#- Probiotics

[pierrelucstl]

Yuugi is a tough patient.

[bpod-bpod]

Gut Move

Introducing helpful drugs into the body is often challenged by our own defences. Probiotics, beneficial microbes that can help to adjust the balance of our gut microbiome, may not stay around long enough to do their job as they’re quickly corroded by stomach acids and bile. Here, scientists develop structures capable of delivering probiotics orally – but with a new trick. These tiny scaffolds, about the half the size of a polo mint, are 3D-printed from a ‘bio-ink’ of cellulose, a form of dietary fibre. Fibre has many health benefits on its own, but it’s also resistant to damage from stomach acid. Instead, these tiny containers stick to the walls of the gut while they’re slowly digested. As they can be printed in a variety of shapes suited to different applications, they may be just the thing to tackle conditions like obesity or inflammatory bowel disease.

Written by John Ankers

Image from work by Yue Zhang and colleagues

Laboratory for Biomaterial and Immunoengineering, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Published in Science Advances, August 2024

You can also follow BPoD on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

[theambitiouswoman]

hello :) i’m trying to improve my gut health so i was wondering if you know what i should eat / take to have a healthy gut? thank you ♡

Hi angel <3

Eat foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts are high in fiber, which can promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.

Fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, olives, pickles, kimchi, and kombucha contain probiotics that can help balance your gut flora.

Prebiotic foods feed the good bacteria in your gut. Examples include garlic, onions, leeks, asparagus, bananas, berries, tomatoes.

Drinking enough water helps keep your digestive system working well. Add some lemon in your water too.

High-sugar and low-fiber processed foods can negatively impact gut health. Limit the amount of processed foods you eat.

Stress can affect your gut health, so try meditation or yoga.

Try to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.

Exercising regularly also helps support a healthy gut.

Eat less sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Drink bone broth daily. It helps with intestinal healing and prevents diseases.

Make sure you are taking enough magnesium.

I will write a gut healthy grocery list on a separate post :)

[tiktok-singularity]

Gut health 101

[mindblowingscience]

Our immune system is made up of multiple smart defenses built into our bodies – but if those defenses go haywire, it can lead to diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Scientists may have found a new way to control potentially dangerous autoimmune responses. A team from Harvard Medical School at Brigham and Women's Hospital in the US developed a special probiotic that was able to regulate the activity of dendritic cells. These cells play a crucial role in managing immune cell responses. When the probiotics were placed into the guts of mice with induced conditions similar to MS, autoimmunity was suppressed in key regions in the brain. If the treatment works in humans, it could help with some of the most damaging diseases that currently exist.

Continue Reading.

[eretzyisrael]

Good News From Israel

In the 30th Jun 24 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

A huge Israeli flag is a defiant symbol of Israel resilience.

Israeli scientists have developed technology for early detection of pancreatic cancer

Israel is the best country for creative thinking, raising a family, and retiring.

An Israeli spray makes fruit and vegetables even healthier.

If you smash special Israeli glass, it can repair itself.

Israeli elastic material aims to bounce higher.

More Israeli medals at the European swimming championships.

A major victory in the Six-Day War took place at the site of a Biblical miracle.

ReadMore: Good News From Israel

If you want to be depressed by stories about violence, tragedies, and lies about Israel, there are many websites you can link to and email groups you can join.  But if you want the truth about the positive achievements of the only Jewish State, then Read It Here!

The photo (TY Sharon) is of some of the crowds at Hebrew Book Week in Jerusalem. All over Israel, many thousands of adults and children eagerly seek out publications of printed material. No wonder we are called the People of the Book.

[morethansalad]

Almond Ricotta & Roasted Grape Tartines (Vegan)

[biohackhealthnow]

The Holidays are here, and so are delicious meals. Let's give our gut some extra love and support for processing these delicous foods for us and keeping our digestive system optimal and healthy 💛

[chroniclesofnadia111]

Wanted to share my health haul with y’all. ❤️

[melisssg99]

Me and my partner just tried kombucha for the first time together

Got out some white wine glasses and everything

I do not drink alcohol so i felt quite fancy drinking out of a wine glass 😆☺️

We wanted to try some because we heard about the benefits, probiotics for gut health, liver health, heart health and possibly also the killing of bad bacteria.

But also because we thought the process would be quite fun, a new healthy hobby.

And I thought it might be a nice replacement for soft drinks.

I thought I wasn't going to like it, but it's not bad!

We are going to try and make our own scoby for it.

