studies to support use of recommended foods

Even though Americans enjoy the world's safest food supply, highly publicized occurrences of bad hamburger, tainted raspberries and other contaminated foods have shaken public confidence in recent years. Heat, chemical washes, refrigeration and preservatives are among the most common weapons used to combat the germs that cause these occurrences. But scientists at North Carolina State University are taking a different tack: They're fighting fire with fire, by using beneficial bacteria to stop the growth of harmful bacteria on fresh produce. "We've found that by treating fresh produce with a small amount of lactic acid bacteria, we can prevent the growth of disease-causing bacteria such as listeria," says Dr. Fred Breidt, a senior researcher in biological and agricultural engineering and food science at NC State.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are microscopic organisms found naturally on many foods, including yogurt and fermented vegetables. "They're nature's own preservatives," says Breidt. "They prevent the growth of other bacteria. And they don't affect food's taste, smell or texture."
LAB previously have been studied for use in improving the safety of meat and dairy products, but Breidt and his colleagues are among only a handful of researchers worldwide investigating LAB's use on fruit and vegetables.
Produce could be treated with LAB in a two-step process, he says. First, chemical treatments or heat would be used to reduce the bacterial population on the produce. Then, a small amount of LAB, cultured earlier from the same type of vegetable or vegetable product, would be re-applied.
The idea is to reintroduce just enough LAB to beat any harmful bacteria that may develop later, without measurably shortening the vegetables' shelf life.Too much bacteria -- even beneficial ones -- will shorten shelf life.
It's a delicate balancing act, complicated by the fact that many different kinds of LAB may be present on vegetables, each with different antibacterial properties and strengths. Identifying which of these will be most effective in inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria most likely to be found on a specific vegetable, or in a specific food processing environment, is the focus of Breidt's current research.
Working with Dr. Henry Fleming, USDA research leader and professor of food science at NC State, and other researchers in the university's USDA-Agricultural Research Service Food Science Research Unit, Breidt is developing a computer-based mathematical model that weighs various factors to calculate the growth rates and interaction of good and bad bacteria. "In essence, the model tells us what's going on between the microorganisms; how they battle and inhibit each other, and whether they also inhibit themselves," he says. The model also reveals which external factors -- such as environmental pH or proteinated acids -- play a significant role in bacterial growth. Based on all this data, researchers will be able to choose rationally which LAB is best suited for inhibiting bacteria in a given environment.
In contrast to Breidt's proposed LAB treatment, most food-safety treatments now used on fresh or minimally processed produce rely on refrigeration and washing -- procedures which have been shown to be largely ineffective at reducing bacterial populations.
Breidt and his colleagues also are investigating the use of DNA forensics to evaluate LAB's efficacy as a biocontrol.
Funding for his research comes from a two-year, $86,000 grant from the USDA's National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program.
-- lucas --

Probiotics remains a major growth market. The European sector is set to more than triple in value over the next few years, according to Frost & Sullivan, to reach $137.9 million (€118.5m) in 2010.
Researchers from the Agricultural University of Athens screened 29 different strains of Lactobacillus from diverse dairy sources, such as raw cow's milk, feta cheese and brine, cheddar cheese and sour milk.
The in vitro studies, published in the March issue of the International Dairy Journal (Vol. 16, pp. 189-199), tested the stability and resistance of the strains to low pH (acidic conditions), bile salt hydrolysis, and antibiotics. The tests were in-line with guidelines from the FAO/WHO selection criteria for candidate probiotics.
“For the selection of highly potent probiotic strains, safety and functionality properties such as antibiotic resistance, adhesion to intestinal cell lines, antimicrobial activity and inhibition of pathogenic adhesion, as well as immunomodulation potential, are highly important and should be studied using reliable in vitro screening methods,” explained lead author Petros Maragkoudoudakis.
All 29 strains survived at pH 3 but only six kept their viability after one hour at pH1. Although this appeared to limit the list of potentials, most probiotic bacteria are consumed along with milk proteins, which are said to protect the bacteria against the acidity found in the human stomach.
When tested for haemolytic activity, or the activity to breakdown red blood cells, 25 strains were classified as gamma-haemolytic, which means they did not cause haemolysis and are thus safe.
Adhesion of the bacteria to the intestinal wall has been claimed to be essential for positive probiotic action. The greatest adhesion was found (25.5 per cent) for the strain L. plantarum ACA-DC 146 extracted from feta brine.
This adhesion to cells is also important because it stops pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella from adhering to the intestinal walls and colonisation by harmful bacteria.
L. plantarum ACA-DC 146 inhibited E. coli adhesion by 40 per cent, but stopped Salmonella typhimurium by only 14 per cent. The best “all-rounder” was L. paracasei subspecies tolerans ACA-DC 4037 which inhibited E. coli and Salmonella by 35 and 28 per cent, respectively.
When taken altogether, the data show that L. plantarum ACA-DC 146 and L. paracasei subspecies tolerans ACA-DC 4037 (extracted from Kaseri cheese), along with L. casei Shirota ACA-DC 6002 from Yakult possess desirable probiotic properties.
“These strains are good candidates for further investigation in in vivo studies to elucidate their potential health benefits and their application as novel probiotic strains in the food industry,” concluded Maragkoudoudakis.
Co-researcher Georgia Zoumpopoulou told NutraIngredients.com that the good potential from in vitro study is the first step in the development of new probiotics.
“The next step is to go and check in vivo to see if the results continue to be the same,” said Zoumpopoulou. “But no trials have been planned yet.”
Financial support came from the Greek General Secretariat of Research and Technology. The researchers declared no industrial financial support.

Unlike previous cultures that have been tested, the new one is reportedly unique because it is a “defined culture”--entirely derived from a single defined group of bacteria.
The Food and Drug Administration does not allow undefined cultures to be used in competitive exclusion methods, so the defined cultures produced by Hargis' research group fill a need for industry.
“Our cultures are different because they can be truly defined, and they can be reproduced from specific isolates that are stored back in the freezer,” said poultry science researcher Billy Hargis. “Then they can be propagated virtually forever.”
Although this first probiotic culture holds potential economic benefits for the industry, Hargis believes his studies can produce better alternatives. Hargis is working on the project at the university's agriculture division.
“We have not bothered to patent this specific culture because we don't think this is the best we can do,” Hargis stated in the university's newsletter on food safety. “We think we can find better cultures. This is just the best we have found so far. We think we can make it more effective.”
The probiotic cultures are applied against pathogens using the concept of competitive exclusion, in which different species compete to coexist. In poultry production, the companies testing the culture plan to introduce the beneficial good bacteria into a live bird to see whether these will drive out the harmful pathogenic ones.
“They're known organisms, specific isolates that are well characterized,” Hargis said in his report.
At the poultry production farm level, the probiotic culture has been administered to chicks through their drinking water and by spray application. In addition to cutting down on pathogens in the live poultry, the culture has also been found in experiments to be effective in increasing the birds' weight, lowering production costs, and reducing environmental contamination in poultry houses, the researchers claimed.
Hargis also wants to pursue more studies on the culture's ability to reduce carcass contamination. Some experiments have shown such
reductions, but more data are needed.
“Salmonella does not occur by spontaneous generation in a processing plant," he said. "It comes in with the live animals. I think it's a pretty good bet that reducing Salmonella in live animals will end up reducing Salmonella in food because that's where it comes from. Our focus now is to make the culture better and find other isolates that are more effective.”
Probiotics are live, nonpathogenic bacteria that contribute to the health and balance of the intestinal tract. They are given orally to poultry to help the birds fight illness and disease.

Chronic stress is implicated in the development of irritable bowel syndrome and in the worsening of symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease, which affects over half a million people in the US.
The new research, published on-line in the journal Gut (10.1136/gut.2005.089739), measured the effects of a commercial probiotic powder on intestinal health of male rats subjected to a daily dose of stress.
Brown Norway rats were fed either a normal diet or a normal diet supplemented with a probiotic mixture. The probiotic powder contained Lactobacillus rhamnosus, strain R0011 and Lactobacillus helveticus, strain R0052 (Lacidofil) and was provided by the Montreal-based Institut Rosell-Lallemand.
The two groups were further divided so that half of the probiotic and half of the normal diet groups were subjected to water avoidance stress (WAS), which involved placing the rat on a small platform surrounded by water, for one hour a day for 10 consecutive days.
The other half of each group was subjected to a sham stress for the same time period.
The stress sessions were designed to mimic psychological stress to produce the type of effects that would be seen in the human gut.
At the end of the stress period the intestinal tissues of the animals were examined. The researchers, from Canada and Sweden, found that the presence of harmful bacteria was significantly greater in the WAS rats.
The density of harmful bacteria was measured to be 28.3 and 34.7 bacteria per square millimeter in the ileum and colon of the WAS group, respectively. Rats exposed to chronic stress and supplemented with probiotics had only about 20 percent of these bacterial populations, leading the scientists to conclude that the probiotics were preventing the adherence of harmful bacteria to the cells lining the gut wall.
“Probiotics transiently colonize the gut and competitively exclude pathogenic bacteria from binding,” said lead author Mehri Zareie from the University of Toronto.
The researchers also found that supplementation with the probiotic mixture reduced migration of bacteria into the lymph system, and thus prevented an immune response from the hosts.
“These findings indicate that probiotics may provide a novel approach for the management of stress induced intestinal dysfunction.
More in depth studies into the mechanisms of action will allow a better understanding of how probiotics target specific organs in different disease states,” concluded the researchers.
Research and development into probiotics continues to attract significant investment, particularly in Europe where the market is considerably more developed than the US.
In spite of this, a report from the Business Communication Company in May 2005 said the US probiotic ingredients, supplements and foods market had risen 19 percent per year over the last two years. It forecast 2005 total sales to reach $764m.
Yogurts, kefirs and cultured drinks are predicted to make up around 65 percent of the US probiotics sales. The BCC report added that, although growth is expected to slow over the next five years, an annual rate of 7.1 percent would put probiotic sales at $1.1bn in 2010.

