Archive for June, 2009

Boost Your Immunity With Prebiotic Supplement!

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

How can the over 50s  improve their gut health and regain a more youthful immune system?
A prebiotic supplement is recommended for the over 50s. Prebiotics enhance the levels of bifidobacteria in the colon and have a beneficial impact on gut flora. They can counteract the decline in elderly people’s health by helping to boost the immune system and reduce the risk of gastrointestinal disorders, and infections such as colds and flu.

What role do prebiotics play?
Prebiotic supplements have been scientifically formulated to target beneficial gut bacteria, enabling the digestive system to maintain healthy levels of gut flora.

Prebiotics are non-digestible foods that make their way through our digestive system and help good bacteria grow and flourish. Prebiotics “feed” the existing beneficial bacteria and keep them healthy, so the balance within the gut is maintained. Prebiotics are not destroyed, digested or absorbed in the upper GI tract and therefore reach the gut where our good bacteria reside and so can contribute fully in promoting their effectiveness.

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Gut health in the over 50s!

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

Why is a healthy gut important?
A healthy gut is essential as it absorbs essential nutrients and helps keep the body nourished. It plays an important role in general health and well-being and supports the immune system to help fight illness and infection.

How is gut health affected by age?
A healthy gut contains trillions of bacteria – with a positive balance between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria.
Levels of gut flora, in particular beneficial bifidobacteria naturally decline as we age, making us much more vulnerable to digestive disorders and infection as the balance between good and bad bacteria is disrupted.

In addition to this, the digestive system is often subjected to foods, stresses and other obstacles that aren’t good for the body’s overall health. The following can also have a negative effect on gut health and the body’s immune defences:
stress
poor diet
travelling

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Find Out The Causes of IBS!

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

What causes IBS?
The cause is not clear. It is thought that it may be linked to overactivity of part of the gut. The area of overactivity in the gut may determine whether constipation or diarrhoea develops. Again, the cause of overactivity in parts of the gut is not clear. One or more of the following may play a part:

Overactivity of the nerves or muscles of the gut. It is not known why this may occur. It may be linked to overactivity of messages sent from the brain to the gut. Stress or emotional upset may play a role. About half of people with IBS can relate the start of symptoms to a stressful event in their life. Symptoms tend to become worse during times of stress or anxiety.

Infection and bacteria in the gut. IBS is not caused by an ongoing gut infection. However, in about 1 in 6 cases, the onset of symptoms seems to follow a bout of gastroenteritis (a gut infection which can cause diarrhoea and vomiting).

Intolerance to certain foods may play a part in some cases. However, this is thought to be only in a small number of cases.

How can IBS be managed?
Recent research has shown that a prebiotic supplement (galactooligosaccharide) is proven to improve the symptoms of IBS.  This supplement is not destroyed, digested or absorbed in the stomach or small intestine and therefore reaches the colon intact to selectively target and feed the body’s immunity boosting bifidobacteria while reducing harmful bacteria, all of which helps to reduce the symptoms of IBS.

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – Know More About It!

Tuesday, June 30th, 2009

What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gut disorder, although the cause is still not known.  When X-rays, blood tests, endoscopies and other diagnostic tests are carried out, the results do not reveal any obvious abnormality. For that reason IBS is often called ‘a functional disorder’ of the bowel; in other words, an illness associated with a disturbance of bowel function without any change in structure or obvious cause.

What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome may include:
Abdominal pain and spasms, often relieved by going to the toilet
Diarrhoea, constipation or an alternation between the two
Bloating or swelling of the abdomen
Rumbling noises and excessive passage of wind
Urgency (an urgent need to visit the toilet) / Incontinence (If a toilet is not nearby)
Sharp pain felt low down inside the rectum
Sensation of incomplete bowel movement

Who gets IBS?
At any one time between 10% and 20% of people living in western countries fulfil the diagnostic criteria for IBS. IBS is more frequently diagnosed in women compared with men (twice as many), in young compared with old and in western countries compared with the developing world. It is commonly associated with emotional tension, is frequently triggered by life changes, difficult life situations or stressful life events.

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