Today’s installment focusses on “probiotics,” those (possibly) beneficial bacterium that we consume that may or may not lead to improved health. If you’ve cruised the supermarket shelves lately you’ve doubtless noticed many new products featuring added probiotic ingredients. These products often include claims for improved health and often, improved digestion. The NY TImes examines some of those claims in their health column, The Well:

So what health problems can probiotics really help? After gathering at a Yale workshop to review the available evidence, a panel of 12 experts concluded that there was strong evidence that several probiotic strains could reduce diarrhea, including that associated with antibiotic use. Several studies have also suggested that certain probiotics may be useful for irritable bowel syndrome, with the strongest recommendation for Bifidobacterium infantis 35624, the probiotic in the Procter & Gamble supplement Align.

Whoa, wait, what? A magic bullet that really works? Tell me more:

(Two members of the panel had ties to Procter & Gamble; three others had ties to other companies that sell probiotics.)

Hmm, that sounds like a conflict of interest, anything else I should know?

A variety of other claims for probiotics, like lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, preventing cavities and reducing cancer risk, were not reviewed by the panel.

And scientists continue to debate whether probiotics offer a meaningful benefit to the immune system.

“The evidence for the general immune strengthening is just not there,” said Barry R. Goldin, a Tufts professor who helped discover LGG but no longer receives royalties from the patent.

Okay, so probiotics are not a cure-all but there is evidence that shows improvement in digestive health. I can get behind that.

You can read the entire article, here.

Posted by: Dan

“It’s clean eating, from a 100% grass-fed source,” says Gonzalez, obtained in April from the Kansas City Chiefs for a second-round pick.

 

“You have to put good stuff in your body. Everybody should, but especially athletes. We’re high-performance machines. You wouldn’t put regular gas in a race car. Jimmie Johnson is going to put the high-octane, good stuff in there. It’s the same thing for football players. You’d be surprised by how many players don’t do it. But I’ve seen the results.”

And at 6′ 5″ and 243 lbs, Gonzales puts to rest the myth that one can only maintain muscle mass with a diet heavy in animal protein. Gonzales’ story is a good reminder that eating right is about striking a balance and finding a diet you can live with year round, You can read the rest of the story, here.

Posted by: Dan

The new AMA policy states:

    • That the AMA support[s] practices and policies in medical schools, hospitals, and other health care facilities that support and model a healthy and ecologically sustainable food system, which provides food and beverages of naturally high nutritional quality.

    • That the AMA encourage[s] the development of a healthier food system through the U.S. Farm Bill and other federal legislation.

    • That the AMA consider[s] working with other health care and public health organizations to educate the health care community and the public about the importance of healthy and ecologically sustainable food systems.

We applaud this move by the AMA and we look forward to our more open dialogue about the food system and its effects on public health.

Posted By: Dan

Posted by: Dan