infants have deficient levels of Bifidobacterium. Over 90% of the 412 babies studied lacked Bifidobacterium infantis, a strain that digests breast milk sugars. Infants with a Bifidobacterium shortage were three times more likely to develop allergies, eczema, and asthma by age 2.

Among babies in the study, those with the highest levels of Bifidobacter­ium tended to be those who were breastfed and born vaginally rather than by C-section. The study authors also listed modern antibiotic use and a shift toward processed foods as key contributors to the decrease in beneficial microbes observed.

Persephone, which published its findings June 24 in Communications Biology, is also developing dietary supplements meant to restore beneficial gut microbes in young children. “We’re learning what our babies need to get back on track,” wrote Persephone CEO Stephanie Culler in a companion Springer Nature article.

Deadly fungus could help kill leukemia

A deadly fungus just might earn itself a redemption. Aspergillus flavus fungal molds can cause serious lung infections and were linked to deaths during tomb excavations in the 1920s and ’70s. But a University of Pennsylvania–led team of researchers recently discovered that A. flavus can produce powerful cancer-killing compounds.

The team screened A. flavus for naturally occurring molecules called RiPPs (short for “ribosomally synthesized and post-­translationally modified peptides”). RiPPs are an emerging field of pharmaceuticals with unexplored therapeutic potential. Combining metabolic and genetic information, the scientists identified two RiPPs that were effective against leukemia cells. With addition of a fatty molecule, a third RiPP performed as well as the FDA-approved leukemia drugs cytarabine and daunorubicin.

Publishing their study June 23 in Nature Chemical Biology, the researchers next plan to test the RiPPs in animal models. —H.F.

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A better measure of weight?

University of Florida researchers say the primary measure of body weight needs an overhaul. In a paper published in the June issue of Annals of Family Medicine, the researchers argue body mass index, calculated by height and weight, can misclassify muscular or big-boned individuals as obese. They suggest replacing BMI with bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), which measures lean muscle mass, body fat percentage, and water weight. The authors noted BMI can underestimate health risks for those with a normal BMI but elevated body fat percentage. —H.F.