Imagine if microbes could make you smile. Plenty of new research suggests that unhappiness, at least in the guise of depression and anxiety, may stem from the gut-brain axis and what transpires along the route. A new paper describes the many challenges inherent in the intricate science and suggests a way forward. Gregor Reid of Lawson Health […]
IPA Rocks Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim
IPA’s George Paraskevakos and Elisa Fernandez travelled to the Natural Products Expo West in southern California this week to scope out new products and established vendors in the probiotic space. Among the 3500 exhibitors, IPA member companies hosted dynamic pavilions and educational events. George commented from the show: “Another Expo West is upon us and once […]
Big Money Pours into Microbiome Research
Money talks and we listen. Since the year 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (over 50 billion USD in assets) has poured billions into tackling the world’s most pressing health problems such as malaria and infectious disease. Now the philanthropists are embracing gut microbes. Like most of us in the probiotic industry, Bill and Melinda Gates believe in the promise of […]
New Paper Takes on Probiotic Swipes
Are Probiotics Money Down the Toilet? Or Worse? Albeit with a provocative title destined to be click-bait, this January 2019 article in Journal of American Medical Association looks seriously at the science. It dissects the two recent studies from Israel which raised questions about probiotic use. Author Jennifer Abbasi does a good job of teasing out implications of the work published […]
FDA Cracks Down on Supplements
As those in the probiotic supplement industry know, business is booming. Likewise, dietary supplements in general have grown from 4,000 products just 25 years ago to about 80,000 today. These sheer numbers in addition to uncovered shenanigans—ginkgo-free gingko supplements in one example—has led the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to announce strengthened regulation. […]
Iron Supplements Can Mess with Microbes
Iron is the go-to treatment for anemia. Troubling though is the dysbiosis it can cause. Iron favors strains of pathogenic species over more healthful ones. In the genital tract, for instance, Gardnerella vaginalis, Trichomonas vaginalis and Candida albicans require iron for adhesion. Most lactobacilli, which maintain a healthy vaginal ecosystem, do not. And in another example […]