Probiotics “colonize” our inner spaces. The verb smacks of intrusion or illicit occupation. Yet we know that bacteria predate humans by several billion years so perhaps we are their guests. It may be more accurate to describe them as “friends and family.” Over the last 200,000 years since humans emerged, the relationship has changed drastically, whether […]
Articles
Bacteria in Cancer Therapy
Cancer is a wily foe. Our tools for fighting the uncontrolled and invasive growth of cells are sometimes effective, often not. Surgery can miss the mark, while chemotherapy and radiation can cause harmful side effects—even cancer, ironically. Bacteria may one day provide a better tool. Live organisms—natural or genetically modified– can deliver therapy directly to […]
Synbiotics Spur Weight Loss in Children
The global obesity epidemic has public health departments looking beyond diet and exercise for answers. Research now suggests a new avenue: the gut microbiota is linked to obesity, obesity-related inflammation and insulin resistance. While research has reported some beneficial effects of probiotics and/or prebiotics on obesity in adults, little has been done with children and […]
Cool Glass of Doogh
A day without doogh is rare in Iran. The fermented milk drink –the name hails from the Persian term ‘dooshidan’ which means ‘milking’—adds a cool splash to any meal. Doogh is a diluted blended yogurt jazzed up with cucumber, mint and salt. Other countries in the Middle East, especially Afghanistan and Syria, also love the […]
The Christmas Tree That Led to a Nobel Prize
Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov was born on May 16, 1845, in a village near Kharkoff in Russia. He studied natural sciences at the University of Kharkoff, finishing his degree in just 2 years. His graduate studies were all over the map: marine fauna at Heligoland; digestion in flatworms at the University of Giessen and on […]
C. difficile Infection: A Need for Probiotics?
As people age, natural immunity can suffer. Admit them to hospitals and the elderly become exposed to infections of all kinds. A particularly deadly one is Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). “Clostridium difficile often called C. difficile or C. diff, is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon”, according […]