Duke researchers are exploring how the human gut microbiome affects digestion and fecal particle size.
The study, led by MGM alum Jeff Letourneau, PhD, while in the lab of Lawrence David, PhD, examined how chewing efficiency and food processing impact the microbiome and fecal particle size in humans.
Previous studies have shown that fecal particle sizes in animals correlates to how they chew. This made Letourneau wonder how chewing food might affect fecal particle sizes in humans, so he started a two-week-long human research trial.
The results were surprising: unlike other animals, fecal particle sizes did not change in response to how efficiently human participants chewed their food.
Click here to read more about the study.