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Happy New Year! A selection of health news from the University of Chicago and around the globe curated just for you.

Five things you can do to make your microbiome healthier
Fruits and veggies, exercise, and probiotics—yes—but also add resistant starch (like beans and potatoes, especially if refrigerated after cooking) and experiment with different fibers (including whole grains, legumes, and cruciferous veggies like broccoli, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, and bok choy) to maximize your microbiome. (The Conversation)

The difference between celiac, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and gluten allergy
UChicago pediatric gastroenterologist Ritu Verma, MD, medical director of the University of Chicago’s Celiac Disease Center, explains the characteristics and treatment of each. (The Forefront)

Human health is in the hands of bacteria
Martin Blaser of Rutgers University writes about the dangers of antibiotics overuse and makes the case for a microbiota vault, to preserve ancestral microbes for future generations. (Time)

Installing air filters in classrooms can have large educational benefits
In the face of growing proof of impact of air pollution on cognition, researchers from New York University found that installing $1,000 air filters in a Los Angeles school affected by a massive gas leak raised a class’s test scores as much as cutting class size by a third. (Vox)

Exposure to diesel exhaust particles linked to susceptibility for pneumococcal disease
Streptococcus pneumonia, a common cause of pneumonia and meningitis, usually live harmlessly in the nose and throat of healthy people, but research shows diesel particulates reduce the ability for the immune system to keep these bacteria in check. (Science Daily)