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Lead with gut health substantiation, not speculation at SupplySide Global

From digestive comfort to immune health and mental wellbeing, discover how Bimuno GOS supports targeted product innovation. Visit booth 4249 at SupplySide Global to explore the science

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Oct 19 • 6:18 AM EDT • Health • nutraceuticalbusinessreview.com
How Will Patient Voices Influence Digestive Health Policy and Research? - Digestive Cancers Europe

How Will Patient Voices Influence Digestive Health Policy and Research? - Digestive Cancers Europe / cancer, Digestive Cancers Europe, OncoDaily, Oncology,

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Oct 18 • 1:37 PM EDT • Health • oncodaily.com
A Good Gut Feeling Starts with Strong Science

Digestive health is evolving beyond basic gut support as consumers increasingly connect the microbiome to broader wellness goals

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Oct 16 • 3:49 AM EDT • Science • nutraingredients.com
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10 Healthy Brain Habits To Keep Your Career Sharp This Fall

As autumn days become shorter, 10 brain health habits keep your thinking sharp and give your brain the same care you give to your heart, lungs and digestive health.

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Oct 2 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • forbes.com
Healthy Aging Month: Orlando man completes chemo after early colon cancer diagnosis

Jason Jose, an Orlando Health Digestive Health Institute employee, shares his experience of overcoming colon cancer after initially hesitating to get a colonoscopy.

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Sep 30 • 8:55 AM EDT • Health • wesh.com
Navigating digestive disorders: tips and resources for managing gut health

For tens of millions of Americans, digestive issues and unpredictable gut health are far more than an occasional inconvenience—they are daily disruptions.

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Sep 24 • 6:00 PM EDT • Health • wbbjtv.com
Higher ultra-processed food intake linked to multiple health risks

A higher ultra processed food (UPF) intake is linked to a heightened risk of several major chronic health issues, such as digestive diseases, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome/diabetes, as well as death, finds a pooled data analysis of the available evidence, published in the open access journal Family Medicine and Community Health.

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Sep 22 • 11:04 PM EDT • Health • news-medical.net
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Aging Untold: Why gut health matters more as you age

On this episode of Aging Untold, we sort fact from fad when it comes to gut health, exploring why digestive wellness matters more as you age. Plus, we look at why some happily married couples stay together but choose to live in separate homes and how they make it work.

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Sep 21 • 12:45 PM EDT • Health • kcrg.com
Aging Untold: Why gut health matters more as you age

On this episode of Aging Untold, we sort fact from fad when it comes to gut health, exploring why digestive wellness matters more as you age. Plus, we look at why some happily married couples stay together but choose to live in separate homes and how they make it work.

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Sep 21 • 12:45 PM EDT • Health • kjct8.com
Aging Untold: Why gut health matters more as you age

On this episode of Aging Untold, we sort fact from fad when it comes to gut health, exploring why digestive wellness matters more as you age. Plus, we look at why some happily married couples stay together but choose to live in separate homes and how they make it work.

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Sep 21 • 12:45 PM EDT • Health • kolotv.com
Aging Untold: Why gut health matters more as you age

On this episode of Aging Untold, we sort fact from fad when it comes to gut health, exploring why digestive wellness matters more as you age. Plus, we look at why some happily married couples stay together but choose to live in separate homes and how they make it work.

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Sep 21 • 12:45 PM EDT • Health • firstalert7.com
Gut health: Why digestive wellness matters more as you age

We are sorting fact from fad when it comes to gut health and exploring why digestive wellness matters more as you age.

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Sep 21 • 8:40 AM EDT • Health • wsmv.com
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Ayble Health banks $16M series A to expand AI-driven precision digestive, autoimmune healthcare

Ayble Health secured a $16 million oversubscribed series A funding round to accelerate its expansion into artificial intelligence-driven precision digestive and autoimmune healthcare. | Ayble Health says it is currently in-network with most commercial health plans, covering more than 80 million patients through its various partnerships.

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Sep 16 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • fiercehealthcare.com
In 1971, scientists moved just five pairs of Italian wall lizards onto a small Croatian island; 36 years later their descendants had larger heads, stronger bites and altered digestive tracts suited to eating far more vegetation than the original population

A forgotten experiment in island translocation became an accidental demonstration of evolution in real time, reshaping an entire species in just over three decades.

