healthbriefs Why People Need Germs
Parents should ease up on antibacterial soaps and wipes and perhaps allow their little ones a romp or two in the mud—or at least more of an acquaintance with everyday germs, suggests a Northwestern University long-term study. Exposure to germs in childhood, the
researchers observe, helps develop the immune system and may help prevent cardiovascular and other diseases in adulthood. Such early exposure, they note, promotes the body’s own ability to regulate inflammation, a root cause
associated with many diseases. “Now, for the first time in the history of our species, our bodies are being
deprived of exposure to those everyday germs because we live in such a sanitary environment,” explains lead author Thomas McDade, of Northwestern. “Think about the immune system as [one] that needs information from the environment to guide its development and function; if you live in a rich microbial environment, you get exposed to lots of germs, and that helps your immune system develop.”
An Apple A Day T
TIDIER HOUSE, FITTER BODY
University suggests that how tidy we keep our home can also indicate how fit we are. That con- clusion was based on an examination of the domestic habits of 998 urban African- Americans, ages 49 to 65, that found a correlation between the interior condi- tion, or cleanliness, of a participant’s residence and their level of physical activity. Remarks researcher NiCole Keith, “If you spend your day dusting, cleaning, doing laundry, you’re active.”
A
new study at Indiana
here’s truth in the adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Research published in the open access journal BMC Microbiol-
ogy contributes to our understanding of why apples are good for us.
Microbiologists from the National Food Institute
at the Technical University of Denmark fed rats a diet rich in whole apples or apple juice, purée or pomace. Another group of lab animals was put on a control diet. The researchers then analyzed the animals’ digestive systems to see if eating apples had any impact on the amount of friendly bacteria in their gut. “We found that rats eating a diet high in pectin, a component of dietary fiber in apples, had increased amounts of cer- tain bacteria that may improve intestinal health,” says co-researcher Andrea Wilcks. “It seems that when apples are eaten regu- larly and over a prolonged period of time, these bacteria help produce short-chain fatty acids that provide ideal pH conditions for ensuring a beneficial balance of micro- organisms. They also produce a chemical called butyrate, which is an important fuel for the cells of the intestinal wall.” Ultimate- ly, a healthy digestive tract translates into a stronger immune system.
Source: BioMed Central, 2010 14
Chicago North & North Shore
www.NAChicagoNorth.com
PESTICIDES CAN CONTRIBUTE
TO ADHD A team of scientists from the University of Montreal and Harvard University have discovered that exposure to organophosphate pesti- cides may be associated with increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Exposure to organophosphates, they report, might affect neural systems in ways that con- tribute to ADHD behaviors such as inattention, hyperac- tivity and impulsiveness.
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