Yogurt and hot spring bathing show a promising combination for gut health

Researchers find that hot spring bathing enhanced the positive effects of yogurt on defecation status

Kyushu University

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The Umi Jigoku onsen (hot spring) is one of the stunning onsens you can see at Beppu City. While this onsen is far too hot to take a dip in, Beppu is renowned for its numerous onsens and the purported health benefits it provides.

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Credit: Kyushu University

Fukuoka, Japan— Researchers at Kyushu University have demonstrated that yogurt intake increases the diversity of gut microbiota and alters its composition. Furthermore, bathing in chloride hot springs after yogurt intake was found to improve defecation status more than yogurt alone. These findings suggest that combining two lifestyle interventions—yogurt intake and hot spring bathing—may contribute to better health, highlighting their potential application for preventive medicine. The study was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

Maintaining a healthy gut environment is vital for overall health, as it plays a key role in regulating digestion, immune responses, and even neurological function. Yogurt, which contains prebiotic microorganisms such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria, have been known to modulate the gut microbiota and provide a range of health benefits.

In this context, researchers at Kyushu University focused on Japanese hot springs, also known as Onsen. “We have previously reported the beneficial effects of onsen bathing on the gut microbiota. However, little has been known about how the combination of diet and onsen bathing influences health.” says Professor Shunsuke Managi of Kyushu University’s Urban Institute who led the research. “Therefore, we collaborated with Beppu City here in Kyushu, a region well known for its onsen, to investigate the effects of onsen bathing after yogurt intake.”

This study enrolled 47 healthy adult men and women who had not bathed in onsens within 14 days prior to the start of the trial. The participants were then randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group, a yogurt group and a yogurt plus onsen group.

The control group received no intervention, while the yogurt group consumed 180 g of low-sugar yogurt containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus after dinner daily. In addition to this, the yogurt plus onsen group bathed in Beppu's chloride spring for more than 15 minutes at least once every two days. Before and after the four-week intervention period, gut microbiota surveys were conducted using stool samples, and a questionnaire on defecation status containing 14 items which includes evaluating stool frequency, stool consistency, the sensation of incomplete evacuation, and the use of laxatives was administered.

The results revealed a significant increase in gut microbiota diversity in the yogurt group, accompanied by changes in the relative abundance of multiple bacterial species. Notably, these microbial changes were not observed in either the control group or the yogurt plus onsen group. However, both the yogurt group and the yogurt plus onsen group demonstrated significant improvements in defecation status scores, with the latter showing a more pronounced effect.

These findings suggest that yogurt intake may enhance gut microbial diversity, and that its combination with onsen bathing may exert an additive or synergistic effect to improve defecation status.

“Although the sample size is small, our findings suggest that combining two accessible lifestyle interventions—yogurt intake and onsen bathing—may offer enhanced health benefits, particularly by promoting gut microbiota diversity and improving defecation status in healthy adults,” explains Managi. “These results are especially relevant given the growing interest in non-pharmaceutical, lifestyle-based strategies for preventive health and wellness. Furthermore, this research may support the development of evidence-based wellness tourism, particularly in regions known for their onsen, by providing scientific validation for health-oriented travel and services.”

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For more information about this research, see "Dietary and environmental modulation for the gut environment: yogurt promotes microbial diversity while chloride hot springs improve defecation status in healthy adults,"Jungmi Choi, Midori Takeda, and Shunsuke Managi” Frontiers in Nutrition, https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2025.1609102

About Kyushu University 
Founded in 1911, Kyushu University is one of Japan's leading research-oriented institutes of higher education, consistently ranking as one of the top ten Japanese universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the QS World Rankings. The university is one of the seven national universities in Japan, located in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu—the most southwestern of Japan’s four main islands with a population and land size slightly larger than Belgium. Kyushu U’s multiple campuses—home to around 19,000 students and 8000 faculty and staff—are located around Fukuoka City, a coastal metropolis that is frequently ranked among the world's most livable cities and historically known as Japan's gateway to Asia. Through its VISION 2030, Kyushu U will “drive social change with integrative knowledge.” By fusing the spectrum of knowledge, from the humanities and arts to engineering and medical sciences, Kyushu U will strengthen its research in the key areas of decarbonization, medicine and health, and environment and food, to tackle society’s most pressing issues.

