Selenium is an essential micronutrient that supports antioxidant and immune functions, yet how its metabolism is regulated by interactions between host and gut microbiota remains unclear. In a recent study, researchers from Japan used rats to investigate how gut microbiota and the host jointly manage selenium metabolism. Their findings reveal that gut microbiota actively transform selenium into various metabolites that influence selenium utilization, detoxification, and excretion, and that the host’s selenium intake affects bacterial diversity

New research by scientists at the University of Calgary has found that plants, ranging from canola to rice to tomatoes, actively shut down their own ability to take up iron when they experience drought.

It’s a finding that could have implications for the nutritional value of agricultural crops.

The study, published in the journal Cell, questions whether plants send out a "cry for help" when they are stressed by drought to recruit beneficial soil microbes (e.g., bacteria and fungi) in their roots.

Greenhouse cherry tomatoes are valued for their flavor, nutrition, and high market demand, but producing more fruit sustainably remains a challenge. One major obstacle is phosphorus, an essential nutrient that plants need for root development, flowering, and fruit production. Although greenhouse soils often contain large amounts of phosphorus from repeated fertilizer use, much of it becomes locked in forms that plants cannot easily absorb.

The majority of young children showed good vitamin D status, no child had indications of deficiency, but among some intake was too low. This is the result of a study encompassing over 1,800 infants in Sweden. Foods providing children with vitamin D also contributed to greenhouse gas emissions.

An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team found that deficiencies in vitamin B₁₂ and folate lead to elevated homocysteine levels, which may be linked to fatigue and decreased motivation.

A new mathematical model developed by Arizona State University researchers takes a closer look at hidden aspects of digestion. The model, called DAMM — for digestion, absorption and microbial metabolism — follows food through the digestive tract, estimating what the body absorbs directly, what reaches the colon and how gut microbes help process the remaining material into products that are either absorbed or excreted.

The model could eventually help researchers better understand obesity, diabetes and other metabolic disorders by showing how different diets affect both the human body and the microbial community inside the colon.