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Sep 13 • 3:15 AM EDT • Science • spacedaily.com
Astronauts And Cosmonauts Have A Pooping Problem In Microgravity, And New Research May Have Figured Out Why

As well as the notorious "wet burps", astronauts and cosmonauts face some digestive issues in microgravity environments.

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Aug 24 • 11:41 AM EDT • Science • iflscience.com
Common medications may change your gut for years

Common medications may reshape the gut microbiome long after the last dose is taken. In a study of more than 2,500 people, researchers found lasting microbial changes linked not only to antibiotics, but also to antidepressants, beta-blockers, acid-reducing drugs, and benzodiazepines. Some effects were still detectable years later, suggesting past medication use may strongly influence the gut bacteria people carry today.

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Aug 24 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Too much or too little sleep may make your body age faster

Both too little and too much sleep may be linked to faster aging throughout the body. Researchers analyzing 23 biological aging clocks found the lowest aging levels among people sleeping about 6.4 to 7.8 hours per day. Short or long sleep was also associated with numerous conditions affecting the brain, heart, lungs, metabolism, and digestive system.

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Aug 23 • 11:51 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
The 6 Grains Nutrition Experts Recommend for Better Gut Health

Grains can be an excellent choice for digestive health because many are rich in fiber and other nutrients that support the gut.

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Aug 18 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • health.com
Scientists Discover a 245-Million-Year-Old Reptile With Its Organs Still Preserved

An international research team examined a unique fossil from China that, for the first time, preserves the digestive system of a marine reptile with a long neck that lived in the oceans 245 million years ago. Inside an almost complete fossil from China, researchers identified the stomach, liver, and intestines of a marine reptile that

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Aug 15 • 5:52 PM EDT • Science • scitechdaily.com
When gut microbes run low on fiber, they may start eating you

Gut microbes need something to eat, and when fiber is limited, they may begin consuming proteins from the mucus lining that protects the gut. Researchers found that fiber can suppress this process, while indigestible plant proteins help microbes produce more beneficial compounds.

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Aug 15 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Wilson Sonsini Advises Cylinder Health on $105 Million Acquisition by Hinge Health

On August 4, 2026, Hinge Health, a digital healthcare company, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cylinder Health, a leader in virtual-first digestive healthcare, for $105…

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Aug 7 • 3:30 AM EDT • Health • wsgr.com
How scientists are trying to repair the body from within: Regenerative medicine and anti-aging

At Scripps Research and its drug discovery arm, the Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines, scientists are developing regenerative medicine therapies designed to help the body repair itself from within. Unlike traditional medicines that primarily manage symptoms or slow disease progression, regenerative medicine aims to restore damaged tissues and rebuild function lost to aging and disease. Researchers are advancing programs focused on the heart, lungs, digestive tract and eyes, including investigational therapies for heart failure, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, inflammatory bowel disease, age-related macular degeneration and other chronic conditions that become more common as we age. Learn how scientists are activating the body’s natural repair mechanisms to explore a future where medicine may not only treat disease, but help reverse its damage.

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Jul 31 • 3:06 PM EDT • Science • scripps.edu
‘Ozempic face’ and hair loss: what evidence is there for weight-loss drug side-effects?

Research into GLP-1 medications is not always robust but complaints such as digestive problems are well known

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Jul 25 • 3:00 AM EDT • Science • theguardian.com
4 Common Medications That Can Mess With Your Gut Health

Some medications may disrupt the good bacteria in your gut, potentially affecting your digestive and overall health.

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Jul 22 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • health.com
Gut check: What the digestive system means for our overall health

In a Q&A, gastroenterologist Rosemarie Fisher explains common digestive health issues — and the best ways to improve gut health.

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Jul 20 • 11:36 AM EDT • Health • news.yale.edu
Scientists tested 39 sweeteners and found unexpected gut effects

A large laboratory study found that many commonly used sweeteners can directly change the growth of gut bacteria. Researchers identified more than 100 cases in which sweeteners behaved differently when combined with medications, caffeine, or flavorings. The combination of isosteviol and the antidepressant duloxetine was especially disruptive, reducing beneficial bacteria and overall microbial diversity.

