Learning Hub

IBS Awareness Month: IBS & Diet
As part of IBS Awareness month, we're spotlighting a different aspect of IBS symptom management. This week, we're focussing on IBS and diet.Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is described as a chronic and often deliberating disorder of the gut-brain axis. It...
Our top tips for giving your gut health routine a Spring Clean

Spring has sprung and whilst we may all be considering a Spring Clean for our homes, this is the perfect time to bring attention to our habits and nourish our gut.

Here are our simple tips and small changes for giving your gut a refresh.

How to add to your diet rather than take away
Nutritionist and gut health expert Clarissa Lenherr has given us her top tips on creating healthy habits, and how to add into your diet, rather than take away!   At this time of year, the focus is all about what...
Why we love fibre!
We often hear about the protein or calorie content of our food however, there is an important macronutrient that is often forgotten about that is vital for our health, fibre.  Fibre is a type of carbohydrate that is found naturally in plant-based...
Your plant point cheat sheet
30 plant points  Research has shown that those who eat 30 different plant-based foods per week have a more diverse gut microbiome than those who ate less than 10.  A more diverse gut microbiome is a general indicator of good...
New study published on the use of friendly bacteria on Covid-19 
Recent evidence has shown that our gut microbiome and the cross talk between our respiratory system (the gut-lung axis), plays an important role in the severity and recovery from respiratory illnesses. Previous studies have shown that friendly bacteria play a...
Covid-19 And Probiotics
Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in humans. Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, myalgia, and fatigue1. Other uncommon manifestations of the...
Top healthy habits for your gut
You might have heard that looking after your gut health is pretty important, but it can be confusing and a little bit overwhelming when considering where to start. And whilst it can be tempting to try everything all in one go, sometimes the key to creating long-term, healthy and sustainable habits is to prioritise and commit to just a few changes at one time. Read on for Clarissa’s top healthy habits for gut health and how to implement healthy habits for the long run!
IBS and symptom relief
Nutritionist and gut health expert, Clarissa Lenherr has written an article for Probio7, outlining IBS. What it is, how to get a diagnosis and what symptom management looks like
Natural Digestive Aids

Digestive enzymes work by breaking down food in both the mouth and gut to release the nutrients. Dysfunction in your digestive enzymes can lead to a number of symptoms including bloating, flatulence, reflux, discomfort, and more. We are able to find some of these digestive enzymes in certain foods which will assist our body in the breakdown of food. Read more to find out which foods contain digestive enzymes.

What is the female microbiome?
The female microbiome is a delicate and dynamic community of bacteria, that constantly undergoes fluctuations during a women's entire life including infant, puberty, pregnancy and menopausal stage. Maintaining the balance of the vagina microbiome is vital as it plays a significant role in maintaining vaginal health and protecting the host from disease.  
Dr Michelle: Looking after your gut over Christmas
  Christmas is a wonderful time to spend time with family and friends, and enjoy lots of delicious food! However, we can often find that our gut doesn’t feel so wonderful during this time. This can be due to in...
Supporting your immune health this winter
When we’re think about immunity, we’re thinking about gut health. 70% of the immune system is located in the gut. This bacteria in our gut microbiome have the ability to change every three to five days based on what we’re...
The importance of your infants first 1,000 Days
  Your infants gut health plays an essential role in laying the foundations of their health later in life and it is widely accepted that their first 1,000 days (from conception to two years old) are the most significant period...
Dr Michelle: How does your gut microbiome interact with viral infections

Increasing evidence has shown that our gut microbiome plays an important role in our immune system.

When viruses are exposed to mucosal surfaces (e.g., vaginal, respiratory, or GI) they have three broad lines of defence to overcome: the mucus layer, innate immune defences and adaptive immune defences. Recent evidence has suggested that both commensal and probiotic bacteria influence each of these lines of defence.

Supporting your child’s gut microbiome and immune health
We hear so much about the importance of looking after our gut microbiome as adults and as we age, but we rarely discuss the importance of supporting our children’s gut health.
Looking after your gut when on antibiotics

Antibiotics are a necessary part of medicine and help treat bacterial infections. However, it is important to understand their effects on the gut microbiome, with more information here.

When you are taking antibiotics there are some things you can do to help your microbiome recover -  

The gut-lung axis explained
It is not only our gut the is populated with good bacteria, but our lungs also have their own community of bacteria which interact with our immune functions and play a role in how infections progress. These bacteria are also communicating with the bacteria in our gut, this is known as the gut-lung axis (you might have heard of the gut-brain axis, your gut is pretty much connected to every organ in your body!). 
What are ultra-processed foods and how do they impact the gut microbiome?
A diet high in ultra-processed food is associated with being overweight and having worse health outcomes, including conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, depression, asthma, and cancer. Additionally, research suggests that ultra-processed foods might also be having an impact on our gut health.  
The use of probiotics in IBS management
Using friendly bacteria as a way to help manage IBS symptoms through several mechanisms of actions including modulating the gut microbiome has been suggested.  
Friendly bacteria supplements and IBS
Studies comparing the gut microbiota of IBS patients to healthy controls have suggested an altered microbiota profile in IBS, and specific gut microbiota profiles have been associated with particular symptoms and severity of the disease. Therefore, using friendly bacteria has been suggested as a way to help manage and control IBS