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Journal

Frontiers in Nutrition

DOI

10.3389/fnut.2025.1609102 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Dietary and environmental modulation for the gut environment: yogurt promotes microbial diversity while chloride hot springs improve defecation status in healthy adults

Moisture changes the rules of atmospheric traffic jams

Purdue University research reveals moisture's role in atmospheric blocking, a key driver in extreme weather events, solving a climate mystery and improving forecasts

Purdue University

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New research from Purdue University reveals how moisture influences atmospheric blocking, a phenomenon that often drives heat waves, droughts, cold outbreaks and floods, helping solve a mystery in climate science and improving future extreme weather predictions. Back row (from left): Lei Wang and Zhaoyu Liu. Front row (from left): Ken Yan, Ka Ying Ho, Valentina Castañeda and Dean Calhoun. (Photo provided by Lei Wang)

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Credit: Photo provided by Lei Wang

New research from Purdue University reveals how moisture influences atmospheric blocking, a phenomenon that often drives heat waves, droughts, cold outbreaks and floods, helping solve a mystery in climate science and improving future extreme weather predictions.

The study, titled "Blocking Diversity Causes Distinct Roles of Diabatic Heating in the Northern Hemisphere," was published in Nature Communications. Zhaoyu Liu, a PhD student in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, and Lei Wang, an assistant professor in EAPS, were both involved in this publication. Liu served as the study's first author and performed the analysis, while Wang was the corresponding author and conceived the original idea for the research.

Atmospheric blocking occurs when stagnant air patterns disrupt normal weather flow, often causing prolonged extreme weather. Wang and Liu's research challenges decades-old theories that assumed a dry atmosphere. "Since the beginning of modern meteorology (around the 1940s), most classical theories for atmospheric blocking were developed based on the assumption that we are living in a completely dry world," Wang said. "Obviously, that assumption was helpful for simplifying the processes to its essence, but a completely dry assumption is not the case in the real atmosphere."

Atmospheric blocking comes in two main forms: ridge blocks, which create large, high-pressure "bubbles" that push the jet stream north and often lead to heat waves, and dipole blocks, which pair high and low pressure side by side, trapping contrasting weather patterns in place. Diabatic heating refers to the warming or cooling of air due to the exchange of heat with its environment.

Their study introduces a new mechanism showing that moisture-induced diabatic heating strengthens ridge blocks but weakens dipole blocks. "We find that, while moisture-induced diabatic heating is conducive to the persistence of ridge blocks, it exerts a surprising damping effect that significantly weakens the amplitude of dipole blocks," Wang explained.

This finding resolves a long-standing mystery about why some climate models predict fewer blocking events in a warming climate. To explain the new results on the dampening effect of dipole blocks, they offered a physical interpretation using the geopotential height tendency equation, a foundational concept of earth science/atmospheric science.

Wang compares atmospheric blocking to a traffic jam on a highway. "Without considering moisture, yes, blocks can happen," Wang said. "However, the role of moisture is just like the road condition at the time of the traffic jam. Sometimes, if the blocks are of different shapes (such as trough or dipole), they may exert an influence to reduce the strength of the blocks." He compared this to drivers following traffic flow intentionally to ease a jam, rather than worsening it with erratic braking.

This discovery could enhance subseasonal to seasonal forecasts for extreme weather events, which are notoriously difficult to predict. "Blocking events usually lead to extreme weather events, such as heat waves or cold spells or droughts," Wang said. "Recognizing and unraveling these distinct roles of diabatic heating for different types of blocks will help us to better predict the evolution of blocking events."

Wang's group studies large-scale atmospheric dynamics on Earth and other planets, focusing on blocking and extreme weather. Subseasonal to seasonal variability creates a forecast gap for these events, which are hard to predict. The goal is to improve understanding and forecasting of these challenging extremes.

The research, conducted entirely at Purdue, relied on high-performance computing resources at the Rosen Center for Advanced Computing for data storage, analysis and numerical simulations. Wang is also associated with Purdue's Institute for a Sustainable Future and served as a faculty co-leader for the weather and climate research community.

The study was funded by a Modeling, Analysis, Predictions, and Projections award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a Climate and Large-Scale Dynamics award from the National Science Foundation, and a Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology award.

About Purdue University 

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

 

About the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University

The Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences (EAPS) combines four of Purdue's most interdisciplinary programs: geology and geophysics, environmental sciences, atmospheric sciences, and planetary sciences. EAPS conducts world-class research; educates undergraduate and graduate students; and provides our college, university, state and country with the information necessary to understand the world and universe around us. Our research is globally recognized; our students are highly valued by graduate schools and employers; and our alumni continue to make significant contributions in academia, industry, and federal and state government.

 

Written by: David Siple, communications specialist, in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University.