The fibres are most commonly used as fat and sugar replacers, and have increasingly been linked to gut health benefits due to their action as prebiotics to promote the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora populations.
But an increasing body of science is emerging linking the ingredients to help control blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol, and boost bone strength, with inulin maker Orafti highly active in this area.
The new review, by Douwina Bosscher and colleagues from Orafti and published in the September 2006 issue of the International Dairy Journal (Vol. 16, pp. 1092-1097), draws together the current science linking these prebiotics to bone health.
The review is a timely summary of the state-of-play for an ingredient that could be seen by food makers as a way to offer products to consumers that are increasingly aware of the threat of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is estimated to affect about 75m people in Europe, the USA and Japan. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the total direct cost of osteoporotic fractures is €31.7bn in Europe, and 17.5bn in the US (2002 figure). The total annual cost of osteoporosis in the UK alone is over £1.7bn (€2.5bn), equivalent to £5m (€7.3m) each day.
There are two approaches to prevent osteoporosis, said the Orafti reviewers. First, optimise bone mass acquisition during adolescence, and secondly, minimise bone loss after the menopause.
The majority of work with inulin and oligofructose in both animals and humans has focussed on the first approach, according to the review, although some data from animals in available regarding prevention of bone loss post-menopause.
Animals studies have “repeatedly shown… over the last 10 years” that inulin/ oligofructose supplementation to a diet results in more absorption of calcium, accumulation of bone mineral and improved trabecular network structure (J. Nutrition, Vol. 132, pp. 3599-3602; Br. J. Nutr., Vol. 88, pp. 365-377).
In human adolescents, short-term supplementation with the so-called synergistically active mixture of oligofructose and long-chain inulin (SYN1) is reported to have a higher calcium absorption (38 per cent), than the placebo group (32 per cent).
“This finding is important as these girls might be most likely to benefit from SYN1 supplementation to their daily diet,” wrote Bosscher.
These increases in calcium absorption were subsequently repeated by long-term supplementation studies of up to a year in length.
“It appears that increased true calcium absorption with eight grams per day of SYN1 during pubertal growth enhances bone mineralisation probably resulting in increased peak bone mass during adolescence,” wrote the Orafti scientists.
The prebiotic is thought to work by changing the flora in the colon, with the more slowly fermented inulin acting as a selective 'fuel' for this modified flora, which is kept metabolically active further in the gut.
This selective fermentation pattern results in the production of short chain fatty acids, which decrease the pH within the colon, improving the solubility of the calcium present. The calcium is then better absorbed into the body.
Bosscher and colleagues said that these results had “implications for future preventative strategies for osteoporosis,” but stressed that long-term studies for both adolescents and post-menopausal women were needed to confirm the findings.
A spokesperson from the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) told NutraIngredients.com that the preliminary data from animal and experimental studies on calcium absorption were promising, but agreed with Orafti's statement that the findings needed confirmation by more science.
“Randomized control trials in humans across the age span are needed before any links with improvements in bone health or reductions in osteoporosis risk can be claimed and, at present, there are too few available,” she said.

“Our study is the first one to evaluate the effects of OF supplementation on modulation of microflora with tolerance and well-being in young children attending day-care centres,” wrote lead author Anne-Judith Waligora-Dupriet from the Université René Descartes, Paris.
Considerable research has already focused on the role of inulin and oligofructose in bone health and colorectal cancer, and the science is now expanding in ever-increasing circles to cover potential benefits for the immune system, weight management, and intestinal health.
Belgium's Orafti, who supported this new research, has been influential in building the science behind inulin and oligofructose, backing research into potential benefits for a variety of health conditions.
The new study, published on-line ahead of print in the International Journal of Food Microbiology recruited 35 healthy children aged between 7–19 months and after eight days of observation randomly assigned them to receive either an oligofructose (OF) supplement (Beneo P95, Orafti) or a maltodextrin placebo for 21 days.
Dr. Waligora-Dupriet and her colleagues collected faecal samples in order to determine intestinal flora populations, as well as recording health information every day.
In the OF group, the researchers found that levels of bifidobacteria increased as a result of supplementation, rising from 9.1 to 9.5 log10 CFU/g of faeces, while decreasing slightly in the control group from 9.2 to 9.0 log10 CFU/g of faeces.
“Bifidobacteria are thought to lower the intestinal pH through their fermentation end-products, i.e. acetic and lactic acids, leading to the inhibition of the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria,” said the researchers.
At the same time, prebiotic supplement resulted in a significant decrease in the potential pathogen, clostridia, but not staphylococci, and these changes did not continue after the supplementation was stopped.
“The number of infectious diseases requiring antibiotic treatment, the number of episodes of flatulence, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever were significantly lower in the OF group as compared to the control group as well as the number of children who start to vomit,” reported the researchers.
A decrease in flatulence was also recorded for the prebiotic group, linked to the reduced intestinal population of clostridia, which are known gas-producing bacteria.
“Our results confirm that oligofructose exerts beneficial effects to health and well-being,” wrote Waligora-Dupriet.
“The results of this study indicate good tolerance and clinical benefits of OF supplementation. Despite the slight modulation of intestinal microflora, a link between clinical benefits and flora's modification cannot be excluded. Further studies on a larger number of children are needed,” she concluded.

The researchers, led by Francesco Savino from the University of Turin, randomly assigned 83 infants to either a daily supplement of the probiotic or the pharmaceutical control simethicone, and report that after 28 days the average crying times of the infants in the probiotic group had decreased by about 75 per cent, compared to only 26 per cent for the control group.
“In our cohort, L reuteri improved colicky symptoms in breastfed infants within 1 week, compared with simethicone, which suggests that probiotics may have a role in… infantile colic,” wrote Savino.
According to background information in the article, infantile colic is one of the most common problems during the first three months of an infant's life, and can affect up to 28 per cent of newborns. It consists of a behavioral syndrome characterized by excessive and inconsolable crying with no identifiable cause.
The researchers tested the hypothesis that modulation of the gut microflora via oral administration of probiotics could decrease crying time related to infants with colic.
The 41 infants in the probiotic group received a daily dose of 108 colony-forming units (CFU) of L. reuteri (BioGaia) 30 minutes after feeding, while the control group received a daily dose of 60 mg simethicone after feeding. Mothers were asked to follow a cow's milk-free diet, and avoid milk, cream, butter, yogurt, fresh cheese, and biscuits
After seven days of intervention the average crying times of the infants in the probiotic group had decreased by 21 per cent, from 197 to 159 minutes per day, as reported by the mothers, while crying times for the control group decreased by only 10 per cent, from 197 to 177 minutes per day.
At the end of the full 28 days of intervention, the average crying times of the infants in the probiotic group had decreased by 74 per cent, to 51 minutes per day, while crying times for the control group decreased by only 26 per cent, to 145 minutes per day.
The researchers state that no adverse effects were reported by the mothers.
“The present study demonstrated that supplementation with L. reuteri improved colicky symptoms significantly in breastfed infants, compared with the standard therapy with simethicone, within seven days,” wrote the authors in the journal Pediatrics.
“The response rate for… L. reuteri was 95 per cent, whereas only 7 per cent of infants responded to simethicone,” they said.
The mechanism behind the apparent benefits is not clear, said the authors, but they speculate that the probiotic may contribute to the anti-inflammatory tone of the intestinal environment, which in turn may modify the immune response and the modulating immune responses and movement of the gut.
The study does have several limitations to note, including being an open trial with no blinding, and both interventions had different doses. Also, no true placebo was used – simethicone being chosen since it said to be the most commonly used pharmaceutical for colic.
Also, the infants in this study were all exclusively breastfed and therefore the results cannot be extended to formula-fed infants with colic, said Savino.
“Because this is the first study performed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic agents for colicky infants, additional research, from clinical observation to microbiologic analysis, is needed to confirm the beneficial effects of L reuteri,” said the researchers.
“Moreover, because specific probiotic strains have specific properties and targets in the human intestinal microbiota, exerting different health effects, additional studies might be performed to examine the role of other probiotic species and to identify the ideal strain for… infantile colic.”
Most foods containing probiotic bacteria are found in the refrigerated section of supermarkets as the bacteria is destroyed by heat and other processing conditions.
This has given the dairy sector, already used to handling live bacteria for the manufacture of yoghurt, a major advantage in probiotic foods - probiotic drinking yoghurts are currently the fastest growing dairy product in Europe.
Source: Pediatrics
January 2007, Volume 119, Number 1, Pages. e124-e130; doi:10.1542/peds.2006-1222
“Lactobacillus reuteri (American Type Culture Collection Strain 55730) Versus Simethicone in the Treatment of Infantile Colic: A Prospective Randomized Study”
Authors: F. Savino, E. Pelle, E. Palumeri, R. Oggero, and R. Miniero

Probiotics protect against bacterial infection, says study

By Stephen Daniells

6/20/2007 - A newly characterised strain of probiotic bacteria may have potential to kill Listeria monocytogenes, an often-lethal pathogen in pregnant women, Irish researchers report.
The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could see pregnant women and a number of other high-risk groups receiving the probiotic to protect them from potential infection.
Lead author Sinead Corr from University College Cork told NutraIngredients.com: "Our results clearly demonstrate the ability of certain probiotic bacteria to protect against potentially fatal illnesses. More specifically we have shown a role for bacteriocins in protecting against the potentially fatal foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.
"As probiotics mechanisms are specific, thorough understanding of their beneficial effects are required. Understanding these mechanisms will enable their use in prevention and treatment of specific illnesses. This study clearly demonstrates how probiotic bacteria may help to improve the health of consumers."
Probiotic products containing 'friendly' bacteria are now well accepted by consumers in many European countries, with putative benefits highlighted for gut and immune health.
Some of the researchers in this new study previously reported that a mixture of five Lactobacillus probiotic strains may reduce food poisoning by salmonella. In that instance, the benefits for gut health were reported to be due to the probiotic bacteria adhering to the walls of the intestine, which inhibits the ability of the pathogenic Salmonella to stick and colonise the gut, thereby reducing the infection.
The new study offers an alternative method of protection, with a specific strain of Lactobacillus salivarius named UCC118 capable of producing an antibiotic-like compound called a bacteriocin.
When the researchers tested UCC118 in mice infected with two strains of food-borne Listeria monocytogenes, EGDe and LO28, they found that the mice were protected against infection. When the mice were given a mutant form of the probiotic that was unable to produce the Abp118 bacteriocin, no protection against infection was observed.
Also, "Lb. salivarius UCC118 did not offer any protection when mice were infected with a strain of L. monocytogenes expressing the cognate Abp118 immunity protein AbpIM, confirming that the antimicrobial effect is a result of direct antagonism between Lb. salivarius and the pathogen, mediated by the bacteriocin Abp118," reported the researchers.
"The results of the UCC work clearly demonstrate a role for bacteriocins in protecting the host against potentially lethal infections. The study is the first to clearly demonstrate a mechanism by which probiotic bacteria may act to help improve the health of consumers," said a release from the university.
Most foods containing probiotic bacteria are found in the refrigerated section of supermarkets as the bacteria is destroyed by heat and other processing conditions.
This has given the dairy sector, already used to handling live bacteria for the manufacture of yoghurt, a major advantage in probiotic foods - probiotic drinking yoghurts are currently the fastest growing dairy product in Europe.
But increasing research has focused on expanding protecting probiotics during processing and expanding the food categories available to prebiotics. Such an avenue of research has led companies like Cell Biotech from Korea using a dual-coating to protect probiotics against oxygen, acid, moisture and high temperatures for use in emerging new product categories such as breakfast cereals and smoothies.
Other approaches are also being explored, with scientists looking at improving probiotic viability by using whey protein gel particles, or prebiotic fibres.

