People’s gut bacteria worse in areas with higher social deprivation

King's College London

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Living in a poorer neighbourhood in the UK could impact the make-up of your gut microbiome, potentially leading to worse health. 

New research, led by King’s College London and the University of Nottingham, found that people living in areas of higher social deprivation have a less diverse range of bacteria in their gut. 

The study, published in npj biofilms and microbiomes, also found people in these areas have less short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria – which are vital for reducing inflammation and regulating energy metabolism.  

These differences in gut bacteria could lead to worse health outcomes including mental health and metabolic health (which helps manage people’s energy levels), immune system function, and mood stability. 

In particular, the research found a link between those in areas of higher deprivation who had worse gut microbiomes and mental health conditions such as anxiety. 

In the study, the researchers analysed the gut bacteria of 1,390 female twin individuals from TwinsUK along with their residential postcodes to identify the participants’ area level socioeconomic status.  

To measure the deprivation of an area they primarily used the well-established Townsend Deprivation Index. The Townsend Deprivation Index measures deprivation using practical indicators like unemployment, overcrowding, and home or car ownership to measure material deprivation of different areas.  

The researchers identified 12 bacterial species linked to living in more deprived areas. Two of these, Lawsonibacter and Intestinimonas massiliensis, were negatively associated not only with deprivation, but also with higher rates of anxiety and diabetes. These two bacteria normally produce butyrate, a helpful substance in the gut that supports blood sugar control, energy balance, and communication between the gut and the brain. Changes in these bacteria may help explain how social disadvantage could affect both mental and physical health. 

The findings suggest the gut microbiome may play a role in the connections between social deprivation and adverse health outcomes. Researchers hope that interventions such as fibre-rich diets that support butyrate-producing bacteria, and targeted probiotic approaches to improve gut health, could help counter some of the harmful effects that socioeconomic stress has on a person’s mental and physical wellbeing. 

Dr Cristina Menni, Senior author of the study and a Senior Lecturer in Molecular Epidemiology at King’s College London, said: “Although this is still an emerging area of research, we know that the diversity of bacteria in the gut plays an important role on overall health. Our findings suggests that people who live in more socially deprived areas of the UK may have less diverse gut microbiomes, which could affect other aspects of their health. We hope that this might lead to interventions that support gut health and help improve overall wellbeing.” 

Dr Yu Lin, first author of the study and a Research Associate at King’s College London, said: “The gut microbiome might be one of the ways our environment and social circumstances, such as chronic stress, financial strain, access to healthy food, affect both our mental health and our metabolic health. These microbes, in turn, influence how the body process energy and communicate with the brain. In other words, the bacteria in our gut could help explain how where we live and the stresses we face shape our overall wellbeing. We hope that our findings will contribute to new strategies for supporting health in disadvantaged communities.”  

Dr Ana Valdes, Professor of Molecular Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, said: "By uncovering how social deprivation translates into biological changes – fundamentally altering our gut microbiome composition – we can now design targeted interventions to reverse some of these health inequalities. Understanding these pathways gives us actionable targets, whether through dietary fibre, probiotics, or other gut-focused strategies, to break the cycle linking poverty to poor health outcomes." 

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Journal

npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Subject of Research

People

 

Keto diet may restore exercise benefits in people with high blood sugar

New research shows a ketogenic diet reduced high blood sugar in mice and enhanced their aerobic capacity

Virginia Tech

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Sarah Lessard, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, studies how diet and exercise interact to influence blood sugar and muscle adaptation.

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Credit: Virginia Tech

To be healthy, conventional wisdom tells us to exercise and limit fatty foods. Exercise helps us lose weight and build muscle. It makes our hearts stronger and boosts how we take in and use oxygen for energy — one of the strongest predictors of health and longevity.

But people with high blood sugar often don’t achieve those benefits from exercise, especially the ability to use oxygen efficiently. They’re at higher risk for heart and kidney disease, but high blood sugar can prevent their muscles from taking up oxygen more effectively in response to exercise. 

