Abstracts
The Relevance of Prior Parasitic Infection and The Risk of IBS And CFS
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Giardia lamblia (synonymous with Giardia intestinalis, Lamblia intestinalis and Giardia duodenalis) is a flagellated protozoan parasite that colonises and reproduces in the small intestine, causing giardiasis. The giardia parasite attaches to the epithelium by a ventral adhesive disc, and reproduces via binary fission. Giardiasis does not spread via the bloodstream, nor does it spread to other parts of the gastro-intestinal tract, but remains confined to the lumen of the small intestine.
Brain Function and Bladder Cancer Respond To Multi Vitamins
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It can from time to time (some may say all of the time) seem as if the medical world simply wish, regardless of the building evidence pile, to deny the value of using concentrated food ingredients in the improvement of the human condition.[1] In part this is aggravated by the overly bold statements that are sometimes made for individual nutrients and their lack of suitable studies.
Blastocystis Hominis Vs Saccharomyces Boulardii
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I have previously discussed the various genotypes of B.hominis and why in some patients the expected symptomatology is absent in the presence of occupation and in others symptoms are profound. You may read more on this subject by visiting: Blastocystis hominis. Is It Really A Problem?
Coeliac Disease Diagnosis – Biopsy Relevant
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Coeliac disease (CD) is a permanent intolerance to gluten found in wheat, rye and barley. Gluten induces an autoimmune reaction in the small intestinal mucosa resulting in inflammation, villous atrophy and malabsorption. The only effective treatment is a gluten-free diet, which usually leads to healing of the intestinal mucosa and recovery from signs and symptoms.[1]
Apples Can Suppress IBD
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Here’s another reason why “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”—according to new research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (https://www.jleukbio.org), oral ingestion of apple polyphenols (antioxidants found in apple peels) can suppress T cell activation to prevent colitis in mice.[1] This study is the first to show a role for T cells in polyphenol-mediated protection against an autoimmune disease and could lead to new therapies and treatments for people with disorders related to bowel inflammation, such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and colitis-associated colorectal cancer.
You AhR What You Eat: Linking Diet and Immunity.
Researchers reporting in the journal Cell[1] on October 13th, in the journal Science[2] on Oct 27th and Nature Reviews Immunology[3] earlier in the year are among the first to describe a mechanistic link between dietary compounds and intestinal immune function.
These scientists have found another good reason to eat your green vegetables, although it may or may not win any arguments with kids at the dinner table. It relies on a complex application of immunology and systems biology, the sort of quandary we all love to try and summarise in a few easy sentences whilst becoming lost in a sea of complexity.
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Leaky Gut Induces Visceral Obesity
From its dark days as a concept dismissed by most Drs and scientists as being suitable only for the more eccentric alternative medicine crowd, the idea that the gastrointestinal tract may have varying levels and quality of exclusionary capacity has slowly become mainstream-ish.
A paper out in the prestigious Nature Journal – Obesity, has raised the question that altered visceral adiposity – ‘fat around the middle’ may be initiated and promoted by altered barrier integrity.[1]
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IBS And Food – Is There A Link?
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There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that certain dietary constituents exacerbate symptoms and perhaps contribute to the pathogenesis of IBS. Patients have long associated their IBS symptoms with the ingestion of certain foods, combinations of foods, or generally with meals. Response rates from elimination diets have ranged from 15%-71%,[1] with wheat, milk, and eggs being the most commonly implicated foods.
Food and Our Bacterial Mix – Can we really change them both?
A few weeks ago (June 2012), a paper in Nature by a group of researchers suggested that despite the vast geographical and nutritional differences in the human population, that just three predominant bacterial clusters (referred to as enterotypes hereafter) could explain all of our gastric microbial mixes.[1] This they suggest indicates the existence of a limited number of well-balanced host–microbial symbiotic states that might respond differently to diet and drug intake.
Each of these three enterotypes are identifiable by the variation in the levels of one of three genera: Bacteroides (enterotype 1), Prevotella (enterotype 2) and Ruminococcus (enterotype 3). These enterotypes are not as sharply delimited as, for example, human blood groups; they are, in contrast, densely populated areas in a multidimensional space of community composition. They are nevertheless likely to characterise individuals, in line with previous reports that gut microbiota are quite stable in individuals and can even be restored after perturbation.[2]
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Chocolate is Heart Felt!
How many times have we been faced with the decision about whether to pass or to consume that bar of chocolate, confident that by doing so we have added not only virtue to our lives but also longevity by steering clear of unwanted fats and sugars.
Well for the coco enthusiast a paper out in the late August version of the British Medical Journal may add weight to your preliminary discussion …. it’s good for me.[1]
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The immune system is prone to the same grave misfortunes as any defense system handling weapons: collateral damage that comes with the destruction of the enemy on one’s own territory and friendly fire due to mistaken identity. Whereas the collateral damage is the price we pay for clearance of infections, autoimmunity is a pathological process. Nevertheless, the effector mechanisms involved in both processes are the same. Whether environment can be a cause, a trigger or an amplifier of an autoimmune disease are questions that are being intensively investigated.