6/22/2007 - US Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have reported a new method of developing prebiotics from certain crops, which could have the potential to help combat the incidence of salmonella and E. coli in animals slaughtered for their meat.
According to reports published this week by USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the new production method involves turning certain sugars from crops such as corn and soybeans into oligosaccharides.
Oligosaccharides, which are complex carbohydrates, are already recognized for their potential as prebiotics, which stimulate the growth of probiotic bacteria in the gut. These, in turn, are understood to promote intestinal health.
This has led to the growth of a market for foods containing prebiotics - which can be incorporated into a wider variety of end products than probiotic bacteria.
But ARS chemist Greg Cote says that besides unlocking minerals, vitamins and other nutrients from the oligosaccharides, probiotic bacteria can also make the colon less hospitable to pathogens, such as Salmonella and E coli, that can cause illness in humans.
When fed to chicks or piglets, for example, the prebiotics could bolster the growth and activity of probiotic bacteria so they would 'outcompete' Salmonella for space and nutrients, said ARS. This could have obvious benefits later on, when the animals are slaughtered for their meat.
Cote, who is in the ARS Bioproducts and Biocatalysis Research Unit at Peoria, Illinios, developed the oligosaccharides together with Scott Holt, an associate professor with Western Illinois University's Department of Biological Sciences. They envision formulating the oligosaccharides as a prebiotic product that could be administered orally.
ARS explains that their production method uses a microbial enzyme called alternansucrase to catalyze a series of biochemical reactions that convert sugars like sucrose, glucose or maltitol into different kinds of oligosaccharides.
"Depending on which were used, the resulting oligosaccharides bolstered the laboratory growth of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Bacteroides and some enterococci bacteria, but not pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli or Clostridium perfringens," said the agency.
This week scientists from Portugal also reported a novel method for producing fibers from corn cobs capable of boosting the growth of friendly gut bacteria.
Using a technique called autohydrolysis, non-digestible oligosaccharides were released from the corn cob with prebiotic activity.
"With the present work it was shown that autohydrolysis constitutes a promising approach for the production of oligosaccharides from corn cobs capable of supporting the growth of Bifidobacterium adolescentis in comparison to commercial xylo-oligosaccharides," wrote lead author Patricia Moura in the journal LWT - Food Science and Technology.

Better B6 status linked to better pregnancy outcomes

By Stephen Daniells

7/16/2007 - High levels of vitamin B6 prior to falling pregnant may boost conception rates and reduce the odds of losing the baby during early pregnancy, suggests new research.
If the results, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, are repeated in more studies in other populations around the world, it may see vitamin B6 force an extension of the current "Big 3" of pregnancy nutrition: folic acid, calcium with vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.
"We found that poor preconception vitamin B6 status was associated with increased risk of early pregnancy loss and reduced probabilities of conception and clinical pregnancy in a prospective cohort of young Chinese women," wrote lead author Alayne Ronnenberg from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
"This study underscores the potential importance of micronutrient status at the time of conception on pregnancy outcome."
The researchers, from U of M Amherst, University of Illinois, Harvard Medical School, Anhui Medical University (China), Northwestern University, and Children's Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center, looked at the B vitamin status (folate, B6 and B12) of 364 women (average age 24.9, average BMI 19.8 kg per sq. m) working in the textile industry in Anqing, China.
The women were included if they conceived at least once during prospective observation (1996-1998) and provided daily urine samples over a 12-month period. The urine was tested for human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) to detect conception and early pregnancy loss.
Ronnenberg and co-workers report that women with vitamin B6 levels above 38.3 nanomoles per litre increased the odds of conception by 120 per cent, and halved the odds for early pregnancy loss if levels were above 46.4 nanomoles per litre.
They also report that sufficient levels of B6, defined as levels above 30 nanomoles per litre, improved the odds of conception by 40 per cent and lowered the odds for early pregnancy loss by 30 per cent, compared to women with B6 deficiency.
No relationship was observed between normal vitamin B12 or folate status and conception or loss odds.
"The physiology underlying the relation between low vitamin B6 status and early pregnancy loss is unknown, although several biologically plausible mechanisms are possible," wrote Ronnenberg.
"Vitamin B6-dependent coenzymes participate in over 100 reactions involved in the metabolism of amino acids, lipids, nucleic acids, and glycogen. Vitamin B6 deficiency has also been associated with impairment of enzymes involved in the structural integrity of arterial walls, which could affect implantation and early placental development."
The results should be treated with caution, and further research is needed to support the observations and test if similar results are obtained in other populations.
"Taken in their entirety [with other studies], these observations suggest that maternal vitamin B6 status may influence reproductive events throughout the entire course of pregnancy, from the time of conception through delivery," wrote the researchers.

Probiotics work out against constipation, says study

By Stephen Daniells

8/10/2007 - Probiotics, friendly bacteria with known benefits for intestinal health, may boost the number of bowel movements and relieve constipation, suggests a new pilot study from the Netherlands.
Writing in the Nutrition Journal, researchers from the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam report state that previous studies with single strains showed conflicting results, and that a mixture of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria strains may hold the key.
"Given their safety profile, probiotics could be an attractive compound to manipulate gastrointestinal motility in constipated children," wrote lead author Noor Bekkali.
"Based on the results of our pilot study we hypothesize that a mixture of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli producing lactic, acetic and other acids resulting in a lowering of pH in the colon are effective in enhancing motility of the colon, subsequently leading to a decrease in colonic transit time," he added.
The global retail market for probiotic dietary supplements was valued by Euromonitor International at just over US$1bn in 2005, and was seen to have experienced 46.9 per cent growth between 2002 and 2005. Growth of 32.6 per cent is predicted through 2010.
Earlier this week, Chr. Hansen announced that a range of probiotic supplements would be marketed to children in Italy. The group said that probiotics for children is a largely untapped market in Europe and could be another outlet for the use of the bacteria in human health.
The new pilot study investigated the potential of a probiotic mixture to alleviate the symptoms associated with childhood constipation, a condition that can affect up to 30 per cent of children in the Western world, said the researchers.
Twenty constipated children (50 per cent male, average age 8) were recruited for the study and assigned to receive a daily probiotic supplement (Ecologic Relief, Winclove Bio Industries BV, The Netherlands) containing a mixture of Bifidobacteria bifidum, B. infantis, B. longum, Lactobacilli casei, L. plantarum and L. rhamnosus.
The prebiotic mix, containing four billion colony forming units, was consumed by the children for four weeks. Prior to the start of the study the subjects were given an rectal enema to promote rectal disimpaction.
Bekkali and co-workers reported that the frequency of bowel movements doubled over the weeks following the start of probiotic supplementation, increasing from two per week to 4.2 after two weeks, to 3.8 after four weeks.

By Jess Halliday

8/13/2007 - A new clinical study provided evidence that green tea catechins can stimulate production of cancer-protective enzymes in people with low natural levels - the first to demonstrate this effect in humans, say researchers.
Populations of counties where green tea is consumed as part of the every day diet, such as Japan and China, tend to have a lower incidence of cancer than people in countries where green tea is less commonly drunk. Consequently, green tea catechins - antioxidant polyphenols - have been the focus of considerable research in recent years.
Researchers from the University of Arizona, led by research associate professor H-H Sherry Chow, set out to explain the anti-cancer effect of green tea by seeing if a concentrate of catechins had any effect on levels of glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes. GSTs are understood to modify cancer-causing molecules so they do not damage cellular DNA.
They believe their findings suggest a green tea concentrate could enable some people to strengthen their metabolic defence against carcinogens, thereby providing a new layer of evidence to support the green tea category of supplement and food ingredients.
The study involved 42 healthy volunteers, who abstained from consuming tea or tea-related products in the four-weeks prior to commencement. They then gave a fasting blood sample, and plasma and lymphocytes were isolated for analysis of GST activity and level.
For the next four weeks the participants all consumed a standardized Polyphon E preparation at a dose of 800mg epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) per day on an empty stomach. Polyphenon E is commercially available and made by Japan's Mitsui Norin.
At the end of the four weeks, the participants again gave blood samples. The researchers found that GST activity increased when all the results were taken together, from 2252.9 plus/minus 734.2 ng/mg protein to 2634.4 plus/minus 1138.3 ng/mg protein.
But the increase was most pronounced in people who had low GST activity in the beginning.
In these people, GST activity was seen to increase by as much as 80 per cent.
"Expression of this enzyme varies dramatically in people due to genetic variation and environmental factors," explained Chow.
In people with low GST levels there was no change, and in those who had high levels there was some evidence of a decrease at the end of the four-week trial - although the researchers explained this as being down to "random variation".
"Green tea catechins somehow increase gene expression of these enzymes, which can be an advantage to people with low levels to start with," said Chow.
"There may be other mechanisms in play by which green tea may protect against cancer development, but this is a good place to start."