For them, a new study suggests the answer could be eating not less fat, but more. 

The study by exercise medicine scientist Sarah Lessard, published Feb. 25 in Nature Communications, found that a high-fat, ketogenic diet reduced high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, in mice, and their bodies were more responsive to exercise. 

“After one week on the ketogenic diet, their blood sugar was completely normal, as though they didn't have diabetes at all,” said Lessard, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC Center for Exercise Medicine Research. “Over time, the diet caused remodeling of the mice’s muscles, making them more oxidative and making them react better to aerobic exercise.”

The ketogenic diet is named for its ability to induce ketosis, a metabolic state that shifts the body to burning fat for fuel instead of sugar. The diet is controversial because it calls for eating high-fat, very low-carbohydrate foods, which is counter to the low-fat diet historically urged by health advocates.

However, the keto diet has been linked to benefits for people with some diseases, including epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. In the 1920s, before the discovery of insulin, it was a way to manage diabetes because of its ability to lower blood sugar. 

In earlier research, Lessard found that people with high blood sugar had lower exercise capacity. She wondered if the diet might improve the response to exercise, leading to higher exercise capacity.

Mice were fed a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet and exercised on running wheels. The mice developed more slow-twitch muscle fibers, which give better endurance.

“Their bodies were more efficiently using oxygen, which is a sign of higher aerobic capacity,” Lessard said. 

Lessard said exercise positively affects virtually every tissue in our body, even fat tissue, but she and others are seeing that the greatest health improvements won’t come with diet or exercise alone. 

“What we're really finding from this study and from our other studies is that diet and exercise aren't simply working in isolation,” said Lessard, who also holds an appointment in the Department of Human Foods, Nutrition, and Exercise in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “There are a lot of combined effects, and so we can get the most benefits from exercise if we eat a healthy diet at the same time.”

Next, Lessard would like to continue her research in human subjects to see if they gain the same benefits from the keto diet seen in mice.

She also notes that the keto diet is challenging to follow. A less restrictive regimen, such as the Mediterranean diet, might be easier for people to follow and still be effective. That diet can also keep blood sugar low, while including carbohydrates from unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and whole grains rather than restricting carbohydrates altogether.

“Our previous studies have shown that any strategy you and your doctor have arrived at to reduce your blood sugar could work,” she said.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-026-69349-5 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

Article Title

A ketogenic diet enhances aerobic exercise adaptation and promotes muscle mitochondrial remodeling in hyperglycemic male mice

Article Publication Date

25-Feb-2026

 

Manchester researchers challenge misleading language around plastic waste solutions

University of Manchester

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Solutions to the plastic waste crisis are often pitched using words that can skew value judgements, new research argues.

The paper, authored by the Sustainable Materials Innovation Hub at The University of Manchester, explores the consequences of terminology choices on end-of-life solutions for plastic waste.  While recycling has long been touted as a solution for plastic sustainability - it comes in many forms, and can sometimes serve as a smokescreen for genuine discussions around sustainability.

The researchers, Seiztinger, Lahive, and Shaver, find directional terms - such as ‘upcycling’ and ‘downcycling’ - to be poorly defined as value propositions, and that their use can skew perceptions of the benefits, potentially posing barrier to circularity.

‘Downcycling’, for instance, implies the production of a less favourable or ‘less good’ material as the end product of the recycling process, while ‘upcycling’ has positive connotations. However, despite what these terms suggest, a ‘downcycled’ stream may produce a high value product, while an ‘upcycled’ path may have a greater negative environmental impact than alternative routes.

Using these terms assigns disproportionate value to certain end-of-life plastic solution strategies, and can be used by supporters or detractors of different recycling technologies to obscure genuine evaluation of their environmental impact.

The study, published in the journal Cambridge Prisms: Plastics, suggests that plastic waste solutions consistently fail to live up to their marketed messaging, and that clearer communication of the true value of the product from a recycling process is essential to drive investment in proper plastic waste management.

