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behaviour, heal, health benefits, prebiotics, probiotics, psychiatry, science -

Jaw-dropping science facts, part 6 Scientists have found evidence that gut bacteria has a direct physical effect on the brain, and suggest that it may one day be possible to treat diseases such as multiple sclerosis (and possibly even psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia) by altering gut microbial composition.  Researchers at University College in Cork, Ireland, discovered that gut bacteria has a much more important role than was previously thought: they regulate nerve fibre insulation, affecting how impulses in the brain are conducted. According to The Guardian, which picked up on the story: 'Gut microbe research has exploded in the past 10 years, and in...

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cancer prevention, fermented food and drink, health benefits, science -

Jaw-dropping science facts part 5 One in three of us will suffer from cancer in our lifetimes, and despite the basic advice: (eat less meat, get your five-a-day, don't smoke, etc), there's really nothing we can do to eliminate the risk entirely. Or is there?  An article in the Telegraph caught our eye recently when it listed fermented probiotic food and drinks as a scientifically proven way to avoid the disease. In a fascinating feature called 'Eight proven ways to prevent cancer', author Anna Magee writes: "It has been long known that cancers are caused by a combination of our genes, diet and lifestyle. However, as we gradually...

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diabetes, fermentation, health benefits, kombucha, news, science, scientific studies -

Jaw-dropping science facts everyone should know about kombucha, part 4 Indian scientists have discovered that diabetes sufferers would benefit from a kombucha habit, with the antioxidants in the drink proven to suppress organ dysfunction and restore alterations in tissue machinery caused by the condition. Both black tea and kombucha were tested in a 2013 study led by Semantee Bhattacharya from the Department of Life Sciences & Biotechnology in Kolkata. The team found that while both drinks worked very well at combatting the causes of diabetes, kombucha was significantly more efficient than black tea (because the fermentation process produces a higher number of...

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blood pressure, health benefits, heart, kombucha, news, probiotics, science -

Jaw-dropping science facts everyone should know about kombucha, part 3 Scientists at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, have found that regular consumption of probiotics found in fermented food and drinks like kombucha can reduce high blood pressure and help stabilise it at a healthy level. When probiotics were taken for more than eight weeks, Jin Sun Ph.D and her team found a wide range of positive changes happening in the body as a result."We believe probiotics might help lower blood pressure by having other positive effects on health,” Sun said. “These include improving total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol; reducing...

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