Digestion News and Research

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Digestion is the mechanical and chemical breaking down of food into smaller components, to a form that can be absorbed, for instance, into a blood stream. Digestion is a form of catabolism; a break-down of macro food molecules to smaller ones.

Proteins play vital role in transferring human genetic code from one cell to another

A Florida State University College of Medicine researcher has solved a century-old mystery about proteins that play a vital role in the transfer of the human genetic code from one cell to another. The discovery could lead to finding new ways to help the body fight a variety of diseases, including cancer.

8 Oct 2009

Research confirms that probiotic bacteria promotes health and boosts immune system

Functional food is the food industry's fastest-growing product group, its leading products including dairy products which contain probiotics, that is, bacteria promoting health. Valio's Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG®) is the most frequently studied and used probiotic.

5 Oct 2009

Global retail market for probiotic foods and beverages shows 13 percent increase over 2007

Once relegated primarily to the domain of yogurt and high-fiber fare, the market for food and beverage products fortified with probiotics and prebiotics has taken off as digestive health emerged as one of the hottest topics in the food and beverage arena.

5 Oct 2009

Advaxis' patent approval enables the development of new vaccines with additional properties

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted and issued Advaxis, Inc. (OTCBB: ADXS), the live, attenuated Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) vaccine company, patent 7,588,930 “Compositions and Methods for Enhancing Immunogenicity of Antigens.” This patent expands the Company’s intellectual property portfolio to cover another family of adjuvant proteins based upon the Lm protein Act-A.

22 Sep 2009

Patients with celiac disease face increased risk of mortality

New research indicates that patients with lesser degrees of celiac disease-related symptoms, such as intestinal inflammation or latent celiac disease, have a modestly increased risk of death, according to a study in the September 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Sep 2009

Research reveals that dramatic maternal weight loss prevents obesity in their children

Adolescent and young children of obese mothers who underwent weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy have been found to have a lower prevalence of obesity and significantly improved cardio-metabolic markers when compared to siblings born before the same obese mothers had weight-loss surgery. This new study has been accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

2 Sep 2009

Weight-loss surgery prior to pregnancy results in lower prevalence of obesity in children

1 Sep 2009

Alcohol consumption disrupts circadian rhythm in humans

Chronic alcohol consumption blunts the biological clock's ability to synchronize daily activities to light, disrupts natural activity patterns and continues to affect the body's clock (circadian rhythm), even days after the drinking ends, according to a new study with hamsters.

1 Sep 2009

Mid-career scientists receive the 2009 Julie Martin Mid-Career Awards in Aging Research

Charleen T. Chu, MD, PhD, associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh and David M. Sabatini, MD, PhD, associate professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, received the 2009 Julie Martin Mid-Career Awards in Aging Research. Sponsored by The Ellison Medical Foundation, the grants provide funding of $550,000 to mid-career scientists whose research has great potential in advancing understanding of basic aging and its impact on age-related diseases.

26 Aug 2009

Duke University Medical Center highlights importance of the appendix in human body

The lowly appendix, long-regarded as a useless evolutionary artifact, won newfound respect two years ago when researchers at Duke University Medical Center proposed that it actually serves a critical function. The appendix, they said, is a safe haven where good bacteria could hang out until they were needed to repopulate the gut after a nasty case of diarrhea, for example.

21 Aug 2009

Mal-illumination - the silent epidemic

Most of human history has witnessed people living and working outdoors during the light of day, absorbing "life-charging" full-spectrum solar energy from the sky. An average of 10 hours daily in the sunlight, 70 hours weekly, was common for eons.

10 Aug 2009

New method selectively kills metastatic melanoma

An international team of researchers has identified a new method for selectively killing metastatic melanoma cells, which may lead to new areas for drug development in melanoma – a cancer that is highly resistant to current treatment strategies.

4 Aug 2009

Selective method kills metastatic melanoma cells

An international team of researchers has identified a new method for selectively killing metastatic melanoma cells, which may lead to new areas for drug development in melanoma - a cancer that is highly resistant to current treatment strategies.

3 Aug 2009

Antibiotics diminish diversity of helpful gutmicrobes

It's common knowledge that a protective navy of bacteria normally floats in our intestinal tracts. Antibiotics at least temporarily disturb the normal balance. But it's unclear which antibiotics are the most disruptive, and if the full array of "good bacteria" return promptly or remain altered for some time.

18 Jun 2009