Kiwifruit turns up everywhere these days. Once considered an exotic fruit, this furry brown nugget with brilliant and juicy green flesh dresses many a fruit salad across the globe. No wonder its scientific name is Actinidia deliciosa. It is often called just kiwi but that more accurately describes a flightless bird of New Zealand as […]
Skinny Genes
Fecal microbiota from adult human twins–one obese and one not–were transplanted into germ-free mice fed low-fat mouse chow or diets representing typical U.S. menus. The obese phenotype was transmitted. And notably, mice with the lean twin’s microbiota prevented the increased body mass in cagemates harboring an obese twin’s microbiota. The diet changed the outcome. Read […]
Probiotics May Soothe Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder in which immune and inflammatory response causes pain along with cartilage and bone degradation; it can lead to significant disability and compromises quality of life. People with RA often suffer from gastrointestinal disturbances: bloating, gastric pain, nausea and constipation and diarrhea. And interestingly, they have microbiota that differ […]
Staying Safe in the Scrum
Getting sick is no fun for anyone, but elite athletes fear it most. Researchers in New Zealand gave 30 rugby players either probiotics or placebo over a four week period and then reversed it. Results were impressive: only six on placebo went without a single infection (respiratory or gastrointestinal) while more than twice as […]
Literary License for Probiotics
Probiotics are trending. How do I know? New Yorker magazine assigned staff writer Michael Specter to the case. His Germs Are Us article paints a pretty picture of the future for probiotics. Specter begins with a well-known pathogen, Heliobacter pylori or H.pylori, most associated with stomach ulcers. He visits Martin J. Blaser, microbiologist at New […]
Probiotics Making Inroads with Allergies
Allergic rhinitis is an inflammation of nasal passages and affects more and more people every year. Treatment though is hit-or-miss. Probiotics may help by interacting with the immune system; much depends on the type of bacterium, route of administration, dosing, regimen, and other underlying host factors. Much is still unknown as this review in […]