Corresponding author Professor Michael Shaver, Professor of Polymer Science at The University of Manchester, said: “The confused terminology surrounding the fate of waste plastic often lacks a consideration of value and unintended consequences. As these terms are now being used to promote technologies outside of a sustainable system, we felt it important to argue for clarity and caution when presuming quality from this directional terminology.”

The researchers argue that no single solution offers a quick fix, and that it is wrong for the terminology to suggest otherwise. They call for greater clarity over how we value end-products. They suggest a ‘spiral system’ of reuse, in which plastic materials are treated as complex mixtures that, like crude oil, can be chemically deconstructed at the end of their life and transformed to become a huge range of longer-lasting products over their lifetime. 

For example, a yoghurt pot could be reconstituted into car parts, and then after that into a park bench. Ultimately, after many years of service, it could be chemically deconstructed, and turned back into a yoghurt pot. As the polypropylene in such simple packaging is already used in cars, hard shell suitcases, garden furniture, appliances, and plumbing, a cross-sector approach to reuse of plastic waste could generate more value than an approach focused solely on single-use packaging.

By moving away from direction-loaded terminology, researchers suggest that plastic waste solutions can be judged on the measurable environmental and economic value of the end-products, rather than an assumed or subjective value based on language, that is not always supported by full life-cycle assessment or economic analysis.

Dr Claire Seitzinger added: “Building a circular plastics economy means looking at the whole system, not isolated solutions pitched against each other. Policy, industry, innovation and collaboration across sectors are essential for a sustainable future. The next time you eat a yoghurt, where do you want the pot to end up? Should it become another yoghurt pot? A park bench? A car? What is best? And what should you, the packaging producer, or the government do to make that to happen?”

-ends-

 

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Journal

Cambridge Prisms Plastics

DOI

10.1017/plc.2026.10041 

Article Title

Up, Down & Back Again: Value Judgements in Polymer Recycling

Article Publication Date

25-Feb-2026

 

The Institute of New Imaging Technologies at the UJI leads the European FAIR GAME project to protect children in online gaming environments

The FAIR GAME consortium, meeting on the Castelló campus, seeks to bring about cultural and structural change in order to influence gaming platform policies and standards

Universitat Jaume I

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A European consortium, led by the Institute of New Imaging Technologies (INIT) at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló and comprising the University of Limassol (Cyprus), Save the Children Finland, All Digital (Belgium) and 8d-Games (the Netherlands), aims to promote the protection and exercise of children’s rights in online gaming environments by creating participatory mechanisms that foster digital literacy, strengthen mental wellbeing and embed practices grounded in children’s fundamental rights.

“The main purpose of FAIR GAME”, explains the research team, which met for two days at the public university in Castelló, “is to make children’s rights visible, actionable and enforceable in one of the least regulated digital environments”, because its goal “is not only to mitigate risk, but to reorient the way the gaming ecosystem defines safety and responsibility”. For this reason, they add, it “seeks to bring about cultural and structural change in order to influence gaming platform policies and standards”.

In the view of the research team, “a safe and age-appropriate gaming environment would ensure that children can enjoy the benefits of digital gaming (creativity, social connection, skills development) without exposure to violence, exploitation or discrimination”, since FAIR GAME is designed to “generate lasting change in the way children experience, understand and influence digital gaming environments”.

Specifically, the project proposes a range of protective measures, including stricter content moderation and age rating systems; stronger safeguards against adult predators and abusive peers through identity verification and user-friendly reporting systems; enhanced privacy and personal data protection with clear, accessible information; and online gaming spaces that are inclusive, non-discriminatory and responsive to differences in age, gender, background and ability.

The FAIR GAME consortium brings together five European Union member states (Spain, Finland, Cyprus, Belgium and the Netherlands). This combination reflects different levels of digital infrastructure, child participation practices and exposure to online gaming risks, providing a solid basis for testing tools and approaches in diverse settings. In addition, each partner contributes a unique skill set, combining expertise in video game development, children’s rights, education, digital skills, advocacy and gamification.

