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Human gut microbiome is a compilation of many different bacteria, which has ignited the curiosity in researchers. Studies were conducted to see how they reacted to different food types. 34 participants were examined for 17 days to check how their gut bacteria reacted to different foods on an everyday basis. The results showed that even the foods which contained similar nutritional profile instilled different reactions in microbiomes. This result is a proof that gut microbiomes can be studied only through a much expansive research. "We had to scratch our heads and come up with a new approach for measuring and comparing the different foods,", says senior author Dan Knights. Researchers say that doing more researches on gut microbiome can help focus on an overall positive shift of a person’s health. “This study suggests that it's more complicated than just looking at dietary components like fiber and sugar. Much more research is needed before we can understand how the full range of nutrients in food affects how the microbiome responds to what we eat." says Dan Knights.

(Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com)

It has always been a proven fact that spending time in nature has abundant benefits in the mind and health of an individual. But, how long should we spend time in nature? That has been an answer unknown. A study was conducted to find the answer to it and results reflected that, a period of two hours every week is the optimal exposure to nature for an individual and anything less than 2 hours resulted in noticeable changes in the participants. 2 hours is also a realistic goal to everybody. It is not an excessive amount of time in a week. The study authors discuss the size of the positive effect, explaining that the increase in self-reported health and well-being following 2 hours of contact with nature each week is similar to the differences observed in: 

• - people living in an area of low versus high deprivation

• - people employed in a high versus low social grade occupation

• - people who achieve the recommended levels of physical activity in the previous week versus those who do not

“Two hours a week is hopefully a realistic target for many people, especially given that it can be spread over an entire week to get the benefit.", says Study lead Dr. Mathew P. White.

(Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com)