 

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-60811-4 

Article Title

Blocking diversity causes distinct roles of diabatic heating in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

Global study shows racialized, Indigenous communities face higher burden of heart disease made worse by data gaps

McMaster University

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A new study has revealed that racialized and Indigenous communities across Europe, North America, and Central America face significantly higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and that gaps in health-care data are making the problem worse.

CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide but does not affect people equally. In many countries, Black, South Asian and Indigenous peoples have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, or high blood pressure compared to white populations. Without an understanding of who is most at risk and why, health systems are unprepared to provide fair and effective care.

The research, published on August 21, is co-authored by two McMaster University scientists as part of The Lancet Regional Health-Europe commission on inequalities and disparities in cardiovascular health, announced in June 2024. The findings will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology’s (ESC) Congress 2025 in Madrid on August 29.

“The novelty of this research lies in the comprehensive, cross-regional evidence showing that these disparities are not random, they’re deeply tied to social disadvantages such as poverty, poor housing, and limited access to care. The findings show women from marginalized communities are especially affected,” says Sonia Anand, lead author of the research and a professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster. Anand is associate vice-president of Global Health and the inaugural leader of the Mary Heersink School of Global Health and Social Medicine at McMaster.

A key issue highlighted by the study is the inconsistent collection and reporting of racial data in health-care systems globally. This gap limits the ability to identify high-risk groups for CVD, tailor prevention and treatment, and design policies that address the risk.

• In Canada, ethnicity is collected in the census but not in health-care administrative databases, making it difficult to track disparities in real-time clinical settings.
• In Europe, most countries lack standardized ethnicity data in health care. Proxy measures like country of birth are used, which are inadequate for understanding health risks.
• In Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, ethnicity and race data are rarely collected, and Indigenous health data is especially sparse.
• In the United States, race and ethnicity are collected more consistently, but the categories are not granular enough, especially within diverse groups like Asian Americans.

“This research highlights a critical blind spot in global health systems: without accurate data on race and ethnicity, inequalities in heart health remain hidden and unaddressed,” says Sujane Kandasamy, co-author on the study and an assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at McMaster.

The study has a special section devoted to Indigenous populations in each global region, and showed Indigenous peoples, irrespective of region, continue to be affected by marginalization and other impacts of colonialism that have disrupted their traditional, healthy lifestyles. The section, led by co-author Miles Marchand, an Indigenous cardiologist from the University of British Columbia, showed populations of Indigenous peoples who have maintained or restored their traditional lifestyles displayed improved cardiovascular health irrespective of the barriers to care they face.

The authors say the research provides a roadmap for fairer, more effective care and policy, with the potential to save lives and reduce health-care costs. Among their recommendations are for governments to monitor trends of cardiovascular health with self-reported data, for clinicians to screen high-risk communities, and for public health programs to provide low-cost treatments and encourage active lifestyles and culturally tailored healthy eating.

There were no external funders of this study.

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To set up interviews, please contact the authors directly:

Sonia Anand: anands@mcmaster.ca

Sujane Kandasamy: kandas3@mcmaster.ca

For an embargoed copy of the study, contact Adam Ward, media relations officer with McMaster University's Faculty of Health Sciences, at warda17@mcmaster.ca. 

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Journal

The Lancet Regional Health - Europe

DOI

10.1016/j.lanepe.2025.101371 

Article Title

Reducing inequalities in cardiovascular disease: focus on marginalized populations considering ethnicity and race

Article Publication Date

21-Aug-2025

 

AI could stop hotels and restaurants wasting food, energy and talent - so why aren’t they using it?

Artificial Intelligence could slash waste, cut carbon emissions and ease staff burnout – yet many operators are barely scratching the surface, according to new research from the University of Surrey.

University of Surrey

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Artificial Intelligence could slash waste, cut carbon emissions and ease staff burnout in the hospitality sector – yet many operators are barely scratching the surface, according to new research from the University of Surrey. 

The study, published in Sustainable Development, in collaboration with partners in Spain, found that AI technologies could give hotels, restaurants and cruise lines a competitive edge while dramatically improving their environmental and social impact. But a mix of risk aversion, lack of expertise and poor collaboration is holding the sector back. 

The findings show AI’s potential is far more ambitious than simply streamlining bookings or employing chatbots. It can: 

• Cut food waste at the source by analysing kitchen data to identify overproduced dishes, suggest recipes using surplus ingredients and even recommend menu changes.
• Slash energy and water consumption with smart building systems that adjust heating, cooling and lighting in real time based on occupancy, weather forecasts and energy prices.
• Personalise sustainability for guests by tailoring eco-friendly recommendations – from vegan breakfasts to local green activities – to individual preferences.
• Improve staff wellbeing through intelligent scheduling that matches staffing levels to demand, reducing stress and turnover. 

