IPA’s George Paraskevakos and Elisa Fernandez travelled to Barcelona, Spain (tough job) in early February to kick-off IPA World Congress + Probiota. On the agenda this year were engaging sessions on modulating the microbiome for sports performance, consumer understanding of pre- and probiotics, the importance of the microbiota in the first 1000 days of life, […]
Probiotics Join the Fight Against Flu
Like winter, flu season is etched on our calendars. This year many countries are reporting high flu activity and low success of vaccines against the dominant H3N2 strain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Because viruses mutate over time, the formulated vaccines don’t always prevent the flu. Better solutions are needed. […]
Q&A: IPA’s George Paraskevakos Goes to China
Q&A with George Paraskevakos, Executive Director of International Probiotics Association (IPA) In late January of 2018, George traveled to Beijing, China to present to 2500 regulators and physicians. The China Health Industry Technology & China Microecological Health Conference hosted the gathering at the storied Beijing Hotel where heads of states have met throughout its history. […]
Fiber Gives Microbes Much to Chew On
Lentils, black beans, broccoli, mango, raspberries— slivers of the fibrous firmament—taste better than chips or fries and work for us instead of against. A high-fiber diet helps prevent a litany of diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Scientists have teased out many clues for how it works; only recently however have they targeted […]
Exercise Improves Microbe Mix in Lean People
Baby, we were born to run. Despite that innate need to move, few of us do enough exercise for optimum health. Even our microbes will vary depending on movement. For example, endurance athletes harbor different microbes than sedentary people. A new study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tracked changes in the guts of […]
Can Probiotics Clear Human Papillomavirus?
Imagine a virus that most people harbor at some point in their lives, usually unaware of it because our fine-tuned immune systems clear them, yet for an unlucky number–usually women—it can be a death sentence. The pathogen is called human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer. A German virologist named Harald zur Hausen […]