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Jul 16 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Health officials warn cyclosporiasis spreading to 18 states, with 40 cases in MD, Va.
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Jul 9 • 3:23 PM EDT • Health • wjla.com
Health officials warn cyclosporiasis spreading to 18 states
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Jul 9 • 3:23 PM EDT • Health • foxbaltimore.com
6 Ways Your Body Can Change After Starting a High-Protein Diet

Adding more protein to your diet can cause several changes in your body, such as better muscle repair and potential digestive issues.

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Jun 28 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • health.com
Kathryn Ann Meinders Digestive Health Institute Now Open, Transforming Oklahoma Healthcare

Digestive healthcare in Oklahoma took a gigantic leap forward Monday with the official grand opening of Mercy’s Kathryn Ann Meinders Digestive Health Institute.

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Jun 22 • 10:47 AM EDT • Health • mercy.net
New Mercy digestive health institute aims to change GI care in Oklahoma

In a little over a week, the new Kathryn Ann Meinders Digestive Health Institute will open to patients. Mercy said it’s the only comprehensive GI health care center within a 500-mile drive.

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Jun 21 • 7:55 AM EDT • Health • kfor.com
Advanced Tech on Station Informing Space-Designed Health Treatments

The Expedition 74 crew explored how weightlessness affects cartilage growth and the digestive system on Thursday to protect crew health and improve patient care on Earth. The orbital residents are also gearing up for a robotics maintenance spacewalk at the end of the month on the International Space Station.

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Jun 18 • 1:46 PM EDT • Health • nasa.gov
Advanced Tech on Station Informing Space-Designed Health Treatments

The Expedition 74 crew explored how weightlessness affects cartilage growth and the digestive system on Thursday to protect crew health and improve patient care on Earth. The orbital residents are also gearing up for a robotics maintenance spacewalk at the end of the month on the International Space Station.

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Jun 18 • 1:46 PM EDT • Health • nasa.gov
Digestive health coaching program now available; start coaching by July 10 to earn My Wellness points

A new coaching program focused on digestive health is available to Marquette employees and their spouses as part of the My Wellness program.

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Jun 18 • 10:53 AM EDT • Health • today.marquette.edu
If stress is wreaking havoc on your gut, late-night snacking may make it worse

Eating late at night may compound the harmful impacts of stress on your digestive health and gut microbiome, according to recent research.

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Jun 8 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • cnn.com
World Digestive Health Day: Habits to Keep Your Gut Healthy

Key Takeaways:Daily habits such as drinking water and eating fiber are key to gut health.Ultra-processed foods may cause inflammation and digestive problems over time.Short walks after meals can improve digestion, and ongoing symptoms shouldn’t be ignored.

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May 26 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • newsroom.osfhealthcare.org
Humans in The Andes Have Evolved a Strange Digestive Superpower

Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew...

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May 16 • 8:00 AM EDT • Technology • yahoo.com
Humans in The Andes Have Evolved a Strange Digestive Superpower

Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew...

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May 16 • 8:00 AM EDT • Technology • sciencealert.com
Scientists discover tiny gut particles that may drive aging and chronic disease

A new study suggests microscopic particles from the gut may actively drive inflammation and chronic diseases associated with aging. Remarkably, gut particles from young animals appeared to counter some aging-related damage in older animals, hinting at new possibilities for future treatments.

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May 15 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Black licorice compound shows promise against inflammatory bowel disease

Researchers have developed a stem cell-based model of the human intestine that may transform how new IBD treatments are discovered. After testing thousands of compounds, they identified glycyrrhizin — a natural substance found in black licorice — as a promising anti-inflammatory candidate. In both lab-grown tissue and mice, the compound reduced intestinal damage and cell death linked to IBD.

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May 9 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Iterative Health Reports Expanded Trial Performance Data at Digestive Disease Week 2026, Demonstrating Consistent Outperformance of Industry Benchmarks at Double the Scale

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 04, 2026--Iterative Health announced the presentation of updated scientific research at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2026.

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May 4 • 7:40 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
Scientists discover hidden gut signals that could detect cancer early

A new study reveals that gut bacteria and metabolites may hold the key to detecting serious digestive diseases earlier and more easily. Using AI, scientists found that biomarkers linked to one condition can often predict others, showing these diseases are more interconnected than previously thought. This cross-disease insight could lead to faster diagnoses without invasive procedures.

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Apr 4 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
10 Million Grill Brushes Recalled Over Concerns About Loose Bristles Being Ingested

In at least five cases, customers sought medical attention to remove bristles “from their digestive tract or throat,” a federal agency said.

