Raw Milk, Sugar Sweetened Soda, Gut Microbiome and probiotics - More interesting news

Food Diet and Health

·         Raw milk – why you should avoid it!

·         Sugar sweetened soda – cancer causing?

·         Bacteria in the Intestine – Gut microbiome – autism and other diseases

·         Probiotics and gastroenteritis

Raw Milk

            There has been a movement toward “raw milk”; meaning non pasteurized milk directly from the cow. While very fresh milk contains very little bacteria, few of us can get ½ hour fresh milk. As well, there are certain diseases, such as listerosis, which can have minimal effects on cattle, but can be transmitted to humans with possibly fatal effects. Pasteurization was a major health advance in preventing disease. Now a study has been published confirming the association, especially in  pregnant women, with listerosis and more serious illnesses. Raw milk has absolutely no nutritional advantage over pasteurized milk and should be avoided.

Sugar Sweetened Soda

            A single soda can have from 14 to 20 packets of sugar in it. Aside from obesity, diabetes, tooth decay and other expected health risks, researchers have discovered that, even after adjustment for weight, there was a 78% increased incidence of endometrial cancer in women who were in the top 25% of the sugar drinkers. Neither fruit juice nor diet drinks increased the risk.

Gut Microbiome

            Recent studies have suggested that the bacteria growing in your intestines can have both good and bad effects on your health. Antibiotics and certain foods can change the type of bacteria. There have been associations with cancer and heart disease. Now a Caltech team studied a mouse model of autism, and discovered that the autistic mice had a distinct group of bacteria in their intestines. These produced an chemical that seemed to induce autistic symptoms in other mice. As well, using probiotics to change the bacteria could actually reverse the symptoms in these mice. This could have major implications for human disease if true.

            In another study, researchers found that diet had a dramatic effect on the bacteria in the intestine. The mix in patients on animal meat diets was quite different form those on vegetarian diets. This might have major implications in disease.

Probiotics

            Much has been published about pro-biotics and there are many claims about them. They seem to help adults with gastroenteritis, and may help improve  the intestinal bacteria (gut microbiome). In a recent study, nearly 600 term infants less than 1 week old were randomized to receive a probiotic, Lactobacillus reuteri or placebo daily. After 3 months, parents in the treatment group reported significantly better outcomes for mean daily infant crying time, regurgitation episodes and evacuations. In addition, the treatment group had fewer emergency department visits, fewer days of parental work lost, and less use of products to control GI symptoms -- translating to a mean savings of US$119 per patient (after accounting for the cost of the L. reuteri). Perhaps we will be recommending these in the future!