Dr Viachaslau Filimonau, Reader in Hospitality Innovation and co-author of the study at the University of Surrey said: 

“We have shown that smaller businesses fear the upfront costs of AI systems, while larger chains often trial projects but fail to scale them. Expertise is uneven, and data-sharing across the industry is rare – meaning successful innovations aren’t replicated elsewhere.” 

The study recommends targeted staff training, industry-wide partnerships and government-backed incentives to speed up uptake. It also calls for hospitality leaders to embed sustainability goals into their AI strategies from the outset, ensuring that environmental and social gains are measured and reported. 

Mark Ashton, Associate Professor in Hospitality Management at the University of Surrey, said: 

“Our findings make clear that AI is not a silver bullet – but with focused effort, it could help the industry tackle waste, energy use and labour challenges in one move. For hotels and restaurants serious about meeting sustainability targets, the time to act is now.” 

Researchers spoke to 35 senior hospitality professionals across the UK and Spain – from general managers and CEOs to sustainability directors and tech chiefs – representing hotels, restaurants, coffee chains, cruise lines and catering firms. Using in-depth, semi-structured interviews, the team captured candid, behind-the-scenes accounts of what’s working, what’s failing and why. 

 

[ENDS] 

Note to editors

• Mark Ashton and Dr Viachaslau Filimonau are available for interview, please contact mediarelations@surrey.ac.uk to arrange.   
• The full paper is available in Sustainable Development 

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Journal

Sustainable Development

DOI

10.1002/sd.70146 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Exploring How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Can Enable Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry

Article Publication Date

19-Aug-2025

 

Researchers bring science into the heart of the forest – forest management developed together with local communities

University of Oulu, Finland

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How can we manage forests so that they preserve biodiversity, store carbon, and at the same time secure rural livelihoods? This complex question is being approached in a new way in the FORbEST project, where researchers, forest owners, policymakers, and citizens work together.

The project aims to identify and test forest management practices that optimise both biodiversity and carbon storage while supporting rural livelihoods and climate change adaptation.

Funded by the EU’s Horizon programme, the project combines high technology, citizen science, and scientific expertise in six Living Labs across Europe and Asia. At the heart of the project are forests and their users, who together develop and test new forest management strategies that consider climate change, biodiversity, and social and economic constraints.

Living Labs are interactive collaboration platforms where different stakeholders actively participate in research design, data collection, and scenario testing.

The Living Labs are in ecologically and socially diverse areas in Finland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Italy, and Thailand, covering five biogeographic regions and one tropical forest area.

Forests must be studied where they grow, and in collaboration with local actors. Living Labs make this possible, making the research more impactful, more practical and more representative of the views and experiences of multiple stakeholders,” says project lead, Academy Research Fellow Roger Norum from the University of Oulu.

The project will also develop a participatory, game-based tool that illustrates the complex choices involved in forest management and encourages dialogue between stakeholders. This supports the building of a shared understanding and better decision-making.

“Our hope is that the research innovations from FORbEST will better map critically important forests in Europe and facilitate more efficient data collection, providing near real-time data that will ultimately improve how decision-making is done in forest management,” Norum emphasizes.

Scientific data will be collected using, among other methods, eDNA sampling and advanced biodiversity and carbon monitoring techniques. The data will be fed into a modelling platform that simulates forest development and balances ecological, social, and economic objectives. “This way, we can assess, for example, how different management practices affect forests’ ability to sequester carbon or maintain species diversity under changing climate conditions,” Norum explains.

“This will enable land management organisations to better protect our most vulnerable forests and sustainably use our most resilient forests, devising new management strategies that will successfully meet biodiversity and carbon objectives,” he adds.

Concrete outcomes of the project will include a set of scalable roadmaps and recommendations for best practices that support evidence-based decision-making. At the same time, researchers will explore ways to assess the economic value of forests and develop incentives that support the provision of ecosystem services.

The FORbEST project has received €5,967,519 in funding from the EU Horizon programme. The consortium includes 18 organisations from across Europe and Asia, among them the Universities of Bologna, Milan, and Tuscia (Italy), the Centre for Ecological Research (Hungary), the Natural Resources Institute Finland, Chiang Mai University (Thailand), as well as several research institutes, foundations, and public authorities.

Read more: FORbEST: Safeguarding Carbon and Biodiversity across European Forest Ecosystems through Multi-Actor Innovation