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Mar 28 • 3:31 PM EDT • Business • nytimes.com
Scientists find gut bacteria inject proteins that control your immune system

Gut bacteria aren’t just passive passengers—they can actively send proteins straight into our cells. Using microscopic injection systems, even harmless microbes can influence immune responses and metabolic pathways. Researchers found these interactions may play a role in inflammatory diseases like Crohn’s. It’s a major shift in how scientists understand the microbiome’s power over human health.

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Mar 27 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Scientists Develop New Gut Health Measure That Tracks Disease

Scientists have identified a new way to distinguish healthy guts from diseased ones and track how some illnesses progress by measuring how gut bacteria interact with one another. According to a study published in Science, a Rutgers-led team of scientists found that healthy and diseased digestive systems behave like two distinct ecological states, driven not by individual microbes but […]

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Mar 24 • 10:33 AM EDT • Health • sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu
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Insulin pills may soon replace daily injections

For over a century, scientists have chased the dream of insulin pills, but the digestive system kept destroying the drug before it could work—forcing millions of patients to rely on daily injections. Now, researchers at Kumamoto University have developed a clever workaround using a tiny peptide that helps insulin slip through the intestinal wall.

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Mar 23 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Your Thymus and Your Healthspan

Our thymus gland plays a central role in the development or our immune system, specifically for supporting T cell development (how these cells got their name, maturation and differentiation in the thymus) and discriminating between self and foreign, non-self antigen proteins with production of dendritic cells. As we age, our thymus gland shrinks—the process known as involution—with progressive change from spongy to fatty tissue, with loss of functionality. But this process, with respect to timeline and extent, markedly varies from one person to the next. And to make things even more complicated, our thymus gland anatomy and precise location in the chest also is highly variable. So the famous Frank Netter diagrams from the 1960s (such as at left below) don’t capture the remarkable heterogeneity that a random set of 12 chest CT scans (below at right). What I consider as 2 landmark papers in Nature this week (here and here) used AI to quantify health of the thymus in 2 large cohorts, and then correlate the metric to a broad array of health outcomes. In this edition of Ground Truths, I’m going to cover three questions: (1) How was thymus health determined by AI?; (2) How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? and (3) Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? Subscribe 1. How was thymus health determined by AI? This was accomplished by extensive work developing and validating an AI pipeline for 2 stages, the first for localization and segmentation of the thymus bed, and the second to quantify a digital marker, termed the thymic health score. There’s a lot to this algorithmic development, so I won’t go into all the details, but just provide a rudimentary outline of what was done. The 1st stage used supervised learning with 2 radiologists reviewing 2,461 chest CT scans. That work trained a 3D U-Net model to automatically identify the thymic bed’s 3D cropped region using center of mass coordinates, which reached 99.8% accuracy. The 2nd stage used a foundation model that was pre-trained with SwAV (which stands for Swapping Assignment between multiple Views), a self-supervised model, that generated a high-dimensional thymus representation of 4,096 features. That compares to the radiology reductionist and subjective scoring of 0 to 3 where 0 means the thymus is fully degenerated and fatty, and 3 is considered dense, intact glandular soft tissue. Notably, the self-supervised learning (SSL) performance was superior to supervised (AUC ~0.75 vs 0.55, respectively) reflecting the shallowness of the 0-3 classifier vs SSL’s holistic, self-taught AI. The thymic health score ranged from 0 to 100, with the highest number indexed to fully preserved thymic health. The algorithmic work extended to explainability with both Shapely value distribution, meaning the model was holistic not relying on any “magic” pixel, and occlusion sensitivity, demonstrating the model’s performance was not affected by ribs, sternum, lung tissue, but rather focused on the thymic bed directly. Below are a few saliency maps from the occlusion sensitivity that indicate the thymic bed focus, not affected by neighboring structures, using the jet color scale. Now the AI was ready for processing ~25,000 CT scans, each over 30 MB files, from the 2 large participant cohorts to provide a thymic health score, it did so in less than 14 hours, which is less than 2 seconds per scan! Share 2. How is thymus health linked to key clinical outcomes? The two cohorts were the National Lung Screening Trial, NLST (N=25,031) and the Framingham Heart Study, FHS (N=2,581) each with baseline demographics and long term follow up of >12 years for health outcomes. From the NSLT, you can see below that increased age and body-mass index were correlated to reduced thymic health. And, overall, men had reduced thymic health scores compared with women. There are a lot of graphs in