Asthma rates are rising, affecting more than 339 million people worldwide. More than 80% of asthma-related deaths occur in low-and lower-middle income countries. Recent preclinical evidence pinpoints a critical window early in life where gut microbial changes (dysbiosis) are most influential in experimental asthma. Asthma, the basics Asthma is an episodic or chronic airway inflammatory disease […]
Articles
Yogurt and Gut Barrier: A New Link?
Yogurt, a fermented dairy product, supplies ample protein, calcium, vitamins and live microbes. A recent IPA blog described yogurt as a nutritional powerhouse with an extra benefit for those with lactose intolerance since yogurt bacteria can increase lactase breakdown of the milk sugar in the intestine and help reduce symptoms from lactose maldigestion. Such a […]
Probiotics and Obesity: An Update
The numbers are staggering: 650 million people on the planet are obese, nearly triple the number in 1975, reports the World Health Organization. Moreover the Food and Agricultural Organization reported that more people are suffering from overweight/obesity than from undernutrition. Obesity — a big problem Obesity can lead to heart disease, diabetes, skeletal problems, cancers […]
Tempeh Tempts with Benefits
One of many fermented soybean foods popular in Asia, tempeh is finding its way into supermarkets worldwide. (Natto, miso, sufu, douche, soy sauce and doenjang partially round out the list.) A traditional Indonesian food, tempeh is made by fermenting boiled soybeans with a starter culture of a fungus called Rhizopus oligoporus at room temperature for several days. […]
A Role for Probiotics in Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. More than 2.5 million people worldwide live with MS. Women are nearly three times as likely to suffer and it is most common in North America and Europe. This article relates how researchers are exploring the role of altering the gut microbiome […]
Criteria to ensure the proper use of the word probiotic
For a microorganism to be considered probiotic, it must, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) be “live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host.” Now a new paper has translated this general definition into “four simple and pragmatic criteria allowing […]