LGG (Culturelle) Its Workings Are Explained
Valio’s Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG®) is the most frequently studied and used probiotic. Under the supervision of researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology, and the Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences at the University of Helsinki, an international research team determined the genome sequences of LGG and a bacterium closely related to it. The results, published in the renowned PNAS journal, shed light on the origin of probiotic mechanisms.
Many research publications have confirmed that bacteria promote health and support immune systems and improve digestion. Some probiotics can also alleviate the symptoms suffered by those with irritable bowel syndrome. As many as every fifth westerner suffers from this pain, also called spastic colon. Studies say that LGG probiotics are also an effective treatment method for reducing children’s atopic symptoms, and the risk of respiratory infections.
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BioMask BF-200. Mimics Mucosal Cells Then Minerals Kill the H1N1 Virus
The influenza virus is a determined and relentless foe. Infecting about 1 billion people worldwide annually and killing hundreds of thousands. If influenza evolves into a pandemic strain, as it did three times last century, it could kill tens of millions.
Stripped to its genetic skeleton the virus that has wrought havoc on populations and caused untold misery is one of the simplest organisms on the planet. It consists of merely eight genes. Humans, on the other hand, have some 20,000 genes.
According to experts, in the first eight weeks of a flu pandemic, an effective mask could reduce the number of cases from one million to just 6. [1]
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Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Herbs, Phytochemicals and Vitamins and Their Immunologic Effects
Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are used in more than 80% of the world’s population and are becoming an increasing component of the US health care system, with more than 70% of the population using CAM at least once and annual spending reaching as much as $34 billion. Since the inception of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, there has been an enormous increase in the number of basic science and therapy-based clinical trials exploring CAM.
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Mechanisms of Immune Tolerance to Allergens
Co-evolutionary development of the immune system together with infections and non-infectious environmental proteins (allergens) has generated biologically relevant thresholds and major directions to be taken by the immune system. The default healthy immune response to allergens is expected to be no response, however, detectable T cell and antibody (particularly IgG4 and IgG1) response has been demonstrated in sensitized, but clinically healthy individuals. If an immune response develops in healthy individuals, the immune system shows allergen-specific tolerance by using multiple mechanisms in order to keep the intensity of the inflammation low and tissue destruction small.
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New Data Analysis Shows Possible Link between Childhood Obesity and Allergies
A new study indicates there may be yet another reason to reduce childhood obesity — it may help prevent allergies. The study published in the May issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology showed that obese children and adolescents are at increased risk of having some kind of allergy, especially to a food. The study was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), both parts of the National Institutes of Health.
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Higher serum folate levels are associated with a lower risk of atopy and wheeze
Folic acid, or vitamin B9, essential for red blood cell health and long known to reduce the risk of spinal birth defects, may also suppress allergic reactions and lessen the severity of allergy and asthma symptoms, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Centre. In what is believed to be the first study in humans examining the link between blood levels of folate – the naturally occurring form of folic acid – and allergies, the Hopkins scientists say results add to mounting evidence that folate can help regulate inflammation. Recent studies, including research from Hopkins, have found a link between folate levels and inflammation-mediated diseases, including heart disease. Cautioning that it’s far too soon to recommend folic acid supplements to prevent or treat people with asthma and allergies, the researchers emphasise that more research needs to be done to confirm their results, and to establish safe doses and risks.
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Clinical evidence for immunomodulatory effects of probiotic bacteria.
Close, tightly orchestrated interactions between the intestinal epithelium and the mucosa-associated immune system are critical for normal intestinal absorptive and immunological functions. Recent data indicate that commensal intestinal microbiota represents a major modulator of intestinal homeostasis. This review analyses the process of intestinal colonisation and the interaction of microbiota with the intestinal epithelium and mucosal immune system, with special reference to the first years of extrauterine life. Dysregulation of the symbiotic interaction between intestinal microbiota and the mucosa may result in a pathological condition with potential clinical repercussions. Based on the concept that there is a beneficial and symbiotic relation between the host and endogenous microbiota, strategies aimed at directly modulating intestinal microbiota with regard to disease prevention or treatment have been developed. One strategy involves administering viable probiotic bacteria. Clinical evidence for the beneficial effect of probiotics in the prevention and/or treatment of necrotising enterocolitis, infectious and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, allergic diseases, and inflammatory bowel disorders is reviewed herein.
Ruemmele FM, Bier D, Marteau P, Rechkemmer G, Bourdet-Sicard R, Walker WA, Goulet O. Clinical evidence for immunomodulatory effects of probiotic bacteria. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2009 Feb;48(2):126-41. View Abstract
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The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease
Abstract: Immunological dysregulation is the cause of many non-infectious human diseases such as autoimmunity, allergy and cancer. The gastrointestinal tract is the primary site of interaction between the host immune system and microorganisms, both symbiotic and pathogenic. In this Review the authors discuss findings indicating that developmental aspects of the adaptive immune system are influenced by bacterial colonisation of the gut. They also highlight the molecular pathways that mediate host-symbiont interactions that regulate proper immune function. Finally, they present recent evidence to support that disturbances in the bacterial microbiota result in dysregulation of adaptive immune cells, and this may underlie disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease. This raises the possibility that the mammalian immune system, which seems to be designed to control microorganisms, is in fact controlled by microorganisms.
The authors conclude: On the basis of clinical, epidemiological and immunological evidence, it seems possible that changes in the intestinal microbiota may be an essential factor in the incidence of numerous inflammatory disorders. It is conceivable that the absence of beneficial microorganisms (owing to dysbiosis) that promote the appropriate development of the immune system leads to the induction of inflammatory responses and immune-mediated disease. The recent identification of symbiotic bacteria with potent anti-inflammatory properties, and their correlative absence during disease, suggests that certain aspects of human health may depend on the status of the microbiota. The medical and social reconsideration of the microbial world may have profound consequences for the health of our future generations.
Round JL, Mazmanian SK., The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease. Nat Rev Immunol. 2009 May;9(5):313-23. View Abstract
