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 […]
Articles
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. […]
Drink to Health with Kombucha
Ready for a kombucha cocktail? Outside magazine reported on the new phenomenon in “Kombucha and the Booze-Free Kegger” in April 2014. Gloria Liu writes of “a small but rapidly growing new wave of kombucha taprooms that have cropped up in the past year in places like Colorado, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and North Carolina.” Liu visited […]
Role for Microbes in Allergies Considered
Pregnancy may be the transfer point for a fetus’s first microbes, contrary to popular belief. This thesis is considered in an article in Clinical and Experimental Allergy in relation to appropriate microbiomes to avoid allergic responses. The authors also contend that disturbed gut microbe have been associated with allergic disease, but whether as the cause or […]
Can Probiotics Plug Leaky Gut in Athletes?
For elite athletes–who always stretch limits– heat stress can interrupt workouts, cause sickness or even be deadly. Runners cross a finish line only to vomit or collapse onto a stretcher. World-class swimmers struggle in water that proves dangerously warm. Excess heat—caused either by outside temperatures or the metabolic fire within—stresses the body, blunting performance. Heat-stressed athletes […]
Probiotics Not a Sure Thing for Hypertension
As many as a billion people on the planet struggle with high blood pressure which puts them at risk for heart attacks and stroke. A low-salt diet is the cornerstone of treatment; as many as half are salt-sensitive and will respond positively by ingesting less. Some experts think probiotics can help. The theory is […]