I'll update when we get there ☺️

If anyone has experience with this process and has tips or ideas please let me know!🩷

[nature-godsgardenofeden]

prebiotics and probiotics ❣️💛❤️

[iyrinhealth]

Benefits of Fermented Foods: Why You Should Include Them in Your Diet

Fermented foods are packed with health benefits that can enhance your well-being. Here’s why you should add them to your meals:

Gut Health Improvement: Rich in probiotics, fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, and kimchi help maintain a healthy gut microbiome, promoting digestion and nutrient absorption.

Enhanced Nutrient Absorption: Fermentation breaks down complex compounds, making vitamins and minerals more accessible for your body.

Boosted Immune System: A balanced gut flora supports a stronger immune response, reducing the risk of infections.

Improved Mental Health: The gut-brain connection means that a healthy gut can positively affect your mood and mental clarity.

Weight Management: Fermented foods can help regulate hunger hormones, aiding in weight management.

Variety and Flavor: From tangy kimchi to creamy yogurt, these foods add unique flavors and diversity to your diet.

How to Incorporate Them:

Enjoy yogurt or kefir in smoothies.

Add sauerkraut or kimchi to sandwiches and salads.

Try fermented drinks like kombucha.

Use miso or tempeh in soups and stir-fries.

Start including fermented foods in your diet today to enjoy their delicious flavors and health benefits! 🌟

[clatterbane]

Another weird one incoming! We have this carton of probiotic blueberry drink, so I decided to try hooching it.

Will this turn out a little sour like a sour beer from the lactobacteria? Will it turn out drinkable? We just don't know! We'll call it a health drink regardless. (And probably choke it down anyway, because I'm cheap and really don't like wasting things.) It's going to be a small batch, just in case.

The fresh drink itself doesn't taste very sour out of the carton. After a couple of weeks fermenting at room temperature with plenty of sugar, that may change. It does contain some starches, so I may as well throw in a little bit of the koji rice I do have to hopefully help break that down.

Now I am actually tempted to try brewing up a small batch of redneck sake with the blueberry stuff and maybe some Thai black rice for the color. But, I don't really feel like messing around with all of that right now (and I still don't have a fully functioning Instant Pot for cooking the rice easily), so it's a fairly "safe" and easy base of apple juice from concentrate today.

Just going to run with my old standby Coobra cider yeast. It behaves a lot like EC-1118, but it leaves fruit flavors alone better and it's also cheaper here. Gonna try to take this to under 10% ABV and probably bottle carbonate it, though, because I think it might be better that way.

[hellyeahsickaf]

Cordyceps and k12 probiotics have been helpful for my ME/CFS to at least some extent. Something I notice is that I wake up feeling a bit less gross most mornings (today was an exception). Waking up feeling absolutely disgusting and awful is one of the worst parts of this disease. So if you can access it I say it's probably worth a try

[suzieb-fit]

What's the deal with fermented food? Well, the new thing all over the Internet is the importance of gut health. Your microbiome diversity. Fermented foods can give your body a dose of healthful probiotics — live microorganisms crucial to good digestion. So this is my first attempt at sauerkraut.

Easy peasy. Cabbage and salt. Yhinly slice the cabbage, add salt. Knead it all together til it goes soft and juicy.

Put it in a sealable jar.

Push it down as tightly packed as you can.

Leave it in a cupboard for a few weeks. Job done. I've never had it, so (slightly stained) fingers crossed!

[nuadox]

Scientists sequence DNA from 3,600-year-old cheese found in Bronze Age graves, revealing ancient kefir-making practices

- By Nuadox Crew -

Scientists have sequenced DNA from 3,600-year-old cheese found in graves of the Xiaohe people, a Bronze Age culture in northwest China’s Taklamakan Desert.

The cheese, scattered on the heads and necks of mummified remains, offers insights into ancient cheesemaking and microbial practices. DNA analysis showed that the Xiaohe people made kefir cheese using goat and cattle milk without mixing different animal milks, a technique still used today.

The research reveals the presence of probiotic bacteria similar to modern kefir, showing how microbial strains evolved over time. This discovery challenges the belief that kefir originated solely in the Caucasus Mountains, pointing instead to Tibet as a key origin.

The study opens new possibilities for understanding ancient human culture, technology, and microbial use, with scientists noting that ancient microbial DNA studies were unimaginable a decade ago.

Image: Researchers extracted animal and microbial DNA from the kefir cheese found on the Tarim Basin mummies. Credit: Yimin Yang.

Header image: A mummy from the Xiaohe cemetery with dairy remains scattered around its neck. Credit: Li Wenying, Xinjiang Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute (a grey filter was added).

Read more at CNN/Microsoft Start

Scientific paper: Bronze Age cheese reveals human-Lactobacillus interactions over evolutionary history, Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.08.008. www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00899-7

Read Also

Rights of the dead and the living clash when scientists extract DNA from human remains