A team of New Jersey scientists believes it has found ways to detect biological risk factors for autism through simple urine and blood tests, a discovery that could lead to groundbreaking medical treatment for the neurological disorder.
The team of 16 scientists, mostly drawn from the campuses of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, say their findings, the result of more than two years of study on how the body breaks down fatty acids, could be a breakthrough for what is the fastest-growing developmental disorder in the nation, with no known cause or cure.
The UMDNJ researchers say they have found that children with autism are unable to metabolize key fatty acids that help the body fight inflammation that causes damage to the brain and other organs.
"It's an exciting story that's unfolding," said George Lambert, coordinator of the 15-member research team.
The potential treatment, members of the team say, is a kind of "therapeutic cocktail" tailored to each child, which would give them a dose of a "good" fatty acid that they are not able to make on their own. Team member Bernd Spur of UMDNJ-Stratford created the chemical process to replicate one of those good fatty acids.
"The pathway doesn't work (in the body), so we circumvent it," said Spur, a chemist.
Currently, the only way to diagnose autism is by a clinical assessment of symptoms, which include difficulty with communication and social interaction, as well as obsessive behaviors and interests. New Jersey has a high incidence of the disorder, affecting 1 in 94 children in the state, compared with 1 in 150 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Researchers say that in the future a person's risk for autism could be measured with a simple urine test that would look for high levels of "bad" fat molecules, or a blood test that could reveal genetic problems, including the absence of a key gene, called GSTM1, which is responsible for metabolizing good fats. Many people with autism do not have this gene.
Xue Ming, a neuroscientist and a founding director of the Autism Center at UMNDJ-Newark, discovered that children with autism have higher levels of bad fat molecules in their urine than typical children.
No one understands yet why it is that so many children with autism have such metabolic differences, but Ming suggested it might be caused by an interaction between genes and the environment. It may be that having less of these key fats reduces the body's ability to deal with environmental and metabolic stress.
Since the 1990s, scientists have known about the potential for good fatty acids to treat inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, even asthma and Alzheimer's.
That potential has spurred a frenzy of research into lipids, the fatty compounds that include fatty acids. Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Vanderbilt University have confirmed the New Jersey group's findings, said Spur.
At Harvard University, researchers are working on treatments for asthma and periodontal disease, while researchers at Louisiana State University are focusing on stroke.
Team members have been meeting every week for more than two years to discuss the results of their experiments. They include Lambert, a pediatric toxicologist who looks at the impact of the environment on children; Spur, the chemist who replicated the fatty acid in the lab; neurologist William Johnson, who associated the missing gene with autism; and Ming, a neuroscientist who tested for the presence of bad lipids in children.
So far, the scientists have obtained six patents for their research, Lambert said. They soon will meet with the Food and Drug Administration to discuss the requirements for producing and testing their substances, he added.
"Metabolic issues in autism are entirely understudied," said Sophia Colamarino, science director for Cure Autism Now, a major advocacy and research group in Los Angeles. "It's a very exciting area. There is accumulating evidence that would clearly tell me this is where I should look."
The New Jersey scientists are cautious, however, about their preliminary results, and warn families not to expect a miracle cure. Testing on humans, they say, could take a few years.
Meanwhile, the researchers are preparing a preliminary study to begin in September. Lambert hopes to work with 5- to 7-year-olds at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center in New Brunswick, a school for children with autism run by Rutgers.

6/3/2005 - Omega-3 supplements could help children with autism manage some of their symptoms, believe Scottish researchers, who have recorded a deficiency of certain fatty acids in autistic children.
The researchers believe that higher levels of the enzyme phospholipase, seen in preliminary studies on blood samples from autistic children, may metabolise fatty acids in these children more quickly than in those without the condition.
This could impact the levels of omega-3 fats like DHA and the omega-6 fatty acid ARA. Both are crucial to mental health, development and also fight off infection.
The researchers at the universities of Stirling and Edinburgh have received a grant to launch a new, controlled trial to confirm their initial findings and find out whether supplements could help rectify this deficiency.
The number of children diagnosed with autism has increased dramatically over the past ten years across developed countries. The UK's Medical Research Council report in 2001 quoted a prevalence rate for autism of 1 in 166 of the UK population while the National Autistic Society, a charity, suggests the rate may be even higher.
While some of the increase can be explained by a widening of diagnostic criteria the majority of the increase is currently unexplained, just as the cause of the disease is not yet understood either.
In a pilot study, published in the October issue of Prostaglandins Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids last year, the Scottish team reported higher levels of type 4 phospholipase, an enzyme that metabolises phospholipids, and is also seen at increased levels in schizophrenia patients.
"Increased metabolism affects all fatty acids, including long-chain omega-3s but also the omega-6 ARA. If you stabilise the membrane by adding more omega-3s you tend to reduce deficiency," lead researcher Dr Gordon Bell told NutraIngredients.com.
The parents of children involved in the pilot study also reported that when they gave their children supplements of the fatty acid EPA, they saw better sleeping patterns, cognition, eye contact and sociability. However this study was not matched with controls.
A new two-year trial, backed by £125,335 in funding, will measure the blood fatty acid levels in 50 children with autism and compare them to samples from non-autistic children, as well as a control group with development problems.
This will reveal whether the fatty acid deficiency is directly related to autism or also present in all children with development delay.
The research will also offer a better insight into the potential benefits of taking omega-3 supplements.
"We are not suggesting a cure or treatment here, more a potential for managing the symptoms," noted Dr Bell.

3/6/2006 - Folic acid from fortification and supplements may reduce the severity of birth defects, as well as preventing the rate of defects, leading experts to again call for increasing fortification levels.
In 1998 the US FDA required the addition of folic acid to enriched breads, flours, cereals, and other grain products to increase folic acid intake in the whole population. Birth defects have declined by 26 percent since 1998.
Calls have been getting louder in the UK, with some analysts now saying it is a question of ‘when' and not ‘if' the UK government introduces compulsory fortification of some flour products with folic acid.
According to American voluntary health agency March of Dimes, over eight million babies are born worldwide with birth defects; at least 3.3 million of under-fives die because of serious birth defects every year, while the majority of those who survive may be mentally and physically disabled for life.
The new retrospective cohort study, published in the journal Pediatrics looked at 2841 infants born with spina bifida between 1998 and 2001.
“Infants with spina bifida experienced a significantly improved first-year survival rate of 92 per cent during the period of mandatory folic acid fortification, compared with a 90 per cent survival rate for those born before fortification,” reported lead author Kirk Bol from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The authors admit that there are certain limitations which may affect the data, most noteworthy being the lack of information on the frequency of abortions due to the presence of a birth defect.
In an accompanying editorial, Robert Brent and Godfrey Oakley, said that the study was well-planned and well-performed.
“The investigators' conclusions are biologically plausible...These data indicate that a child born with spina bifida in the United States is 10 times as likely to die in the first five years as the average newborn child,” said Brent and Oakley.
Although the mechanism of folic acid protection during pregnancy is not known, it has been proposed to be due to its role in nucleic acid synthesis and/or the metabolism of homocysteine to methionine.
The authors of the study concluded: “As survival of NTD-affected infants improves, health care, education, and family support must expand to meet their needs.”
The editorial comment from Brent and Oakley called for an increase in the level of folic acid fortification, echoing calls from the same scientists only last September in an earlier volume of the same journal.
Studies have shown that folic acid is more easily absorbed from fortified foods (85 per cent) and supplements (100 per cent) than the folate found naturally in foods (50 per cent).

April 28, 1998
Scientists Use Beneficial Bacteria to Battle Germs on Fresh Produce

Even though Americans enjoy the world's safest food supply, highly publicized occurrences of bad hamburger, tainted raspberries and other contaminated foods have shaken public confidence in recent years.
Heat, chemical washes, refrigeration and preservatives are among the most common weapons used to combat the germs that cause these occurrences. But scientists at North Carolina State University are taking a different tack: They're fighting fire with fire, by using beneficial bacteria to stop the growth of harmful bacteria on fresh produce.
"We've found that by treating fresh produce with a small amount of lactic acid bacteria, we can prevent the growth of disease-causing bacteria such as listeria," says Dr. Fred Breidt, a senior researcher in biological and agricultural engineering and food science at NC State.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are microscopic organisms found naturally on many foods, including yogurt and fermented vegetables. "They're nature's own preservatives," says Breidt. "They prevent the growth of other bacteria. And they don't affect food's taste, smell or texture."
LAB previously have been studied for use in improving the safety of meat and dairy products, but Breidt and his colleagues are among only a handful of researchers worldwide investigating LAB's use on fruit and vegetables.
Produce could be treated with LAB in a two-step process, he says. First, chemical treatments or heat would be used to reduce the bacterial population on the produce. Then, a small amount of LAB, cultured earlier from the same type of vegetable or vegetable product, would be re-applied.
The idea is to reintroduce just enough LAB to beat any harmful bacteria that may develop later, without measurably shortening the vegetables' shelf life.Too much bacteria -- even beneficial ones -- will shorten shelf life.
It's a delicate balancing act, complicated by the fact that many different kinds of LAB may be present on vegetables, each with different antibacterial properties and strengths. Identifying which of these will be most effective in inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria most likely to be found on a specific vegetable, or in a specific food processing environment, is the focus of Breidt's current research.
Working with Dr. Henry Fleming, USDA research leader and professor of food science at NC State, and other researchers in the university's USDA-Agricultural Research Service Food Science Research Unit, Breidt is developing a computer-based mathematical model that weighs various factors to calculate the growth rates and interaction of good and bad bacteria.
"In essence, the model tells us what's going on between the microorganisms; how they battle and inhibit each other, and whether they also inhibit themselves," he says. The model also reveals which external factors -- such as environmental pH or proteinated acids -- play a significant role in bacterial growth. Based on all this data, researchers will be able to choose rationally which LAB is best suited for inhibiting bacteria in a given environment.
In contrast to Breidt's proposed LAB treatment, most food-safety treatments now used on fresh or minimally processed produce rely on refrigeration and washing -- procedures which have been shown to be largely ineffective at reducing bacterial populations.
Breidt and his colleagues also are investigating the use of DNA forensics to evaluate LAB's efficacy as a biocontrol.
Funding for his research comes from a two-year, $86,000 grant from the USDA's National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program.
-- lucas --

By Stephen Daniels

3/14/2006 - Greek researchers have isolated three strains of bacteria from dairy sources that have desirable probiotic properties and could be applied in the food industry.
Probiotics remains a major growth market. The European sector is set to more than triple in value over the next few years, according to Frost & Sullivan, to reach $137.9 million (€118.5m) in 2010.
Researchers from the Agricultural University of Athens screened 29 different strains of Lactobacillus from diverse dairy sources, such as raw cow's milk, feta cheese and brine, cheddar cheese and sour milk.
The in vitro studies, published in the March issue of the International Dairy Journal (Vol. 16, pp. 189-199), tested the stability and resistance of the strains to low pH (acidic conditions), bile salt hydrolysis, and antibiotics. The tests were in-line with guidelines from the FAO/WHO selection criteria for candidate probiotics.
“For the selection of highly potent probiotic strains, safety and functionality properties such as antibiotic resistance, adhesion to intestinal cell lines, antimicrobial activity and inhibition of pathogenic adhesion, as well as immunomodulation potential, are highly important and should be studied using reliable in vitro screening methods,” explained lead author Petros Maragkoudoudakis.
All 29 strains survived at pH 3 but only six kept their viability after one hour at pH1. Although this appeared to limit the list of potentials, most probiotic bacteria are consumed along with milk proteins, which are said to protect the bacteria against the acidity found in the human stomach.
When tested for haemolytic activity, or the activity to breakdown red blood cells, 25 strains were classified as gamma-haemolytic, which means they did not cause haemolysis and are thus safe.
Adhesion of the bacteria to the intestinal wall has been claimed to be essential for positive probiotic action. The greatest adhesion was found (25.5 per cent) for the strain L. plantarum ACA-DC 146 extracted from feta brine.
This adhesion to cells is also important because it stops pathogens like E. coli and Salmonella from adhering to the intestinal walls and colonisation by harmful bacteria.
L. plantarum ACA-DC 146 inhibited E. coli adhesion by 40 per cent, but stopped Salmonella typhimurium by only 14 per cent. The best “all-rounder” was L. paracasei subspecies tolerans ACA-DC 4037 which inhibited E. coli and Salmonella by 35 and 28 per cent, respectively.
When taken altogether, the data show that L. plantarum ACA-DC 146 and L. paracasei subspecies tolerans ACA-DC 4037 (extracted from Kaseri cheese), along with L. casei Shirota ACA-DC 6002 from Yakult possess desirable probiotic properties.
“These strains are good candidates for further investigation in in vivo studies to elucidate their potential health benefits and their application as novel probiotic strains in the food industry,” concluded Maragkoudoudakis.
Co-researcher Georgia Zoumpopoulou told NutraIngredients.com that the good potential from in vitro study is the first step in the development of new probiotics.
“The next step is to go and check in vivo to see if the results continue to be the same,” said Zoumpopoulou. “But no trials have been planned yet.”
Financial support came from the Greek General Secretariat of Research and Technology. The researchers declared no industrial financial support.

