In a world grower fatter by the day (1.9 billion overweight and obese), science is searching for answers to the pandemic. There are no easy ones. Obesity is complicated; genetics, lifestyle and the environment create an imperfect storm inside the body. Recent evidence points to the gut … [Read more...] about Targeting Obesity through Microbiome: Update
Clinical Corner
Flow Cytometry as a Potential Method of Measuring Bacterial Viability in Probiotic Products
Flow Cytometry as a Potential Method of Measuring Bacterial Viability in Probiotic Products: A Comprehensive Review Martin G. Wilkinson, University of Limerick, Ireland Presented at Probiota 2018, February 7-9, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain This paper was commissioned by International … [Read more...] about Flow Cytometry as a Potential Method of Measuring Bacterial Viability in Probiotic Products
Microbes Deserve a Closer Look in Lou Gehrig’s disease
Science isn’t hitting any home runs with Lou Gehrig's disease. Named after a famous baseball player, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS is a progressive disease that destroys nerve cells and causes disability. ALS often begins with muscle twitching, weakness in a limb or slurred speech. … [Read more...] about Microbes Deserve a Closer Look in Lou Gehrig’s disease
Doubling Down on Probiotics in Allergy Season
Bleary eyes, itchy nose and so many sneezes even the blessings have stopped? No surprise here: it’s allergy season. But rather than making inroads against these carnal assaults by fertile pollens of the earth, public health practitioners instead report rising numbers over the last few … [Read more...] about Doubling Down on Probiotics in Allergy Season
Multi-strain probiotics: better than single-strain?
If one is good then more is better. This seems to be the prevailing wisdom in multi-strain probiotic dosing, whether through food additives or supplements. The thinking behind this assumption is compelling: more strains may hit more targets and maybe even add up to more than the sum of the … [Read more...] about Multi-strain probiotics: better than single-strain?
Gut microbiome keeps intestinal cells healthy: cell assays to assess the mechanism of action of pre- and probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract
By Massimo Marzorati, PhD The intestinal microbiome affects intestinal health at multiple levels. Intestinal bacteria produce several metabolites, which positively influence the intestinal epithelial barrier function and wound healing1,2. Also, gut bacteria prevent the colonization of pathogenic … [Read more...] about Gut microbiome keeps intestinal cells healthy: cell assays to assess the mechanism of action of pre- and probiotics in the gastrointestinal tract