Today’s Solutions: November 02, 2024

Maintaining your gut health, also known as a healthy microbiome, is critical for promoting healthy digestion and building a strong immune system. Now, research from Northwestern University indicates that healthy gut bacteria can even ward off the damaging side effects of chemotherapy. 

To come to this conclusion, the researchers simulated a microbiome in their lab which included bacteria that have been known to break down chemotherapy chemicals as well as those particularly vulnerable to the toxins. When adding the chemotherapy drug called doxorubicin to the mix, they found that the strong bacteria helped degrade the drug and even protect the weaker gut bacteria. 

The process was inspired by a concept called bioremediation, which uses microbes to clean up the environmental pollution. These findings indicate that building up a healthy microbiome before treatment can improve patients’ outcomes post-chemotherapy. What’s more, the bacterial breakdown of the drugs does not hinder their efficacy in treating tumors. 

Source study: Northwestern University – Good bacteria can temper chemotherapy side effects

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

This heartwarming Danish ad breaks down the ‘Us vs Them’ narrative

It’s rare that we publish a story about an advertisement, but then again it’s rare that an ad stirs so much emotion within its ...

Read More

NOAHs: Charlotte has a formula for long-lasting affordable housing

We recently shared how empty retail space could be the solution to California’s affordable housing crisis. Across the country in North Carolina, the city ...

Read More

A seat at the table for underrepresented communities

Climate change is already affecting all of us—however, those that bear the brunt of these consequences are predominantly from low-income, marginalized, BIPOC communities. So ...

Read More

Expanding democracy: Michigan opens new doors for formerly incarcerated voters

Malijah Gee's path from incarceration at the age of 17 to imminent freedom reflects the longing for a voice that has been suppressed for 36 years. ...

Read More