8/1/2003 - A mother's nutrition can be so important that it can alter her offspring's usceptibility to disease by changing gene expression, say researchers who claim to have explained for the first time how maternal nutrition can predetermine risk of obesity or cancer.
Scientists from Duke University in the US showed they could change the coat colour of baby mice simply by feeding their mothers four common nutritional supplements before and during pregnancy and lactation. The supplements also lowered the offspring's susceptibility to obesity, diabetes and cancer.
"We have long known that maternal nutrition profoundly impacts disease susceptibility in their offspring, but we never understood the cause-and-effect link," said Dr Randy Jirtle, senior investigator of the study, published in today's issue of Molecular and Cellular Biology.
"For the first time ever, we have shown precisely how nutritional supplementation to the mother can permanently alter gene expression in her offspring without altering the genes themselves."
In experiments, pregnant mice that received vitamin B12, folic acid, choline and betaine (from sugar beets) gave birth to babies predominantly with brown coats. In contrast, pregnant mice that did not receive the nutritional supplements gave birth predominantly to mice with yellow coats. The non-supplemented mothers were not deficient in these nutrients.
A study of the cellular differences between the groups of baby mice showed that the extra nutrients reduced the expression of a specific gene, called Agouti, to cause the coat colour change. Yet the Agouti gene itself remained unchanged.
This is called ‘DNA methylation', and it could potentially affect dozens of other genes that make humans and animals susceptible to cancer, obesity, diabetes, and even autism, said Jirtle.
"Our study demonstrates how early environmental factors can alter gene expression without mutating the gene itself," said Dr Rob Waterland, a research fellow in the Jirtle laboratory and lead author of the study. "The implications for humans are huge because methylation is a common event in the human genome, and it is clearly a malleable effect that is subject to subtle changes in utero."
During DNA methylation, a quartet of atoms - called a methyl group – attaches to a gene at a specific point and alters its function. The methyl group silences the gene or reduces its expression inside a given cell, but does not actually change it. Such an effect is referred to as ‘epigenetic' because it occurs over and above the gene sequence without altering any of the letters of the four-unit genetic code.
In the study, researchers noted that the methylation occurred early during gestation, shown by its widespread manifestation throughout cells in the liver, brain, kidney and tail.
"Our data suggest these changes occur early in embryonic development, before one would even be aware of the pregnancy," said Jirtle. "Any environmental condition that impacts these windows in early development can result in developmental changes that are life-long, some of them beneficial and others detrimental."
If such epigenetic alterations occur in the developing sperm or eggs, they could even be passed on to the next generation, potentially becoming a permanent change in the family line, added Jirtle.
Humans and other animals are susceptible to epigenetic changes because of an evolutionary trait in which "junk" remnants of viral infections, called "transposons," inserted themselves randomly within the human and animal genomes. If the transposons have inserted themselves in or near a functional gene, the gene can be inadvertently methylated, too, thereby reducing its expression.
The scientists demonstrated that such inadvertent methylation occurred at the Agouti gene when the mice were fed the nutrients. The four nutrients encourage methylation because they possess chemicals that donate methyl groups within cells. Thus, they are primed to methylate susceptible sites in the genome. In fact, more than 40 per cent of the human genome is comprised of transposons that are likely to be methylated, so any genes positioned near them could be at risk for inadvertent methylation.
"We used a model system to test the hypothesis that early nutrition can affect phenotype through methylation changes," said Jirtle. "Our data confirmed the hypothesis and demonstrated that seemingly innocuous nutrients could have unintended effects, either negative or positive, on our genetic expression."
For example, methylation that occurs near or within a tumour suppressor gene can silence its anti-cancer activity, said Jirtle. Also they do not know which of the four nutrients caused methylation of the Agouti gene, revealing the uncertainty of nutrition's epigenetic effects on cells, said Jirtle. Folic acid is a staple of prenatal vitamins, used to prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida, but excess folic acid could methylate a gene and silence its expression in a detrimental manner, as well.
Methylating a single gene can also have multiple effects. For example, as well as changing coat colour, mice that over-express the Agouti protein tend to be obese and susceptible to diabetes because the protein also binds with a receptor in the hypothalamus and interferes with the signal to stop eating. Methylating the Agouti gene in mice, therefore, also reduces their susceptibility to obesity, diabetes and cancer.
The researchers stressed the importance of understanding the molecular effects of nutrition on cells, not just the outward manifestations of it.
"Diet, nutritional supplements and other seemingly innocuous compounds can alter the development in utero to such an extent that it changes the offspring's characteristics for life, and potentially that of future generations," said Waterland. "Nutritional epigenetics could, for example, explain the differences between genetically identical twins, or the disparities in the incidence of stroke between the South and the North. The possibilities are endless."

3/31/2006 - Both green and black tea could protect against age-related diseases like Alzheimer's, says a new study, adding yet more support to the benefits of tea extract on brain health.
“We looked at the protective effects of two tea extracts and their main constituents, called catechins, on dying nerve cells,” explained senior author Rémi Quirion from Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Quebec.
The research, published in the European Journal of Neuroscience (Vol. 23, pp. 55-64), claims to be the first to show beneficial effects of both green and black tea on cell cultures treated with amyloid proteins. Amyloid proteins are associated with the onset of Alzheimers disease, the most common form of dementia and currently affects over 13 million people worldwide.
The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimer care is over $100 billion (€81 billion) in the US alone. The direct cost of Alzheimer care in the UK was estimated at £15 billion (€22 billion).
Although the mechanism of Alzheimer's is not clear, more support is gathering for the build-up of plaque from amyloid deposits. The deposits are associated with an increase in brain cell damage and death from oxidative stress.
The researchers used rat hippocampal cells as models for human cells, and found that addition of the beta-amyloid protein was toxic and killed the cells.
However, both green and black tea extracts, with concentration levels between five and 25 micrograms per millilitre, were found protective activity against the effects of the amyloid protein.
“These effects were shared by [tea extracts] gallic acid, epicatechin gallate (ECG), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the former being the most potent flavon-3-ol. In contrast, epicatechin and epigallocatechin (ECG) were ineffective in the same range of concentrations,” reported lead author Stéphanie Bastianetto.
Both EGCG and gallic acid were found to stop the amyloid aggregation, which could result in plaque formation, and also stopped potentially poisonous amyloid derivatives that would be diffusible across cell membranes.
“These data support the hypothesis that not only green but also black teas may reduce age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease,” concluded Bastianetto.
It is known that the catechins can be extracted from both green and black teas, but the yield from the unfermented green tea leaf is significantly higher. Green tea is said to contains about 70 mg catechins per 100 mL, whereas black tea contains only about 15 mg per 100 mL.
This is further support for both the tea market and the tea extract market. European demand for tea extracts is currently surging, having reached 500 metric tonnes by 2003.
The global tea market is worth about €790 (£540, $941) million. Green tea accounts for about 20 per cent of total global production, while black tea (green tea that has been oxidized by fermentation) accounts for about 78 per cent.

4/20/2006 - Some commercial processors are testing a probiotic bacterial culture that can sharply reduce pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter says the University of Arkansas.
Unlike previous cultures that have been tested, the new one is reportedly unique because it is a “defined culture”--entirely derived from a single defined group of bacteria.
The Food and Drug Administration does not allow undefined cultures to be used in competitive exclusion methods, so the defined cultures produced by Hargis' research group fill a need for industry.
“Our cultures are different because they can be truly defined, and they can be reproduced from specific isolates that are stored back in the freezer,” said poultry science researcher Billy Hargis. “Then they can be propagated virtually forever.”
Although this first probiotic culture holds potential economic benefits for the industry, Hargis believes his studies can produce better alternatives. Hargis is working on the project at the university's agriculture division.
“We have not bothered to patent this specific culture because we don't think this is the best we can do,” Hargis stated in the university's newsletter on food safety. “We think we can find better cultures. This is just the best we have found so far. We think we can make it more effective.”
The probiotic cultures are applied against pathogens using the concept of competitive exclusion, in which different species compete to coexist. In poultry production, the companies testing the culture plan to introduce the beneficial good bacteria into a live bird to see whether these will drive out the harmful pathogenic ones.
“They're known organisms, specific isolates that are well characterized,” Hargis said in his report.
At the poultry production farm level, the probiotic culture has been administered to chicks through their drinking water and by spray application. In addition to cutting down on pathogens in the live poultry, the culture has also been found in experiments to be effective in increasing the birds' weight, lowering production costs, and reducing environmental contamination in poultry houses, the researchers claimed.
Hargis also wants to pursue more studies on the culture's ability to reduce carcass contamination. Some experiments have shown such
reductions, but more data are needed.
“Salmonella does not occur by spontaneous generation in a processing plant," he said. "It comes in with the live animals. I think it's a pretty good bet that reducing Salmonella in live animals will end up reducing Salmonella in food because that's where it comes from. Our focus now is to make the culture better and find other isolates that are more effective.”
Probiotics are live, nonpathogenic bacteria that contribute to the health and balance of the intestinal tract. They are given orally to poultry to help the birds fight illness and disease.

