Leading to nearly one-half million deaths worldwide in 2019, asthma is a major non-communicable disease in all age groups. It is the most common chronic disease among children. Many factors have been linked to an increased risk of children developing asthma, although it is often difficult to find a single,...
One lone sperm is needed to reach a woman’s ova (egg) to set the stage for human reproduction. Even though healthy male ejaculate (about 2-4 mL) contains as many as 800 million sperm, many men struggle with infertility. Fewer than 15 million sperm per mL of semen is considered a...
The world's population is aging rapidly, bringing extreme burdens to public healthcare systems. Frailty and premature death affect many elderly people, but not all. People age differently. FYI: Frailty has been defined as “a state of increased vulnerability to poor resolution of homeostasis after a stressor event, which increases the...
Thinning scalp hair shouldn’t be a big deal, given that its primary job—to protect against cold and sun—is easily satisfied with a hat or sunscreen. But a thick shiny head of hair also signals health and fertility in the mammalian kingdom, a role that is upended by age and disease...
In acute kidney injury (AKI), the kidneys suddenly fail and are no longer able to sustain their vital functions. This is a serious life-threatening emergency, but is generally considered treatable and reversible, often without long-term consequences in individuals with no other comorbidities. AKI typically occurs in patients living with...
Kidney stones —formed from minerals and salts—can be painful and costly to treat. Despite decades of research, treatment options are often invasive and evidence reveals a high rate of reoccurrence. Recently, the intestinal microbiome has become a focus for novel therapies using probiotics to lessen kidney stone formation. Kidney stones,...
One of the most common endocrine disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects about 5% to 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide. Associated with multiple chronic diseases as well as infertility and pregnancy complications, PCOS is in need of better understanding and therapies. To that end, a relationship between PCOS...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating condition characterized by recurring, unwanted thoughts and ideas (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions). Treatment strategies often fall short. A new direction has emerged in that expanding evidence suggests brain development and function is linked to the gut microbiome. Along with conveying potential biomarkers, the gut...
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] By Clare Fleishman, MS, RD, for the International Probiotics Association As the world awaits a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the question arises: Will it be equally effective for everyone? If other vaccines are predictive, the answer is an unequivocal “no.” Public health researchers know that individual immune response to...
By Clare Fleishman, MS, RD, for the International Probiotics Association “The hope is that restoration of the gut microbiome in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may alter the clinical progression of PD and this alteration can be accomplished by carefully designed studies using customized probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation.” —Parkinson's...