the paper for outcomes, for both the NLST and FHS cohorts. To simplify the major outcomes, below is a composite Figure with striking reduction of all-cause mortality and for the different causes of death. The results were consistent between the 2 cohorts. For example, the cardiovascular mortality hazard ratio average was 0.57 in NLST and 0.38 in FHS (weighted to be 0.53 for the aggregate). The reduction of mortality also extended to digestive diseases and pulmonary disease (data not shown below). Lung cancer incidence was reduced by 36% for high vs low thymic health (Figure below, with a panel -incidence and b panel-mortality, adjusted for age, sex, BMI, smoking status). Notably, there was a smoker’s paradox: lower incidence and improved survival for lung cancer in smokers who had a high thymus health score. Smoking was associated with lower thymic scores whereas alcohol was not. Higher thymic health was linked to higher HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower fasting blood glucose, and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Inflammation biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6, were elevated in the people with lower thymic health scores. In their second paper, the same team looked at the relationship between thymic score and outcomes for 3,476 patients receiving cancer immunotherapy. The non-small cell lung cancer progression-free survival was reduced in patients with low thymic health score. A parallel relationship for survival was seen for other types of cancer including melanoma, breast, and kidney with a 44% lower risk among high thymic scores (Figure). A similar pattern was seen with different immune checkpoint inhibitors. The thymus health score outperformed programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1)and tumor mutation burden (TMB) assay of the tumor and was an independent prognostic marker of progression-free survival. In this dataset, a direct connect with thymus score and adaptive immune function was noted with a correlation before cancer treatment for both T-cell diversity and thymus T-cell production (a metric known as T cell receptor excision circles). Thymus Removal Study There is a highly relevant citation about thymus function before moving onto ways to rejuvenate it. In 2023, a very important study of thymus removal during cardiothoracic surgery was published, with 1146 patients undergoing thymus removal vs 1146 matched controls (mean age 55 years). The adverse outcomes for thymus removal were striking, with a 2.9 higher risk of all-cause mortality and doubling of cancer incidence, 1.5 fold increase in cancer mortality, and 1.5-fold increase in autoimmune diseases. The immune function showed marked compromise after thymus removal, as reflected by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells (Figure below) Share Ground Truths 3. Are there ways we can promote a healthy (aka rejuvenate) thymus gland in our later years? In recent months we’ve learned a lot about the process of thymus involution and the pathways by which this may be modulated. Thymus involution is primarily due to loss to thymus epithelial cells (TECs) and there are 2 subtypes with different functions: the cortical, responsible for positive selection of T cells, and the medullary, for negative selection. When adipose tissue infiltrates the thymus, thymic adipocytes are pro-inflammatory, knocking out T-cell output. Likewise, systemic inflammation, or “inflammaging,” from smoking, obesity, and chronic stress promote thymic adipocytes. Now, from preclinical studies, we know about key pathways that account for these processes. Historically, back in 2014, FOXN1 was recognized as a single master transcription factor essential for TEC function, with studies in mice with forced FOXN1 upregulation leading to thymus regeneration. That laid the foundation for potential regrowth of quiescent thymus cells. It took awhile to find pathways to accomplish this goal and to even refute its role as the master regulator. The Liver-Thymus Axis Feng Zhang and his team recently showed that injection of an mRNA vaccine to the liver encoding DLL1, IL-7 and FLT3-L in combination, factors known to support thymopoiesis (Figure), successfully enhanced immune function in aged mice. However, the effect was transient. The FGF21 Story Two reports in 2025 addressed the thymus gland’s production of FGF21, a growth factor (fibroblast growth factor 21) and its control of thymus involution. This growth factor is also produced by the liver, but it doesn’t have impact on the thymus in aged rodent models. In contrast, The liver’s hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been shown to reverse senescent TEC structural changes. Growth hormone stimulates production of insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the liver and the thymus. Two small studies in human participants (TRIIM, for Thymus Regeneration, Immunorestoration, and Insulin Mitigation) of 6 and 50 people, respectively, treated with combined human growth hormone, metformin and DHEA, suggested the potential of slowing epigenetic aging and improving thymus mass and function. But the combination of drugs, small sample, and lack of controls make conclusions murky. Increased thymus FGF21 led to increased CD8 T cells in old mice and extended healthspan and improved physical performance. Building on the previous FOXN1 data, ablation of β-klotho, the obligatory co-receptor for FOXN1, accelerated thymic aging. The benefit to FGF21 was confirmed in a companion paper using an FGF21 knock-in mouse model showing thymus enlargement and increased TECs throughout the lifespan. (schematic Figure below). The accompanying editorial for these 2 papers speculated: “The proposed link between