4/25/2006 - Probiotics may reduce the intestinal health problems linked to stress, says researchers.
Chronic stress is implicated in the development of irritable bowel syndrome and in the worsening of symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease, which affects over half a million people in the US.
The new research, published on-line in the journal Gut (10.1136/gut.2005.089739), measured the effects of a commercial probiotic powder on intestinal health of male rats subjected to a daily dose of stress.
Brown Norway rats were fed either a normal diet or a normal diet supplemented with a probiotic mixture. The probiotic powder contained Lactobacillus rhamnosus, strain R0011 and Lactobacillus helveticus, strain R0052 (Lacidofil) and was provided by the Montreal-based Institut Rosell-Lallemand.
The two groups were further divided so that half of the probiotic and half of the normal diet groups were subjected to water avoidance stress (WAS), which involved placing the rat on a small platform surrounded by water, for one hour a day for 10 consecutive days.
The other half of each group was subjected to a sham stress for the same time period.
The stress sessions were designed to mimic psychological stress to produce the type of effects that would be seen in the human gut.
At the end of the stress period the intestinal tissues of the animals were examined. The researchers, from Canada and Sweden, found that the presence of harmful bacteria was significantly greater in the WAS rats.
The density of harmful bacteria was measured to be 28.3 and 34.7 bacteria per square millimeter in the ileum and colon of the WAS group, respectively. Rats exposed to chronic stress and supplemented with probiotics had only about 20 percent of these bacterial populations, leading the scientists to conclude that the probiotics were preventing the adherence of harmful bacteria to the cells lining the gut wall.
“Probiotics transiently colonize the gut and competitively exclude pathogenic bacteria from binding,” said lead author Mehri Zareie from the University of Toronto.
The researchers also found that supplementation with the probiotic mixture reduced migration of bacteria into the lymph system, and thus prevented an immune response from the hosts.
“These findings indicate that probiotics may provide a novel approach for the management of stress induced intestinal dysfunction.
More in depth studies into the mechanisms of action will allow a better understanding of how probiotics target specific organs in different disease states,” concluded the researchers.
Research and development into probiotics continues to attract significant investment, particularly in Europe where the market is considerably more developed than the US.
In spite of this, a report from the Business Communication Company in May 2005 said the US probiotic ingredients, supplements and foods market had risen 19 percent per year over the last two years. It forecast 2005 total sales to reach $764m.
Yogurts, kefirs and cultured drinks are predicted to make up around 65 percent of the US probiotics sales. The BCC report added that, although growth is expected to slow over the next five years, an annual rate of 7.1 percent would put probiotic sales at $1.1bn in 2010.

By Stephen Daniells
7/12/2006 - Research on how prebiotics inulin and oligofructose may improve bone health is highly promising, but human trials are needed to confirm the benefits says Orafti – a view shared by a national osteoporosis charity. The fibres are most commonly used as fat and sugar replacers, and have increasingly been linked to gut health benefits due to their action as prebiotics to promote the growth of beneficial intestinal microflora populations.
But an increasing body of science is emerging linking the ingredients to help control blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol, and boost bone strength, with inulin maker Orafti highly active in this area.
The new review, by Douwina Bosscher and colleagues from Orafti and published in the September 2006 issue of the International Dairy Journal (Vol. 16, pp. 1092-1097), draws together the current science linking these prebiotics to bone health.
The review is a timely summary of the state-of-play for an ingredient that could be seen by food makers as a way to offer products to consumers that are increasingly aware of the threat of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is estimated to affect about 75m people in Europe, the USA and Japan. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, the total direct cost of osteoporotic fractures is €31.7bn in Europe, and 17.5bn in the US (2002 figure). The total annual cost of osteoporosis in the UK alone is over £1.7bn (€2.5bn), equivalent to £5m (€7.3m) each day.
There are two approaches to prevent osteoporosis, said the Orafti reviewers. First, optimise bone mass acquisition during adolescence, and secondly, minimise bone loss after the menopause.
The majority of work with inulin and oligofructose in both animals and humans has focussed on the first approach, according to the review, although some data from animals in available regarding prevention of bone loss post-menopause.
Animals studies have “repeatedly shown… over the last 10 years” that inulin/ oligofructose supplementation to a diet results in more absorption of calcium, accumulation of bone mineral and improved trabecular network structure (J. Nutrition, Vol. 132, pp. 3599-3602; Br. J. Nutr., Vol. 88, pp. 365-377).
In human adolescents, short-term supplementation with the so-called synergistically active mixture of oligofructose and long-chain inulin (SYN1) is reported to have a higher calcium absorption (38 per cent), than the placebo group (32 per cent).
“This finding is important as these girls might be most likely to benefit from SYN1 supplementation to their daily diet,” wrote Bosscher.
These increases in calcium absorption were subsequently repeated by long-term supplementation studies of up to a year in length.
“It appears that increased true calcium absorption with eight grams per day of SYN1 during pubertal growth enhances bone mineralisation probably resulting in increased peak bone mass during adolescence,” wrote the Orafti scientists.
The prebiotic is thought to work by changing the flora in the colon, with the more slowly fermented inulin acting as a selective 'fuel' for this modified flora, which is kept metabolically active further in the gut.
This selective fermentation pattern results in the production of short chain fatty acids, which decrease the pH within the colon, improving the solubility of the calcium present. The calcium is then better absorbed into the body.
Bosscher and colleagues said that these results had “implications for future preventative strategies for osteoporosis,” but stressed that long-term studies for both adolescents and post-menopausal women were needed to confirm the findings.
A spokesperson from the National Osteoporosis Society (NOS) told NutraIngredients.com that the preliminary data from animal and experimental studies on calcium absorption were promising, but agreed with Orafti's statement that the findings needed confirmation by more science.
“Randomised control trials in humans across the age span are needed before any links with improvements in bone health or reductions in osteoporosis risk can be claimed and, at present, there are too few available,” she said.

"Consumption of milk kefir and soymilk kefir suppressed [immune] response and altered the intestinal microflora in our supplemented group," wrote lead author Je-Ruei Liu from the National Taiwan University.
"Milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of preventing food allergy and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal pathogen infection."
Kefir, which orginates from the Caucasus region in Russia, is popular in Eastern and Central Europe but is also gaining awareness among West European consumers for its probiotic and nutraceutical properties.
The fermented milk contains a mixture of several live microorganisms and has many of the nutrients required by the body: proteins, minerals and vitamins. Its acidity and enzymes stimulate protein digestion and appetite and decreases the cholesterol content in blood, according to research. It is also thought to stimulate microphage production, improving immunity.
The study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (doi: 10.1002/jsfa.2649), looked at the effects of milk kefir and soymilk kefir supplementation on mice injected with ovalbumin to produce an allergic response. Levels of the allergic-specific response Immunoglobin E, IgE, and G1 (IgG1) were measured, as well as intestinal microflora concentrations.
Fifty mice were randomly assigned to one of five groups. The control group were given distilled water, while the other groups were given equal amounts of reconstituted milk, milk kefir, soymilk, or soymilk kefir (10 per cent).
After three weeks of supplementation the researchers reported that blood levels of the IgE and IgG1, both associated with an allergic response, were decreased in the kefir supplemented groups, compared to control and normal (soy)milk groups.
Both milk kefir and soymilk kefir supplements were associated with about a 66 and 50 per cent reduction in IgE and IgG1 levels, respectively.
Populations of intestinal bacteria were also found to be affected by the kefir supplements, with populations of the so-called beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. both significantly increased, while levels of the potentially harmful bacteria, Clostridium spp., decreased.
Many studies, both epidemiological and animal, have reported that disorder of the intestinal microflora is closely related to food allergy development, said the researchers, suggesting that probiotics in the kefir could offer an interesting avenue of future study.
"These results suggest that milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of allergy prevention and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal infection," concluded the researchers.
Drinking the probiotic, fermented milk, kefir, decreased the allergic response to ovalbumin (egg white) in mice, and may offer hope to preventing food allergies, suggests a new study from Taiwan.
"Consumption of milk kefir and soymilk kefir suppressed [immune] response and altered the intestinal microflora in our supplemented group," wrote lead author Je-Ruei Liu from the National Taiwan University.
"Milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of preventing food allergy and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal pathogen infection."
Kefir, which orginates from the Caucasus region in Russia, is popular in Eastern and Central Europe but is also gaining awareness among West European consumers for its probiotic and nutraceutical properties.
The fermented milk contains a mixture of several live microorganisms and has many of the nutrients required by the body: proteins, minerals and vitamins. Its acidity and enzymes stimulate protein digestion and appetite and decreases the cholesterol content in blood, according to research. It is also thought to stimulate microphage production, improving immunity.
The study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (doi: 10.1002/jsfa.2649), looked at the effects of milk kefir and soymilk kefir supplementation on mice injected with ovalbumin to produce an allergic response. Levels of the allergic-specific response Immunoglobin E, IgE, and G1 (IgG1) were measured, as well as intestinal microflora concentrations.
Fifty mice were randomly assigned to one of five groups. The control group were given distilled water, while the other groups were given equal amounts of reconstituted milk, milk kefir, soymilk, or soymilk kefir (10 per cent).
After three weeks of supplementation the researchers reported that blood levels of the IgE and IgG1, both associated with an allergic response, were decreased in the kefir supplemented groups, compared to control and normal (soy)milk groups.
Both milk kefir and soymilk kefir supplements were associated with about a 66 and 50 per cent reduction in IgE and IgG1 levels, respectively.
Populations of intestinal bacteria were also found to be affected by the kefir supplements, with populations of the so-called beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. both significantly increased, while levels of the potentially harmful bacteria, Clostridium spp., decreased.
Many studies, both epidemiological and animal, have reported that disorder of the intestinal microflora is closely related to food allergy development, said the researchers, suggesting that probiotics in the kefir could offer an interesting avenue of future study.
"These results suggest that milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of allergy prevention and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal infection," concluded the researchers.
Drinking the probiotic, fermented milk, kefir, decreased the allergic response to ovalbumin (egg white) in mice, and may offer hope to preventing food allergies, suggests a new study from Taiwan.
"Consumption of milk kefir and soymilk kefir suppressed [immune] response and altered the intestinal microflora in our supplemented group," wrote lead author Je-Ruei Liu from the National Taiwan University.
"Milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of preventing food allergy and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal pathogen infection."
Kefir, which orginates from the Caucasus region in Russia, is popular in Eastern and Central Europe but is also gaining awareness among West European consumers for its probiotic and nutraceutical properties.
The fermented milk contains a mixture of several live microorganisms and has many of the nutrients required by the body: proteins, minerals and vitamins. Its acidity and enzymes stimulate protein digestion and appetite and decreases the cholesterol content in blood, according to research. It is also thought to stimulate microphage production, improving immunity.
The study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (doi: 10.1002/jsfa.2649), looked at the effects of milk kefir and soymilk kefir supplementation on mice injected with ovalbumin to produce an allergic response. Levels of the allergic-specific response Immunoglobin E, IgE, and G1 (IgG1) were measured, as well as intestinal microflora concentrations.
Fifty mice were randomly assigned to one of five groups. The control group were given distilled water, while the other groups were given equal amounts of reconstituted milk, milk kefir, soymilk, or soymilk kefir (10 per cent).
After three weeks of supplementation the researchers reported that blood levels of the IgE and IgG1, both associated with an allergic response, were decreased in the kefir supplemented groups, compared to control and normal (soy)milk groups.
Both milk kefir and soymilk kefir supplements were associated with about a 66 and 50 per cent reduction in IgE and IgG1 levels, respectively.
Populations of intestinal bacteria were also found to be affected by the kefir supplements, with populations of the so-called beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. both significantly increased, while levels of the potentially harmful bacteria, Clostridium spp., decreased.
Many studies, both epidemiological and animal, have reported that disorder of the intestinal microflora is closely related to food allergy development, said the researchers, suggesting that probiotics in the kefir could offer an interesting avenue of future study.
"These results suggest that milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of allergy prevention and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal infection," concluded the researchers.
Drinking the probiotic, fermented milk, kefir, decreased the allergic response to ovalbumin (egg white) in mice, and may offer hope to preventing food allergies, suggests a new study from Taiwan.
"Consumption of milk kefir and soymilk kefir suppressed [immune] response and altered the intestinal microflora in our supplemented group," wrote lead author Je-Ruei Liu from the National Taiwan University.
"Milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of preventing food allergy and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal pathogen infection."
Kefir, which orginates from the Caucasus region in Russia, is popular in Eastern and Central Europe but is also gaining awareness among West European consumers for its probiotic and nutraceutical properties.
The fermented milk contains a mixture of several live microorganisms and has many of the nutrients required by the body: proteins, minerals and vitamins. Its acidity and enzymes stimulate protein digestion and appetite and decreases the cholesterol content in blood, according to research. It is also thought to stimulate microphage production, improving immunity.
The study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (doi: 10.1002/jsfa.2649), looked at the effects of milk kefir and soymilk kefir supplementation on mice injected with ovalbumin to produce an allergic response. Levels of the allergic-specific response Immunoglobin E, IgE, and G1 (IgG1) were measured, as well as intestinal microflora concentrations.
Fifty mice were randomly assigned to one of five groups. The control group were given distilled water, while the other groups were given equal amounts of reconstituted milk, milk kefir, soymilk, or soymilk kefir (10 per cent).
After three weeks of supplementation the researchers reported that blood levels of the IgE and IgG1, both associated with an allergic response, were decreased in the kefir supplemented groups, compared to control and normal (soy)milk groups.
Both milk kefir and soymilk kefir supplements were associated with about a 66 and 50 per cent reduction in IgE and IgG1 levels, respectively.
Populations of intestinal bacteria were also found to be affected by the kefir supplements, with populations of the so-called beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium spp. and Lactobacillus spp. both significantly increased, while levels of the potentially harmful bacteria, Clostridium spp., decreased.
Many studies, both epidemiological and animal, have reported that disorder of the intestinal microflora is closely related to food allergy development, said the researchers, suggesting that probiotics in the kefir could offer an interesting avenue of future study.
"These results suggest that milk kefir and soymilk kefir may be considered among the more promising food components in terms of allergy prevention and enhancement of mucosal resistance to gastrointestinal infection," concluded the researchers.
Sharon Matthews, an allergy specialist from the Isle of Wight NHS Primary Care Trust told the Society of Chemical Industry's magazine Chemistry & Industry (16 October) that while the scientists have reported that the kefir is able to reduce the levels of IgE in mice, this is still some steps away from food allergy.
"Many children have specific IgE to a food but are not allergic to it," she said.
We need much more supportive evidence before a human trial could be contemplated."