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Credit: Universitat Jaume I of Castellón

Video games have become complex, interactive spaces in which children not only have fun but also shape their identity, their relationships with peers and even their formal learning. However, some of their features (monetisation, manipulative design or social pressure) are poorly aligned with children’s rights related to mental health, participation and protection, even though they can also offer social and emotional benefits when engagement is critical and informed.

A European consortium, led by the Institute of New Imaging Technologies (INIT) at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló and comprising the University of Limassol (Cyprus), Save the Children Finland, All Digital (Belgium) and 8d-Games (the Netherlands), aims to promote the protection and exercise of children’s rights in online gaming environments by creating participatory mechanisms that foster digital literacy, strengthen mental wellbeing and embed practices grounded in children’s fundamental rights.

“The main purpose of FAIR GAME”, explains the research team, which met for two days at the public university in Castelló, “is to make children’s rights visible, actionable and enforceable in one of the least regulated digital environments”, because its goal “is not only to mitigate risk, but to reorient the way the gaming ecosystem defines safety and responsibility”. For this reason, they add, it “seeks to bring about cultural and structural change in order to influence gaming platform policies and standards”.

The methodology to achieve this objective is structured in five stages. The first focuses on child-led design to create digital literacy modules, raise awareness about gaming practices and develop guidance materials for families and educators. The second stage seeks to engage the wider influence ecosystem, such as developers, streamers and influencers, who would share responsibility through jointly developed codes of conduct, training and behavioural tools.

The third and fourth stages include cross-cutting parameters applied throughout the project, such as promoting inclusion and accessibility within project teams of minors participating in consultations and implementing an ethical protection framework for them. The fifth stage envisages final outcomes that are modular and adaptable, with translation guidelines and open-source formats that can be integrated into national education systems and made accessible beyond the participating countries.

To achieve its objectives, FAIR GAME targets four key groups. The first consists of children aged 10 to 18, especially those in vulnerable situations, who participate in online gaming through collaboration with schools, youth centres, NGOs and child protection networks. The second group includes parents, caregivers and educators, who play a key role in reinforcing safe digital practices through practical tools and training to support children’s literacy, wellbeing and resilience.

The third group comprises older children trained as ambassadors to lead peer sessions, co-create content and advise on project design. The fourth includes stakeholders from the gaming community who will co-design voluntary codes and take part in awareness-raising and training campaigns promoting safer and more inclusive gaming cultures.

In the view of the research team, “a safe and age-appropriate gaming environment would ensure that children can enjoy the benefits of digital gaming (creativity, social connection, skills development) without exposure to violence, exploitation or discrimination”, since FAIR GAME is designed to “generate lasting change in the way children experience, understand and influence digital gaming environments”.

Specifically, the project proposes a range of protective measures, including stricter content moderation and age rating systems; stronger safeguards against adult predators and abusive peers through identity verification and user-friendly reporting systems; enhanced privacy and personal data protection with clear, accessible information; and online gaming spaces that are inclusive, non-discriminatory and responsive to differences in age, gender, background and ability.

The FAIR GAME consortium brings together five European Union member states (Spain, Finland, Cyprus, Belgium and the Netherlands). This combination reflects different levels of digital infrastructure, child participation practices and exposure to online gaming risks, providing a solid basis for testing tools and approaches in diverse settings. In addition, each partner contributes a unique skill set, combining expertise in video game development, children’s rights, education, digital skills, advocacy and gamification.

The project “FAIR GAME – Fostering Awareness, Inclusion and Resilience in Gaming Environments” is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) under the CERV-2025-CHILD call. The coordinator is researcher Inmaculada Remolar Quintana, director of the Institute of New Imaging Technologies at the Universitat Jaume I, and the project will run for 24 months.