Tales of gut woes for long-distance runners are well-documented. Runners sometimes cross a finish line only to vomit or collapse onto a stretcher. The usual reason? Excess heat—caused either by outside temperatures or the metabolic fire within—stresses the body, blunting performance. Heat-stressed athletes often endure what is termed “leaky gut”, a condition where the intestinal […]
Microbiome Environment
Trendspotting at Natural Products Expo West in California
The Natural Products Expo West keeps getting bigger. More than 3600 companies were showcased this March in Anaheim, California and an estimated 90,000 attended the event. Two of them, IPA’s George Paraskevakos and Elisa Fernandez travelled to the sunny clime to meet up with members and scope out probiotic innovations. They were not disappointed. The […]
Probiotics Reduce Chemotherapy Damages
Cancer is brutal but then so is the treatment. Chemotherapy, often used for late-stage cancers, damages intestinal mucosa causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. These side effects may worsen the patient’s nutritional status and immune function—vital for fighting cancers– or sometimes delay the treatment cycle. Under the umbrella of intestinal harms are: epithelial cell apoptosis, barrier dysfunction, […]
IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas in Vancouver
The IPA World Congress + Probiota Americas 2019 brings together top experts to share insights on scientific and market aspects of the synbiotic field. Probiota Americas is the leading annual event for the prebiotic, probiotic and the microbiota-focused food and pharma industries in the Americas, brought to you by NutraIngredients-USA. This year the city of Vancouver in Canada […]
Is the Key to Happiness in Our Microbes?
Imagine if microbes could make you smile. Plenty of new research suggests that unhappiness, at least in the guise of depression and anxiety, may stem from the gut-brain axis and what transpires along the route. A new paper describes the many challenges inherent in the intricate science and suggests a way forward. Gregor Reid of Lawson Health […]
Big Money Pours into Microbiome Research
Money talks and we listen. Since the year 2000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (over 50 billion USD in assets) has poured billions into tackling the world’s most pressing health problems such as malaria and infectious disease. Now the philanthropists are embracing gut microbes. Like most of us in the probiotic industry, Bill and Melinda Gates believe in the promise of […]