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- Probiotics in the News
Probiotics, including foods or supplements containing “friendly” bacteria that normally inhabit the digestive tract (usually Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium), may help prevent colds, a recent study suggests. A review of 10 studies involving data on more than 3,400 participants ranging in age from infants to adults in their 40s showed that taking probiotics for more than a week was associated with 12 percent fewer colds. However, the review, by researchers at China’s Sichuan University, found no evidence that taking probiotics could reduce the duration of colds. The only side effects seen among participants in the 10 studies who took probiotics were vomiting and flatulence, but these symptoms were equally as common in the studies’ control groups. The researchers noted that three previous investigations have examined how probiotics influenced upper respiratory infections in older adults. One found no reduction in incidence among those who took probiotics, but did report that the colds didn’t last as long. Another found a 3.4-fold reduction in the risk of catching a cold or the flu, and the third found that upper respiratory tract infections had a shorter overall duration in those using probiotics compared to those who didn’t use them.
- Traffic, Pollution and Heart Attacks
If you’re at risk for a heart attack, sitting in heavy traffic and inhaling the fumes could help bring one on within hours. A large, recent study from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggests that the risk of heart attack rises and stays higher than normal for six hours after inhaling those noxious fumes from automotive exhaust. After that, the risk goes back to baseline. Commenting on the study, the director of the British Heart Foundation said that pollution possibly affects heart health by temporarily thickening the blood making it more likely to clot. The investigators analyzed data from more than 79,000 people in 15 areas of the UK who had heart attacks between 2003 and 2006. The research team also referenced the time of day that the heart attacks occurred, plus levels of traffic pollution (including carbon monoxide and ozone) at those times in different parts of the country, to reach their conclusion that the risk rises in the six hours after exposure to the fumes. Their recommendation: if you’re at risk for heart attack, stay out of heavy traffic.My take? We’ve known for some time that exposure to high levels of air pollution correlates with an increased rate of heart attacks, as well as stroke and deaths due to hospitalizations for heart disease, heart failure and lung problems. Earlier studies have also shown that air pollution is associated with atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque along arterial walls. This study indicates there may be a more critical time-line to the increased risk. The advice to reduce your exposure to heavy traffic is a good one for many reasons, but it isn’t something everyone can readily accomplish. To help lower your overall risk, don’t smoke, control your blood pressure, get regular exercise and eat a low-glycemic diet.
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Originally posted 2011-10-27 18:08:10. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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