age-associated thymus involution and organismal aging is intriguing, and suggests we might seek to achieve systemic rejuvenation by counteracting thymic involution.” Other Factors Lessons from the Axolotl (Mexican Salamander) In an elegant set of experiments of the axolotl (Figure), known for its complete thymus regeneration after total surgical removal, mediators were identified. Surprisingly FOXN1 was dispensable. But midkine, a growth factor, appeared to be the driver, the initiator of thymus cell growth, survival, and repair. Other components that contributed were Postn+ (periostin-expressing mesenchymal niches) and Ccl19, a chemokine protein from the bloodstream. RANK and RANKL RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB its ligand (RANKL) have been considered key regulators of medullary TECs. In a study of both aged mice and human thymus cell cultures, their key role was confirmed, with multiple benefits of resorting TEC function, recruitment of progenitor cells, and T cell development. Subscribe Summing Up This body of work strongly supports the health of the thymus gland as a critical regulator of human healthspan, not just a correlate or link. The new landmark studies are reinforced by the regenerative biology experimental models that have shown, via an array of mediators, that healthspan of aged mice is at least in part dependent on thymus gland function and its critical role for maintaining adaptive immunity. It sure seems that we’d be better off having an immune reservoir of naive T cells instead of a profile in older adults of exhausted, low quality, memory T cells, with a senescent phenotype. It is striking that we ignored the importance of the thymus gland for many decades. A wake-up call was the results of the thymectomy matched control study reviewed here, with the opposite of high thymic health score improved health outcomes. The convergence of AI and healthspan here is notable. The exceptional and laborious work for developing and validating (no less explaining) the AI to quantify thymus health set the foundation for probing the connect the major health outcomes in two cohorts with extensive follow-up. We’ve never had a way to meaningfully quantify the thymus gland before, so this represents important leverage of supervised, self-supervised, and transformer models. The study wouldn’t have been possible without AI. And it begs the question as to whether there are ways we can maintain our thymus at a high health score. But it’s not so simple to rejuvenate our thymus. There are multiple risks including the induction of autoimmunity, increasing the risk of cancer, and inducing a pro-inflammatory state. For example, factors that increase TEC proliferation could compromise the medulllary negative selection process and leak out auto-reactive (self-attacking) T cells. Thymic cells could be induced to proliferate, but we know, for example, that growth hormone and IGF-1 are associated with an increase risk of cancer. If thymus rejuvenation doesn’t clear out the accumulated senescent cells in older adults, then inflammation within the gland could block the production of TECs. Keeping these risks in mind, we now have identified many ways to keep our thymus healthy as we age that undoubtedly will be tested in clinical trials going forward. Ultimately, the benefit-to-risk tradeoffs will be defined. In the meantime, we have desperately needed an immunome. As I’ve stressed in multiple prior Ground Truths, we have no test in the clinic to assess a patient’s immune status! It was very encouraging for me to get an email from Hugo Aerts, the senior author of the landmark papers in the days after they were published: “I also wanted to say that your Substack on “Why We Need an Immunome” was inspiring for this work. We found it a very compelling perspective and greatly enjoyed reading it.” Just having an assessment of a person’s immune status via a chest CT scan, with millions of these performed per year, might help in guiding the right immunotherapy for cancer (e.g. more intensive, combinations for those with low thymic health scores) and help define people who are increased risk for age-related diseases of cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative. The main theme of Super Agers is that we now have many layers of data (genetics, proteins, biomarkers, organ clocks that can be integrated via multimodal AI) for us to define a person’s specific risk decades before one of these age-related diseases leads to symptoms, enabling prevention. From the new studies this week, we can add thymus health score as yet another way to understand a person’s risk, a window into their adaptive immune system and healthspan. And perhaps someday we will be able to safely rejuvenate the thymus, or maintain its health through one’s life, and use the thymus health score to monitor. NB: I wrote this post (No A.I.) A Quick Poll Loading... ********************************************************************* Thanks to Ground Truths subscribers (now > 200,000) from every US state and 212 countries. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. Please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths Paid subscriptions are voluntary and all proceeds from them go to support Scripps Research. They do allow for posting comments and questions, which I do my best to respond to. Please don’t hesitate to post comments and give me feedback. Let me know topics that you would like to see covered. Leave a comment Many thanks to those who have contributed—they have greatly helped fund our summer internship programs for the past two years. It enabled us to accept and support 47 summer interns in 2025! We aim to accept even more of the several thousand who will apply for summer 2026.

