Discover the health secret you've been waiting for You've heard how beneficial probiotics are for gut health; new research reveals that they can do much more! Probiotics can also improve a host of other conditions, from allergies to arthritis, depression to obesity -- they have even been shown to inhibit cancer and antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Now Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook shares this groundbreaking research, demonstrating the link between gastrointestinal health and overall well-being. She offers concrete ways for you to use this extraordinary information, explaining how to use probiotics to address a range of medical issues. In this cutting-edge prescription for overall wellness, you'll discover: specific strains of probiotics and the more than 50 conditions they can help the benefits of incorporating probiotics into your day-to-day life how to select the best supplement for your health concerns tips for adding more probiotic-rich foods to your diet more than 30 delicious and nutritious probiotic-rich recipes

Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics: Bioactive Foods in Health Promotion reviews and presents new hypotheses and conclusions on the effects of different bioactive components of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics to prevent disease and improve the health of various populations. Experts define and support the actions of bacteria; bacteria modified bioflavonoids and prebiotic fibrous materials and vegetable compounds. A major emphasis is placed on the health-promoting activities and bioactive components of probiotic bacteria. - Offers a novel focus on synbiotics, carefully designed prebiotics probiotics combinations to help design functional food and nutraceutical products - Discusses how prebiotics and probiotics are complementary and can be incorporated into food products and used as alternative medicines - Defines the variety of applications of probiotics in health and disease resistance and provides key insights into how gut flora are modified by specific food materials - Includes valuable information on how prebiotics are important sources of micro-and macronutrients that modify body functions

If the thought of bacteria conjures images of germs that should be avoided at all costs—and certainly not ingested—think again! Some friendly bacteria, called probiotics, are not only beneficial to your health, they’re essential. Now an internationally recognized scientist at a top U.S. medical school—one of the leading researchers in the field—sheds light on the extraordinary benefits of these natural health superstars. Thanks to an explosion of research in recent years, one thing is clear: probiotics, the healthy bacteria that inhabit the digestive tract, are the body’s silent partners for good health, optimizing the power of the immune system to fight disease and the “bad” germs we fear. But how do they work? And in the face of factors like stress and poor diet, which decrease their numbers, how do you keep your supply well stocked? Here is an up-to-the-minute, highly accessible guide to probiotics and the foods and supplements that contain and support them—many of which may be in your diet already. Discover: The key role of probiotics and prebiotics in restoring healthy balance to our bodies, improving immune system functioning, and curbing inflammation How to use probiotic foods and supplements to prevent and relieve allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, yeast infections, and the negative side effects of antibiotic use New evidence that probiotics may help fight asthma, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer, autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia—and even obesity Natural sources of prebiotics, the nutrients that help make the digestive tract more hospitable for probiotic bacteria The Probiotics Revolution also includes a step-by-step plan for incorporating the many food sources of probiotics and prebiotics into your diet, a complete buyer’s guide to probiotic supplements, and how to introduce probiotics to your family and children.

Assesses a promising new approach to restoring the health of our bodies and our planet Most of us are familiar with probiotics added to milk or yogurt to improve gastrointestinal health. In fact, the term refers to any intervention in which life is used to manage life—from the microscopic, like consuming fermented food to improve gut health, to macro approaches such as biological pest control and natural flood management. In this ambitious and original work, Jamie Lorimer offers a sweeping overview of diverse probiotic approaches and an insightful critique of their promise and limitations. During our current epoch—the Anthropocene—human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment, leading to the loss of ecological abundance, diversity, and functionality. Lorimer describes cases in which scientists and managers are working with biological processes to improve human, environmental, and even planetary health, pursuing strategies that stand in contrast to the “antibiotic approach”: Big Pharma, extreme hygiene, and industrial agriculture. The Probiotic Planet focuses on two forms of “rewilding” occurring on vastly different scales. The first is the use of keystone species like wolves and beavers as part of landscape restoration. The second is the introduction of hookworms into human hosts to treat autoimmune disorders. In both cases, the goal is to improve environmental health, whether the environment being managed is planetary or human. Lorimer argues that, all too often, such interventions are viewed in isolation, and he calls for a rethinking of artificial barriers between science and policy. He also describes the stark and unequal geographies of the use of probiotic approaches and examines why these patterns exist. The author’s preface provides a thoughtful discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic as it relates to the probiotic approach. Informed by deep engagement with microbiology, immunology, ecology, and conservation biology as well as food, agriculture, and waste management, The Probiotic Planet offers nothing less than a new paradigm for collaboration between the policy realm and the natural sciences.

If the thought of bacteria conjures images of germs that should be avoided at all costs—and certainly not ingested—think again! Some friendly bacteria, called probiotics, are not only beneficial to your health, they’re essential. Now an internationally recognized scientist at a top U.S. medical school—one of the leading researchers in the field—sheds light on the extraordinary benefits of these natural health superstars. Thanks to an explosion of research in recent years, one thing is clear: probiotics, the healthy bacteria that inhabit the digestive tract, are the body’s silent partners for good health, optimizing the power of the immune system to fight disease and the “bad” germs we fear. But how do they work? And in the face of factors like stress and poor diet, which decrease their numbers, how do you keep your supply well stocked? Here is an up-to-the-minute, highly accessible guide to probiotics and the foods and supplements that contain and support them—many of which may be in your diet already. Discover: The key role of probiotics and prebiotics in restoring healthy balance to our bodies, improving immune system functioning, and curbing inflammation How to use probiotic foods and supplements to prevent and relieve allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, yeast infections, and the negative side effects of antibiotic use New evidence that probiotics may help fight asthma, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer, autoimmune diseases, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia—and even obesity Natural sources of prebiotics, the nutrients that help make the digestive tract more hospitable for probiotic bacteria The Probiotics Revolution also includes a step-by-step plan for incorporating the many food sources of probiotics and prebiotics into your diet, a complete buyer’s guide to probiotic supplements, and how to introduce probiotics to your family and children.

This book offers a new plan for health that focuses on how to nourish your microbiota, including recipes and a menu plan. The authors show how we can strengthen the community that inhabits our gut and thereby improve our own health. They look at safe alternatives to antibiotics; dietary and lifestyle choices to encourage microbial health; the management of the aging microb? and the nourishment of your own individual microbiome.

The Food Forum convened a public workshop on February 22-23, 2012, to explore current and emerging knowledge of the human microbiome, its role in human health, its interaction with the diet, and the translation of new research findings into tools and products that improve the nutritional quality of the food supply. The Human Microbiome, Diet, and Health: Workshop Summary summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during the workshop. Over the two day workshop, several themes covered included: The microbiome is integral to human physiology, health, and disease. The microbiome is arguably the most intimate connection that humans have with their external environment, mostly through diet. Given the emerging nature of research on the microbiome, some important methodology issues might still have to be resolved with respect to undersampling and a lack of causal and mechanistic studies. Dietary interventions intended to have an impact on host biology via their impact on the microbiome are being developed, and the market for these products is seeing tremendous success. However, the current regulatory framework poses challenges to industry interest and investment.