In recent research conducted in India, 160 men and women with cirrhosis without signs of hepatic encephalopathy were assigned randomly to receive probiotics or placebo three times a day. Results: Three months of probiotics reduced levels of arterial ammonia and improved other biomarkers. Seven in the probiotic group developed overt hepatic encephalopathy but twice as many […]
Articles
Bathing in Bacteria
A biotech startup near MIT wants us to quit using deodorant and most other personal hygiene products. Instead, they want us to restore our healthy skin bacteria which in the end will–they promise– take care of grime and odors. Author Julia Scott took the challenge and hilariously reports the results in the New York Times Magazine […]
Probiotics Get to the Heart of the Matter
High blood lipids can lead to blocked arteries and stroke. Often the fastest treatment is medication, most notably of the statin variety. However, as lipids reflect a slew of risk factors including genes, metabolism and environmental, other modes of prevention and treatment are used somewhat effectively: Low cholesterol diet Low fat diet Decreased simple carbohydrates […]
Probiotics and Obesity
The world’s children are fat in record numbers. From Kuwait to Mexico to the UK and beyond, families and health departments are struggling with costly and dangerous health problems related to overweight and obesity in children. Many young people are swallowing statins for high cholesterol and taking pills or even injecting insulin for what was once […]
Cancer: Growth We can Live Without
Cancer may be the most dreaded word in the English lexicon. Even as people survive longer with some cancers these days, thanks to early diagnosis and better treatments, a larger percentage of the global population will eventually get cancer. Indeed, more tumors pop up as we age–and we are living longer– and also the environment is swarming with carcinogens like never […]
Peanut Butter With a Probiotic Twist
Diarrhea kills as many a million children yearly. Food and water borne pathogens are the primary culprits. Many children will recover but when they are already malnourished or immunocompromised as is true in many developing countries, severe illness and even death can follow. Probiotics are being looked at to shore up the immune systems in such situations. […]