10/31/2006 - Supplementing mothers-to-be with omega-3 fatty acids results in higher amounts being delivered to the baby in the womb, say German scientists who have identified the carriers of the fatty acid from mother to child.
The research adds to our understanding of how omega-3 play an important role in the development of the baby in utero, with a wealth of other studies reporting that a diet rich in the DHA omega-3 fatty acid (docosahexaenoic acid) during pregnancy and breastfeeding is associated with a healthy pregnancies as well as the mental and visual development of infants.
Mothers are also aid to be less at risk of post partum depression or mood change, and to recover more quickly after pregnancy, if they consume enough of the fatty acid.
The new study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 84, pp. 853-861), sought to better understanding the mechanisms of transfer of the omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), from mother to child.
Lead author Elvira Larqué from the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich and her colleagues recruited 136 healthy pregnant women during the second half of gestation to take part in the randomised, double-blind trial.
The women were randomly assigned to one of four supplementation groups: DHA (500 mg) plus EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid, 150 mg), 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolic acid (400 micrograms), DHA (500 mg) plus 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolic acid (400 micrograms), or placebo.
In order to study the placental lipid transfer system Dr. Larqué and her co-workers looks at messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of various so-called fatty acid–transport proteins (FATP): FATP-1, FATP-4 and FATP-6, as well as fatty acid–binding protein (FABP), heart-FABP, and brain-FABP.
The German and Spanish researchers reported that there was no significant difference in lipid carriers between the four supplementation groups, but mRNA expression for FATP-1 and FATP-4 was related to DHA in both the mother's blood and the placenta. Only mRNA expression of FATP-4 was related to DHA in the umbilical cord blood, said the researchers.
“Correlation of the mRNA expression of the membrane placental proteins FATP-1 and especially of FATP-4 with maternal and cord DHA leads us to conclude that these lipid carriers are involved in placental transfer of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids,” they concluded.
The researchers also said that their results “may contribute to improve dietary support for infants born prematurely to mothers with placental lipid transport disorders.”
Consumers have been receiving mixed messages with some claiming that the benefits of fish consumption, like omega-3, protein, and essential vitamins and minerals content outweigh the risks posed by pollutants such a methyl mercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs).
The situation is particularly sensitive for pregnant women, with such pollutants reported to damage the development of babies.
But a diet rich in the omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), during pregnancy and breastfeeding is thought to support healthy pregnancies as well as the mental and visual development of infants.
Such advice has seen the number of omega-3 enriched or fortified products on the market increase. Most extracted fish oil are molecularly distilled and steam deodorised to remove contaminants.
According to Frost and Sullivan, the European omega-3 market was worth around €160m (£108m) in 2004, and is expected to grow at rates of 8 per cent on average to 2010.
However, a recent survey by the Washington, DC-based Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR) reported that only 41 per cent of mothers and expectant mothers know they should be consuming omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy. Questions were put to the women regarding the “Big 3” of pregnancy nutrition: folic acid, calcium with vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.
The finding that women are less aware of the need for omega-3, compared with other nutrients for healthy mothers and babies, implying formulators' omega-3 message has still not saturated the prenatal market.

10/20/2006 - A daily supplement of the prebiotic oligofructose significantly improved the intestinal health of young children in day care, and cut the number of bacterial infections and illness episodes, says new research from France.
“Our study is the first one to evaluate the effects of OF supplementation on modulation of microflora with tolerance and well-being in young children attending day-care centres,” wrote lead author Anne-Judith Waligora-Dupriet from the Université René Descartes, Paris.
Considerable research has already focused on the role of inulin and oligofructose in bone health and colorectal cancer, and the science is now expanding in ever-increasing circles to cover potential benefits for the immune system, weight management, and intestinal health.
Belgium's Orafti, who supported this new research, has been influential in building the science behind inulin and oligofructose, backing research into potential benefits for a variety of health conditions.
The new study, published on-line ahead of print in the International Journal of Food Microbiology recruited 35 healthy children aged between 7–19 months and after eight days of observation randomly assigned them to receive either an oligofructose (OF) supplement (Beneo P95, Orafti) or a maltodextrin placebo for 21 days.
Dr. Waligora-Dupriet and her colleagues collected faecal samples in order to determine intestinal flora populations, as well as recording health information every day.
In the OF group, the researchers found that levels of bifidobacteria increased as a result of supplementation, rising from 9.1 to 9.5 log10 CFU/g of faeces, while decreasing slightly in the control group from 9.2 to 9.0 log10 CFU/g of faeces.
“Bifidobacteria are thought to lower the intestinal pH through their fermentation end-products, i.e. acetic and lactic acids, leading to the inhibition of the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria,” said the researchers.
At the same time, prebiotic supplement resulted in a significant decrease in the potential pathogen, clostridia, but not staphylococci, and these changes did not continue after the supplementation was stopped.
“The number of infectious diseases requiring antibiotic treatment, the number of episodes of flatulence, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever were significantly lower in the OF group as compared to the control group as well as the number of children who start to vomit,” reported the researchers.
A decrease in flatulence was also recorded for the prebiotic group, linked to the reduced intestinal population of clostridia, which are known gas-producing bacteria.
“Our results confirm that oligofructose exerts beneficial effects to health and well-being,” wrote Waligora-Dupriet.
“The results of this study indicate good tolerance and clinical benefits of OF supplementation. Despite the slight modulation of intestinal microflora, a link between clinical benefits and flora's modification cannot be excluded. Further studies on a larger number of children are needed,” she concluded.