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Mar 22 • 2:18 PM EDT • Health • erictopol.substack.com
Woman, from Large Filipino Family That Loves Food, Thought Health Issues Were Caused by Her Diet. They Weren't (Exclusive)

A woman thought her health issues were caused by her diet, growing up in 'a big Filipino American family, where food is often the center of all gatherings.' However, Jamie Nangpi Harris' ailments were tied to Crohn's disease, a chronic, autoimmune-driven inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affects the digestive tract, she tells PEOPLE exclusively.

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Mar 21 • 5:06 AM EDT • Health • people.com
Attaining Optimal Gut Health: Doctor Separates Facts From Myth

Dr. Roshini Raj, gastroenterologist at New York University Langone Medical Center, joins TODAY to talk about what’s best for your digestive and gut health. She also separates facts and fiction when it comes to lemon water detoxing your stomach, whether you can have too much fiber and more.

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Mar 17 • 9:29 AM EDT • Health • today.com
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4 Common Medications That Can Mess With Your Gut Health

Some medications may disrupt the “good” bacteria in your gut microbiome, potentially affecting your digestive and overall health.

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Mar 10 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • health.com
7 Dietitian-Approved Fiber-Packed Beans for Gut and Heart Health

Beans are known for their digestive health benefits. Here's which beans pack the biggest fiber bang for your buck.

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Mar 8 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • today.com
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Scientists say this simple diet change could transform your gut health

A growing trend called “fibermaxxing” is putting dietary fiber in the spotlight—and for good reason. Fiber plays a powerful role in keeping the body healthy, from supporting digestion and feeding beneficial gut microbes to helping regulate blood sugar and cholesterol. Researchers say getting enough fiber may even lower the risk of conditions like obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers.

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Mar 8 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Scientists say this simple diet change could transform your gut health

A growing trend called “fibermaxxing” is putting dietary fiber in the spotlight—and for good reason. Fiber plays a powerful role in keeping the body healthy, from supporting digestion and feeding beneficial gut microbes to helping regulate blood sugar and cholesterol. Researchers say getting enough fiber may even lower the risk of conditions like obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers.

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Mar 8 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • sciencedaily.com
Nature Made® Continues Expansion of its Gut Health Offerings with the Launch of SuperGreens and Digestive Enzymes

WEST HILLS, Calif., March 03, 2026--Nature Made, the leading national vitamin and supplement broadline brand with over 50 years of expertise in delivering high-quality products with ingredients backed by science, today announces the launch of three new products to help support gut health – SuperGreens Powder, SuperGreens Capsules, and Digestive Enzymes – as part of the brand’s larger product innovation strategy.

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Mar 3 • 2:00 PM EST • Health • finance.yahoo.com
Vanderbilt Health acquires Tennova’s Clarksville hospital and related physician clinics from Community Health Systems

