Gut microbes may enhance offspring survival in mice. Also of interest is that they may also influence sex ratios. In the Journal of Probiotics and Health, researchers pointed to the hormone oxytocin as the key mechanism in the effect. Review: Oxytocin is produced in large quantities during birth. It also affects neuronal activity seen in […]
Articles
Microbes: Loving the Heart
Vascular diseases including stroke and infarctions will kill 20 million people in 2015, according to the World Health Organization. Such a catastrophic number obliges scientists to explore the links between microbial dysbiosis and cardiovascular impairment, associations only discovered in the last decade or so. The theories and conflicting data are nicely reviewed by Matteo Serino […]
UK Not Sold on Probiotics for IBS
Advances in disease management mean nothing if the front line of medicine—the primary care physicians—are hesitant or worse, in the dark about new treatment methods. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) brings many millions of patients to doctors. Guidelines on management are readily available from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Researchers at St. […]
Fight Flu with Probiotics?
Flu season, again. Its arrival in temperate zones is being overshadowed by the deadly Ebola virus which has global health agencies in its vise. But influenza viruses are killers too. “Worldwide, these annual epidemics are estimated to result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness, and about 250, 000 to 500 000 […]
Microbes and Testosterone
As men age, testosterone levels drop. The possible results are not pretty: higher body fat decreased muscle mass low energy levels depression lower sperm production, libido and sexual function Normal aging perhaps, yet this “male menopause” is often counteracted with synthetic hormone. But a funny thing happened when scientists were studying probiotics and obesity. The male […]
Functional Beverages: The Full Story
One could argue that all foods are functional: some merely function to add fat to hips while others overachieve with bioactive compounds to fight cancer. However, the term “functional” is now regulated in the food and beverage industry. A new “must-read” primer available free online maps the history of functional foods and their present day […]