1/10/2007 - A daily probiotic dose of the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri improved symptoms associated with infantile colic, says a new study from Italy.
The researchers, led by Francesco Savino from the University of Turin, randomly assigned 83 infants to either a daily supplement of the probiotic or the pharmaceutical control simethicone, and report that after 28 days the average crying times of the infants in the probiotic group had decreased by about 75 per cent, compared to only 26 per cent for the control group.
“In our cohort, L reuteri improved colicky symptoms in breastfed infants within 1 week, compared with simethicone, which suggests that probiotics may have a role in… infantile colic,” wrote Savino.
According to background information in the article, infantile colic is one of the most common problems during the first three months of an infant's life, and can affect up to 28 per cent of newborns. It consists of a behavioral syndrome characterized by excessive and inconsolable crying with no identifiable cause.
The researchers tested the hypothesis that modulation of the gut microflora via oral administration of probiotics could decrease crying time related to infants with colic.
The 41 infants in the probiotic group received a daily dose of 108 colony-forming units (CFU) of L. reuteri (BioGaia) 30 minutes after feeding, while the control group received a daily dose of 60 mg simethicone after feeding. Mothers were asked to follow a cow's milk-free diet, and avoid milk, cream, butter, yogurt, fresh cheese, and biscuits
After seven days of intervention the average crying times of the infants in the probiotic group had decreased by 21 per cent, from 197 to 159 minutes per day, as reported by the mothers, while crying times for the control group decreased by only 10 per cent, from 197 to 177 minutes per day.
At the end of the full 28 days of intervention, the average crying times of the infants in the probiotic group had decreased by 74 per cent, to 51 minutes per day, while crying times for the control group decreased by only 26 per cent, to 145 minutes per day.
The researchers state that no adverse effects were reported by the mothers.
“The present study demonstrated that supplementation with L. reuteri improved colicky symptoms significantly in breastfed infants, compared with the standard therapy with simethicone, within seven days,” wrote the authors in the journal Pediatrics.
“The response rate for… L. reuteri was 95 per cent, whereas only 7 per cent of infants responded to simethicone,” they said.
The mechanism behind the apparent benefits is not clear, said the authors, but they speculate that the probiotic may contribute to the anti-inflammatory tone of the intestinal environment, which in turn may modify the immune response and the modulating immune responses and movement of the gut.
The study does have several limitations to note, including being an open trial with no blinding, and both interventions had different doses. Also, no true placebo was used – simethicone being chosen since it said to be the most commonly used pharmaceutical for colic.
Also, the infants in this study were all exclusively breastfed and therefore the results cannot be extended to formula-fed infants with colic, said Savino.
“Because this is the first study performed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotic agents for colicky infants, additional research, from clinical observation to microbiologic analysis, is needed to confirm the beneficial effects of L reuteri,” said the researchers.
“Moreover, because specific probiotic strains have specific properties and targets in the human intestinal microbiota, exerting different health effects, additional studies might be performed to examine the role of other probiotic species and to identify the ideal strain for… infantile colic.”
Most foods containing probiotic bacteria are found in the refrigerated section of supermarkets as the bacteria is destroyed by heat and other processing conditions.
This has given the dairy sector, already used to handling live bacteria for the manufacture of yoghurt, a major advantage in probiotic foods - probiotic drinking yoghurts are currently the fastest growing dairy product in Europe.

By Stephen Daniells

9/20/2007 - A newly characterised strain of probiotic bacteria may have potential to kill Listeria monocytogenes, an often-lethal pathogen in pregnant women, Irish researchers report.
The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could see pregnant women and a number of other high-risk groups receiving the probiotic to protect them from potential infection.
Lead author Sinead Corr from University College Cork told NutraIngredients.com: "Our results clearly demonstrate the ability of certain probiotic bacteria to protect against potentially fatal illnesses. More specifically we have shown a role for bacteriocins in protecting against the potentially fatal foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.
"As probiotics mechanisms are specific, thorough understanding of their beneficial effects are required. Understanding these mechanisms will enable their use in prevention and treatment of specific illnesses. This study clearly demonstrates how probiotic bacteria may help to improve the health of consumers."
Probiotic products containing 'friendly' bacteria are now well accepted by consumers in many European countries, with putative benefits highlighted for gut and immune health.
Some of the researchers in this new study previously reported that a mixture of five Lactobacillus probiotic strains may reduce food poisoning by salmonella. In that instance, the benefits for gut health were reported to be due to the probiotic bacteria adhering to the walls of the intestine, which inhibits the ability of the pathogenic Salmonella to stick and colonise the gut, thereby reducing the infection.
The new study offers an alternative method of protection, with a specific strain of Lactobacillus salivarius named UCC118 capable of producing an antibiotic-like compound called a bacteriocin.
When the researchers tested UCC118 in mice infected with two strains of food-borne Listeria monocytogenes, EGDe and LO28, they found that the mice were protected against infection. When the mice were given a mutant form of the probiotic that was unable to produce the Abp118 bacteriocin, no protection against infection was observed.
Also, "Lb. salivarius UCC118 did not offer any protection when mice were infected with a strain of L. monocytogenes expressing the cognate Abp118 immunity protein AbpIM, confirming that the antimicrobial effect is a result of direct antagonism between Lb. salivarius and the pathogen, mediated by the bacteriocin Abp118," reported the researchers.
"The results of the UCC work clearly demonstrate a role for bacteriocins in protecting the host against potentially lethal infections. The study is the first to clearly demonstrate a mechanism by which probiotic bacteria may act to help improve the health of consumers," said a release from the university.
Most foods containing probiotic bacteria are found in the refrigerated section of supermarkets as the bacteria is destroyed by heat and other processing conditions.
This has given the dairy sector, already used to handling live bacteria for the manufacture of yoghurt, a major advantage in probiotic foods - probiotic drinking yoghurts are currently the fastest growing dairy product in Europe.
But increasing research has focused on expanding protecting probiotics during processing and expanding the food categories available to prebiotics. Such an avenue of research has led companies like Cell Biotech from Korea using a dual-coating to protect probiotics against oxygen, acid, moisture and high temperatures for use in emerging new product categories such as breakfast cereals and smoothies.
Other approaches are also being explored, with scientists looking at improving probiotic viability by using whey protein gel particles, or prebiotic fibres.

By Stephen Daniells

7/16/2007 - High levels of vitamin B6 prior to falling pregnant may boost conception rates and reduce the odds of losing the baby during early pregnancy, suggests new research.
If the results, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, are repeated in more studies in other populations around the world, it may see vitamin B6 force an extension of the current "Big 3" of pregnancy nutrition: folic acid, calcium with vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids.
"We found that poor preconception vitamin B6 status was associated with increased risk of early pregnancy loss and reduced probabilities of conception and clinical pregnancy in a prospective cohort of young Chinese women," wrote lead author Alayne Ronnenberg from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
"This study underscores the potential importance of micronutrient status at the time of conception on pregnancy outcome."
The researchers, from U of M Amherst, University of Illinois, Harvard Medical School, Anhui Medical University (China), Northwestern University, and Children's Memorial Hospital and Children's Memorial Research Center, looked at the B vitamin status (folate, B6 and B12) of 364 women (average age 24.9, average BMI 19.8 kg per sq. m) working in the textile industry in Anqing, China.
The women were included if they conceived at least once during prospective observation (1996-1998) and provided daily urine samples over a 12-month period. The urine was tested for human chorionic gonadatropin (hCG) to detect conception and early pregnancy loss.
Ronnenberg and co-workers report that women with vitamin B6 levels above 38.3 nanomoles per litre increased the odds of conception by 120 per cent, and halved the odds for early pregnancy loss if levels were above 46.4 nanomoles per litre.
They also report that sufficient levels of B6, defined as levels above 30 nanomoles per litre, improved the odds of conception by 40 per cent and lowered the odds for early pregnancy loss by 30 per cent, compared to women with B6 deficiency.
No relationship was observed between normal vitamin B12 or folate status and conception or loss odds.
"The physiology underlying the relation between low vitamin B6 status and early pregnancy loss is unknown, although several biologically plausible mechanisms are possible," wrote Ronnenberg.
"Vitamin B6-dependent coenzymes participate in over 100 reactions involved in the metabolism of amino acids, lipids, nucleic acids, and glycogen. Vitamin B6 deficiency has also been associated with impairment of enzymes involved in the structural integrity of arterial walls, which could affect implantation and early placental development."
The results should be treated with caution, and further research is needed to support the observations and test if similar results are obtained in other populations.
"Taken in their entirety [with other studies], these observations suggest that maternal vitamin B6 status may influence reproductive events throughout the entire course of pregnancy, from the time of conception through delivery," wrote the researchers.

8/10/2007 - Probiotics, friendly bacteria with known benefits for intestinal health, may boost the number of bowel movements and relieve constipation, suggests a new pilot study from the Netherlands.
Writing in the Nutrition Journal, researchers from the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam report state that previous studies with single strains showed conflicting results, and that a mixture of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria strains may hold the key.
"Given their safety profile, probiotics could be an attractive compound to manipulate gastrointestinal motility in constipated children," wrote lead author Noor Bekkali.
"Based on the results of our pilot study we hypothesise that a mixture of bifidobacteria and lactobacilli producing lactic, acetic and other acids resulting in a lowering of pH in the colon are effective in enhancing motility of the colon, subsequently leading to a decrease in colonic transit time," he added.
The global retail market for probiotic dietary supplements was valued by Euromonitor International at just over US$1bn in 2005, and was seen to have experienced 46.9 per cent growth between 2002 and 2005. Growth of 32.6 per cent is predicted through 2010.
Earlier this week, Chr. Hansen announced that a range of probiotic supplements would be marketed to children in Italy. The group said that probiotics for children is a largely untapped market in Europe and could be another outlet for the use of the bacteria in human health.
The new pilot study investigated the potential of a probiotic mixture to alleviate the symptoms associated with childhood constipation, a condition that can affect up to 30 per cent of children in the Western world, said the researchers.
Twenty constipated children (50 per cent male, average age 8) were recruited for the study and assigned to receive a daily probiotic supplement (Ecologic Relief, Winclove Bio Industries BV, The Netherlands) containing a mixture of Bifidobacteria bifidum, B. infantis, B. longum, Lactobacilli casei, L. plantarum and L. rhamnosus.
The prebiotic mix, containing four billion colony forming units, was consumed by the children for four weeks. Prior to the start of the study the subjects were given an rectal enema to promote rectal disimpaction.
Bekkali and co-workers reported that the frequency of bowel movements doubled over the weeks following the start of probiotic supplementation, increasing from two per week to 4.2 after two weeks, to 3.8 after four weeks.
Moreover, a decrease in abdominal pain reported by the children was recorded, going from 45 per cent at the start of the study to only 20 per cent after four weeks of supplementation.
"This non randomised non placebo controlled pilot study evaluating the effect of a mixture of probiotics, showed beneficial effects on symptoms of constipation and a decrease of abdominal pain," stated the researchers.
"Therefore a randomised placebo controlled trial is now required to confirm these data," they concluded.
Probiotics are being intensively studied for potential benefits relating to gut health. A recent study by researchers from Imperial College, London, reported a 22 per cent drop in the number of cases of diarrhoea if probiotic drinks were consumed by hospital-bound elderly patients receiving antibiotics (British Medical Journal, doi:10.1136/bmj.39231.599815.55).

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