Leaders with Vanderbilt Health announced today completion of the acquisition of Tennova Healthcare-Clarksville Hospital and freestanding emergency room Tennova ER-Sango, along with the hospital’s related businesses, including physician clinics and outpatient services, from Community Health Systems Inc. (CHS). Vanderbilt Health has held a 20% minority interest in these operations since 2021. Under Vanderbilt Health’s ownership, the 270-bed hospital will be named Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital (VCH) while the freestanding Sango ER will be named Vanderbilt Emergency Sango. Also joining the Vanderbilt Health system through the acquisition are physician practice locations in Clarksville, Dover, Pleasant View and Tiny Town offering, depending on location, orthopaedics, primary care, wound care, digestive health, urology and surgical services. Acquisition of the hospital and its related physician practices expands Vanderbilt Health’s ability to serve patients across the region, supporting its ability to provide high-quality care in more convenient, community settings that are also more cost-effective. “We are thrilled to welcome Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital into our health system. Providing exceptional care close to home is invaluable, and we are eager to serve the citizens of Clarksville and Montgomery County by expanding the hospital’s programs and services,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Vanderbilt Health and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. This acquisition marks Vanderbilt Health’s fourth regional hospital expansion, further strengthening its presence across Middle Tennessee beyond its already extensive inpatient and ambulatory services in Nashville. VCH joins Vanderbilt Health’s network of regional medical centers that now include Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital in Lebanon, Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital in Coffee County, and Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital in Shelbyville. With a strong record of growth and investment in people, programs and services for its regional hospitals, residents of Clarksville, Montgomery County and the surrounding region can expect that Vanderbilt Health will bring a host of adult and pediatric services to the area. Initial plans for VCH over the upcoming year include increased staffing for the hospital’s emergency services, including the addition of pediatric emergency medicine specialists with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, along with increased surgical specialty offerings. Longer term, physicians and staff will be recruited to bring a broader array of adult and pediatric specialty services to the community. “I am delighted to welcome the physicians, nurses and staff of Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital into the Vanderbilt Health family and look forward to working closely with the hospital’s medical staff and members of the local health care community to ensure we excel at meeting their needs as caregivers as we pursue the goal of improving the health and wellbeing of the patients we serve,” said Jane Freedman, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt Health. Currently, VCH employs approximately 1,100 staff and more than 30 physicians. Through this acquisition Vanderbilt Health has committed to hire substantially all current employees who are in good standing. Services already established by Vanderbilt Health at VCH include an OB-GYN hospitalist program, an array of oncology services provided by a multidisciplinary team with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and neonatal care in the hospital’s Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit provided by specialists with Monroe Carell. VCH has been designated as an Accredited Chest Pain Center and a Wound Care Center of Distinction and has earned the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission. More information about Vanderbilt Clarksville Hospital is available at: vanderbilthealth.com/hospital/vanderbilt-clarksville-hospital

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Feb 2 • 7:51 AM EST • Health • news.vumc.org
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The science of why chia seeds are a superfood

Chia seeds are full of fiber and protein. Here’s how to make them easier on your digestive tract.

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Jan 31 • 7:00 PM EST • Science • nationalgeographic.com
Accelerating Innovation: Wonderbelly Joins the P&G Personal Health Care Portfolio

Expanding P&G’s commitment to personal health by delivering effective, 'free-from' digestive relief to a wider range of shoppers.

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Jan 26 • 4:49 AM EST • Health • us.pg.com
Research suggests bamboo-based foods could support metabolic health

This systematic review synthesizes human, in vitro, and food-processing studies on bamboo consumption, finding limited but suggestive evidence for metabolic, digestive, and antioxidant benefits when products are properly prepared. It also highlights safety considerations, including potential goitrogenic effects from inadequately processed shoots, and calls for higher-quality human trials.

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Jan 18 • 10:50 PM EST • Health • news-medical.net
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The new science and business of oral biologics

Biologics are built for precision. The gastrointestinal tract is built for demolition. Between stomach acid, digestive enzymes, and the physical barricade of the intestinal wall, most large molecules do not merely struggle to get absorbed. They get dismantled.

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Jan 6 • 7:00 AM EST • Science • thepharmaletter.com
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'We're adding possibilities' MUSC Health Opens Phase 3 of West Ashley Medical Pavilion

WCIV ABC News 4, Charleston, South Carolina provides coverage of local and national news, sports, weather and community events in the region, including North Charleston, Mt Pleasant, Summerville, Hanahan, Goose Creek, Rantowles, Cottageville, St George, Moncks Corner, Jacksonboro, Ravenel, Cottageville, Walterboro, Sullivans Island, Dewees Island and Folly Beach.

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Dec 4, 2025 • 9:55 AM EST • Health • abcnews4.com
Health risks of taking too much turmeric: Hidden dangers for your liver, heart, digestion and iron levels | - The Times of India

Turmeric, a popular spice and supplement, offers health benefits but excessive intake can cause issues. High doses may lead to digestive upset, liver

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Dec 2, 2025 • 2:30 AM EST • Health • timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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