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 […]
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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 […]
Endangered Microbes
Modern life has brought great progress. But it has also shrunk our rainbow of microbes. Many experts think this reduction in diversity may contribute to autoimmune disorders including asthma and allergies. Communities of people who live close to the earth through hunter-gatherer lifestyles may resemble each other in microbiome makeup more than their urban neighbors […]
Gestational Diabetes: A Role for Probiotics?
Do you know your BMI? Your body mass index is a number perhaps more predictive for individual health than the one on your birthday cake. It is easy to figure: weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters (kg/m2). Use this online calculator compliments of National Institutes of Health in the United […]