Health & Wellness Blog – EndoMune Probiotic

A recent study indicates that individuals who are delivered by cesarean section are more likely to develop Celiac Disease, a disorder that, when an individual eats gluten, causes the immune system to attack and damage the small intestine.

The celiac children clearly had a higher rate of cesarean births compared to the other four groups. Twenty-eight percent of the celiac children were born by cesarean section, compared to no more than 19 percent of all the other groups. The celiac children were also diagnosed at a younger age, on average, than the other patients.

Hornef and colleagues are not sure why cesarean delivery might be associated with celiac disease but not Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, because the three disorders develop in some similar ways. They say one explanation might be that celiac disease can be triggered much earlier in life, so the newborns with abnormal intestinal bacteria might be particularly vulnerable.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=7ec097ab-11e7-4bd6-ba8e-ee816839b31f#ixzz0otllP0jH

It’s commonly known that the bacteria that populate the newborn will vary depending if the child is delivered vaginally or by C-section. What’s not known, though, is if mothers were given probiotics before delivery and the infants given probiotics after birth, whether celiac disease would be less of a risk. Just another type of research study which will likely be conducted in the near future.

According to Heath.com, too many people are taking heartburn drugs. These drugs, while beneficial for certain ailments, may have more negative consequences that outweigh the benefits.

Two of the new studies found that proton pump inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of infection from the bacterium Clostridium difficile, a hard-to-treat intestinal infection that can occur in people taking antibiotics. C. difficile typically results in severe diarrhea but can lead to removal of the colon or even death in extreme cases.

In the past I’ve discussed C. difficile at length. Scientists have discovered that C. difficile infections have not only been increasing, but are more severe, more difficult to treat, and more likely to relapse. Analyses of outbreaks have identified a new strain of C. difficile. It is more virulent because it produces more damaging toxins and is resistant to a commonly-used type of antibiotic called fluoroquinolones, like Cipro.

To read the CNN article at length, visit:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/10/….

Researchers recently developed and released a genetic blueprint of the bacteria within the human gut. Home to billions of microbes, our guts are a major component of our immunity and the birthplace of various diseases and digestive disorders. With a map to our guts, this research will help with future studies aiming to find cures for ailments such as ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

According to a recent Yahoo! News article,

More than 100 researchers working over two years found some 3.3 million distinct genes spread across at least 1,000 species of single-celled organisms, virtually all bacteria.

“The vast majority of bacteria found were not known before. But now we can start sorting out what they do in terms of function, and how they might relate to disease…”

Prior to the study, it was believed that the microbes within the gut were relatively common, shared across most individuals. Surprisingly, only 40 percent of the genes mapped were shared with at least half the volunteers.

Using new DNA sequencing techniques, scientists gathered a mass of data equivalent to 200 complete human genomes, Raes said.

The number of bacteria discovered is double many previous estimates.

So what does this mean? As mainstream medicine begins to research and document bacteria within the human gut, the potential for finding cures for various ailments has increased dramatically.

All of this news is very exciting for the field of probiotics. Since probiotics are comprised of naturally-occuring bacteria, the absense of bacteria which normally aids in certain digestive functions could be the direct cause of varying disorders such as IBS. As scientists begin to map out the functions, there is a greater understanding of the roles performed by individual bacteria strains.

To read the Yahoo! news article in its entirety, visit:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100303/hl_afp/healthdiseaseintestinesgenomebacteria_20100303200745

Some very reassuring news was just released from a recent research study. The study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients to be at no greater risk than healthy patients for polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.

According to the article:

This research shows that it is unnecessary to order colonoscopies for patients with IBS, unless they show alarming symptoms like unexplained weight loss or anaemia, bleeding from the GI tract, or have a family history of colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, or celiac disease, says Dr. Chey.

If you’re interested in reading the article in its entirety on DocGuide.com, visit:
http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/news/852576140048867C852576E20000C862

Our March newsletter was just issued this week, and it addresses some interesting research findings with regard to the anti-cancer effect of probiotics and the ability of probiotics to assist with decreasing chemotherapy-induced diarrhea. Excerpts from the article are as follows:

There have been a number of studies on probiotics protective effect against colon cancer (10).  There are no direct experimental investigations for cancer suppression in human subjects using probiotics. However, there are a wealth of studies indicating indirect evidence for cancer suppression in human subjects. This study helps to identify one of the mechanisms how probiotics can prevent cancer development. Bottom line, it doesn’t hurt to take a probiotic.

You may read the March newsletter in its entirety for more information about Probiotics’ Effects on Cancer and Chemotherapy.