Research news on nutrition, environmental medicine and health
Adding the right prebiotic to the diets of pediatric patients with intestinal failure could replace intravenous feeding, says a new University of Illinois study. “When we fed the carbohydrate fructooligosacharide (FOS) as a prebiotic, the gut grew and increased in function,” said Kelly A. Tappenden, a U of I professor of nutrition and gastrointestinal physiology. …
Continue reading “Prebiotic May Help Patients With Intestinal Failure Grow New and Better Gut”
Researchers at Washington State University have found that a compound in garlic is 100 times more effective than two popular antibiotics at fighting the Campylobacter bacterium, one of the most common causes of intestinal illness. Their work was published recently in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. The discovery opens the door to new treatments for raw …
Continue reading “Garlic Compound Fights Source of Food-Borne Illness Better Than Antibiotics”
Researchers at Michigan State University have shown a prebiotic may help the body’s own natural killer cells fight bacterial infection and reduce inflammation, greatly decreasing the risk of colon cancer. Prebiotics are fiber supplements that serve as food for the trillions of tiny bacteria living in the gut. When taken, they can stimulate the growth …
Continue reading “Researchers Show Prebiotic Can Reduce Severity of Colitis”
Some lactic acid bacteria can alleviate inflammation and therefore prevent intestinal disorders. Scientists have now decoded the biochemical mechanism that lies behind the protective effect of the bacteria. In experiments with mice, the researchers succeeded in demonstrating that lactocepin – an enzyme produced by certain lactic acid bacteria – selectively degrades inflammatory mediators in diseased …
Continue reading “How Probiotic Bacteria Protect Against Inflammatory Bowel Diseases”
