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Topics: Health
Callum Jones
Researchers have discovered that one specific detail in your poo could help determined mortality risk.
When it comes to our bathroom habits, there's a few things experts have warned us to keep in mind as it can get risky for our health.
So if you've got a habit of doomscrolling on your phone while on the loo, then perhaps its time to knock the habit on the head as numerous health professionals have revealed the negative effects it can have.
However, it's not just how long we spend on the toilet or what is the 'proper poop' position, but our stool itself.
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A team of experts led by Alexander de Porto of the University of Chicago and the University of Amsterdam have created an index of markers in a patient's faeces as part of a new study published in Science Advances.
The purpose you ask... well, it is meant to gauge the risk of an individual passing away in the next 30 days.
Dubbed the metabolic dysbiosis score (MDS), de Porto and his team hope it can be used to save lives of critically ill patients - though they have warned further research into the matter is required for that to become a reality.
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The research team looked into how the condition impacts critically ill patients, and how that could subsequently be treated by examining 196 samples from patients suffering from respiratory failure or shock.
Using the concentration of 13 distinct fecal metabolites, the scientists found that fecal metabolites can identify liver transplant patients who have a greater risk of becoming seriously ill and even dying from a post-operative infection.
"The metabolites comprising the score, such as short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, and tryptophan metabolites, point to biological pathways that might be targeted therapeutically." they said (via Science Alert).
"Potential interventions might include dietary changes, administration of probiotics, or direct supplementation with these metabolites."
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Eric Pamer and Bhakti Patel, from the University of Chicago, and de Poro told Science Alert: "The findings suggest that fecal metabolic dysbiosis, quantified through the MDS, holds potential as a biomarker to identify critically ill patients at increased risk of mortality.
"This underscores the importance of gut-derived metabolites as independent contributors to host resilience, offering an avenue for precision medicine."
Dysbiosis 'is an imbalance within a community of microorganisms living together', according to Cleveland Clinic. Essentially, dysbiosis means there is 'a lack of diversity and balance' within a microbiome in the body.
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Bloating, being gassy and changes in bowel habits are all symptoms of gut dysbiosis, and it can led to bacterial infections or inflammatory gut conditions, like Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis.
But it can also affect parts of your body like your nervous system due to the gut's connection to the brain.
However, Cleveland Clinic states that treatment for gut dysbiosis is dependent on what condition is impacting it and a GP can help if environmental or lifestyle factors are contributing to it.
Experts now need to establish validating MDS in new sets of patients, which in turn should allow them to garner potential links between dysbioses and the increased mortality risk.