Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by repetitive motions and impaired communication. While the cause of this devastating dysfunction is not clear, several theories are gathering steam: genetics, toxins, nutritional deficiencies and/or infections. And in a strange twist, many with ASD also suffer with gastrointestinal problems. This link has led researchers to question how the […]
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Probiotics for Detox?
Contamination in foods and feed is a major expense and incurs disease in crops, animals and humans alike. Scientists at the National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute in Iran looked at the potential for lactic acid bacteria and yeasts to eliminate, deactivate or reduce availability of this contamination. The paper available here shows the ability […]
Cholesterol: A Numbers Game
Heart disease is a global killer. One biomarker, cholesterol levels, receives much attention and is usually confronted when high with dietary change and increasingly with statin medications. Probiotics have shown some promise in this area. Researcher Douglas B. DiRienzo recently assessed 26 clinical studies and two meta-analyses. Significant reductions were seen with strains of lactobacilli, […]
Hope and Hyperbole
Probiotic insiders—the scientists, manufacturers, the bloggers—can be so ensconced in all things squirmy and microscopic that we forget that the larger public may have other opinions about our little darlings. Governments, of course, will be wary: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cracked down on health claims touting the benefits of probiotics in constipation. The […]
FDA To Limit Antibiotics in Feed Animals
In a position trailing many countries in the developed world, the United States is taking steps to limit the routine use of antibiotics for cows, pigs and chickens. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that antibiotics will no longer be used to make animals grow bigger—and more profitable—but will be reserved to fight infections. […]
Gut Microbes Implicated in OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a devastating disorder known to be triggered by stressful life events but the actual cause is unknown. This is from Mayo Clinic online: “Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). With obsessive-compulsive disorder, you may […]