Probiotics and Prebiotics

Probiotics to combat mood disorders? You may find such a notion hard to believe but a brand new study has just shown that our gut flora communicates with our brains in unexpected ways. We already knew that bacteria were able to ‘converse’ with the brain by producing the same neurotransmitters...

A poorly-maintained digestive tract, populated with opportunistic pathogenic bacteria and fungi (particularly Candida albicans ), and polluted with badly-digested food, is at risk of becoming blocked by disgusting and toxic faecal matter . This phenomenon is a factor in health imbalances and problems of varying degrees of seriousness. In particular,...

Scientists analysed the gut flora of 757 babies aged 3-4 months alongside their exposure to disinfectants (multi-surface cleaners), detergents and eco-friendly cleaning products. Their findings make uncomfortable reading : the more frequently household disinfectants were used in the home, the greater the disruption to the babies’ gut microbiota. In these...

If we want to find unexplored ecosystems, we don’t need to trawl the depths of the ocean or scrutinise soil samples from some terrestrial planet. We simply have to look at our own intestines : more than 100,000 billion bacteria, which together weigh more than the brain , flourish in...

In the race against ageing, it represents an unprecedented advance. A battle won in the age-old war of Man against Mortality. We already knew that antioxidants were invaluable for reducing cellular ageing and preventing degenerative diseases. Now, a study 1 has revealed that intestinal bacteria – particularly certain types –...