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Fast Fact
The opposite of antibiotics are probiotics - a term coined in 1965 to describe substances that favor the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the body.
Two species of probiotics, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, have been studied the most.
Bacteria that produce the enzyme lactase help reduce lactose intolerance. Probiotics can treat other enzyme deficiencies (e.g. sucrase maltase deficiency) as well.
In a placebo-controlled study, Lactobacillus was given to children along with antibiotics, resulting in fewer cases of diarrhea and milder diarrhea for those who did get it.
Active-culture foods are somewhat effective at preventing and treating bacterial diarrhea, including Clostridium Shigella, Salmonella, and the dreaded E. Coli 0157:H7.
Lactobacillus is most effective at preventing and treating rotavirus and other viral infections.This suggests that probiotics are not just friendly placeholders in the gut, but active immune enhancers.
By reducing inflammation, probiotics appear to be useful in treating a variety of gastrointestinal problems including inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis), ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome. Flatulence and non-specific tummy aches can also be decreased.
Food allergies are caused by the production of antibodies (IgE) against something in the diet. Normally, a substance in our bodies called interleukin (IL-12) prevents this. A recent study showed that consuming Lactobacillus can increase IL-12, decrease IgE antibodies, and thus help prevent and treat food allergies.
Many children with eczema have flare-ups triggered by what they eat or drink. In one fascinating study, a group of children who received Lactobacillus had significant improvement of their eczema within one month!
One of the most startling recent studies of Lactobacillus indicated a "marked, long-term" protective effect on the heart, preventing and decreasing damage from lack of oxygen to the heart muscle. The effect was attributed to the demonstrated changes in inflammation and the immune system.
One double-blind, placebo controlled trial found that some strains of active-culture yogurt, eaten over 8 weeks, help lower LDL cholesterol and normalize blood pressure.Serum triglycerides were also lowered in a controlled animal study.
Because probiotics can decrease the presence of carcinogens in the intestines in several ways, they may prove helpful for preventing cancer. One important study suggests that in the soy-rich Japanese diet that seems to prevent breast cancer, it is the abundance of the probiotic Bifidobacterium in some soy products that is at least partly responsible for the powerful preventive effect.
While active-culture yogurt has proven helpful in many areas, and seems to be helpful in many others, it appears to do nothing to combat vaginal yeast infections. It has been recommended both orally and topically, but when evaluated no benefit is found. Perhaps this is because the normal population of Lactobacillus continues to thrive in the vagina even during a yeast infection.
Lactobacillus can help prevent yeast in the GI tract, diaper area and in the mouth. Probiotics can also help to prevent urinary tract infections.
Consistently named as one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits and vegetables42, apples make my list because they are more popular than the other fruits and vegetables on the list. Thus, choosing organic apples can make a big difference both in lowering your family's pesticide exposure and in using our consumer power to change agriculture.
In 2005, apples were the second most commonly eaten fresh fruit (after bananas) and the second most commonly used in fruit juice (after oranges) 43, making them the biggest pesticide concern among fruits. Apples are a major source of our exposure to organophosphate pesticides, which some studies suggest are linked to decreased intelligence and increased attention problems in kids44, as well as changes in hormone levels for some adults45. Thankfully, we're making progress with apples, with more than 3.33% of U.S. apple orchards already organic46.
When I was in medical school, I was taught that the apple is nature's “junk fruit”, containing only about 6 mg of vitamin C, some fiber, and not much else of value. Since then we've learned that apples are powerhouses of antioxidant activity47. Since I was in medical school, thousands of “new” phytonutrients have been discovered in fruits and vegetables, including in apples. Many of the phytonutrients found in apples, including quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid, are strong antioxidants48.
Apples were never at fault, our tests were. Vitamin C wasn't discovered until 1928. In 2003, a new set of healthful polyphenols were found in apples49. Now we know that each apple has the effect of about 1500 mg of vitamin C - but it gets this from the related compounds in the apple, not the simple version of vitamin C that used to be all we could measure. Organic apples have been found to have higher levels of these polyphenols and other phytonutrients. As an added bonus, in taste tests organic apples taste better than their conventional counterparts50.
For most children, it takes many more hours of cumulative trauma than it does for an adult to cause aches or tingling (this can happen, though -- it's amazing how long a kid can stay glued to a computer game without a break). Click here for more of Dr. Greene’s Tips For Avoiding Repetitive Stress Injuries.
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