GET YOUR FLAT BELLY GENES ON!

No, this is not the name of the newest pair of hot designer jeans promising to squeeze you into a waist size 26 or 30.

Who doesn't dream of having a sexy flat belly?  Whether it's doing 300 crunches a day, filling up on weight loss potions or even going under the knife... But did you ever consider ingesting "belly-fat scavenging bacteria?"  Yes, this is the newest trend!

A study from Japan, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (June, 2010), shows that Lactobacillus, the same type of live bacteria used to make yogurt - and part of the normal human gut flora - has been found to contain genes that are beneficial in the regulation of abdominal fat in individuals with a tendency to put on weight.

In the study scientists evaluated the effects of a probiotic strain of Lactobacillus on abdominal fat, body weight and other body measures in adults with weight problems over a period of 12 weeks.  The subjects significantly decreased belly fat by an average of 4.6%.  Body weight and other measures also decreased significantly, suggesting the bacteria's beneficial influence on weight loss. 

Studies show that the gut microbiota in obese humans differ from those in lean individuals, with those who are overweight having a much lower count of species from the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera. The genes present in these microbes are crucial for body weight regulation and may well be a factor in the obesity epidemic.

Dietary and environmental factors in Western nations show that microbial ecology may function as a predisposing genetic factor for obesity.  Differences in a recipient's body fat is dependent on the species of the colonizing flora and it is the diversity in the microbiota that may contribute to subsequent fat storage.

The intriguing question, then, is do we consider addressing the gut microbiota to treat weight problems, as opposed to a drug-based or calorie counting approach?

Nutribiotica's state of the art testing system can identify the types of bacteria and viruses inhabiting an individual's body and, thanks to this information, we are able to design a specific diet aimed at the growth of beneficial organisms for the human body. These organisms can help the individual to lose weight and starve the pathogens that cause weight gain and disease.

Start the day by eating yogurt, one of the best natural sources of Lactobacillus.  And consider getting tested to find out if a bacterial imbalance or virus may be lurking among your cells, preventing your genes from getting into those hot and sexy designer jeans.

I look forward to your questions and comments.

Salud!

Ana

U.S. Apologizes for 'Reprehensible' 1940s Syphilis Study in Guatemala

FROM PBS.ORG

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/10/us-apologizes-for-60-year-old-unethical-syphilis-study-in-guatemala.html

HEALTH -- October 1, 2010 at 6:12 PM EDT

U.S. Apologizes for 'Reprehensible' 1940s Syphilis Study in Guatemala

By: Lea Winerman

U.S. officials apologized Friday for unethical medical experiments conducted in Guatemala more than 60 years ago, in which prison inmates were deliberately infected with syphilis.
The experiments were conducted between 1946 and 1948 by Dr. John C. Cutler, a U.S. public health service doctor who was also involved in the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study in the United States.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius issued a joint statement apologizing for the experiments:

"The sexually transmitted disease inoculation study conducted from 1946-1948 in Guatemala was clearly unethical. Although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health. We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices."

The history of the Guatemala study was uncovered by Wellesley College professor Susan Reverby, a medical historian who has written two books about the Tuskegee case, in which black men with syphilis were observed -- but not treated -- by U.S. government researchers for nearly 40 years. Reverby was reading Cutler's papers in an archive at the University of Pittsburgh, looking for references to the Tuskegee study, when she came across descriptions of the experiments in Guatemala.
"So I started to read it, and I said, 'Oh my god,'" Reverby says.
In the study, the researchers were investigating whether penicillin -- which was already being used to treat syphilis -- could prevent the disease if it was administered right after someone was exposed to the bacteria.
The researchers exposed hundreds of people in Guatemala to the disease. Many were men who were prison inmates, others were residents of an army barracks and mental hospital. None of the subjects were asked for their consent. The researchers used visits with prostitutes who were infected with syphilis to expose the men to the disease (such visits were legal in Guatemala at the time). They also, Reverby writes, "used direct inoculations made from syphilis bacteria poured into the men's penises and on forearms and faces that were slightly abraded when the 'normal exposure' produced little disease."
They did treat the people with penicillin afterwards, but, Reverby writes, it's not clear whether everyone was cured, or even whether they received what would have been considered adequate treatment.
The Guatemala experiment differed from the Tuskegee case, Reverby says, because people were actually exposed to the disease and then treated, instead of being denied access to treatment for a disease that they already had, as happened in the Tuskegee case.
Even within the context of the much more lax research ethics standards of the time, Reverby says, the research "fell off the edge" of what was acceptable.
"Even within the context of history, this was something they shouldn't have been doing -- and they knew that," Reverby said. In fact, she cites a letter in which Surgeon General Thomas Parran said "You know, we couldn't do such an experiment in this country."
Reverby presented her findings at a medical history association meeting in May, and also wrote them up for publication -- they'll be published in January in the Journal of Policy History, but a pre-publication version of the four-page paper is available on Reverby's website.
The government got involved in the spring, when Reverby showed the paper to David Sencer, a retired director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention whom she knew from her research on the Tuskegee experiment's history. Sencer passed it on to current CDC officials, and the agency sent a syphilis specialist to examine the papers in the University of Pittsburgh archive. That specialist confirmed the accuracy of Reverby's report.
Now, the government, in addition to issuing its apology, will also convene a panel of independent experts through the National Academies of Sciences Institute of Medicine to conduct a fact-finding probe of the events in Guatemala.
And Sofia Porres, of the Guatemalan Embassy, told the Washington Post that the Guatemalan government would also investigate. "We of course are very upset about this, and we think it's a very unfortunate event," she said. "We're going to do an investigation as well to see if there are any survivors, family, etc."

You're More Bacteria Than You're Human!

Did you know that the human body is made up of 100 trillion cells? Surprisingly, 90 per cent of these are actually bacterial cells, not human!

Yes, when it comes down to the cellular level you're just a bunch of microbes piled up together looking pretty.

All joking aside, the great news about this data is that we're finally discovering new ways to treat chronic illnesses successfully, rather than the many hit-or-miss treatments that have come and gone over the past 100 years. Thus, a new paradigm is emerging in the medical and nutrition fields.

Most of the bacteria in the body live in the gastrointestinal tract - especially in your gut - and are healthy, helpful organisms that live a symbiotic relationship with you, the host. These microorganisms make up 90 percent of your genes and DNA - outnumbering your own DNA by a huge number - and they are responsible for regulating digestion and intestinal function, protecting against infections, stabilizing immune function, controlling obesity, and even producing essential nutrients such as vitamins and essential fatty acids while also assisting in the absorption of minerals.

Western medicine trained doctors identify diseases by the location and severity of the symptoms. Obesity is related to a metabolic problem; acne to a problem with the skin; ADD is a psychological problem; allergies are a problem of the immune system; and diabetes a failing pancreas. This is all accurate. However, it doesn't tell us the origin of the problem and the imbalance usually remains, just patched up temporarily with medication, while eventually other symptoms will emerge.

The new paradigm within the most forward thinking members of the medical community agrees with what I have been saying for years. First we find the root of the health imbalance and we treat it with healthy food, nutrition, sun and water, thus addressing the cause instead of the symptom.

The past year has been extremely busy and rewarding. As more research comes to light, I am excited to bring more answers to you. The result of all the hard work is finally here.

The Salud Life Wellness Institute is launching Nutrtibiotica, a groundbreaking nutrition system based on an individual's unique composition of genes, microbiota and antibodies present in the body.

Nutribiotica provides diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities based upon personalized nutrition, where diet is matched to an individual's microbiome.

Blood and stool tests can tell us the composition of your body's ecosystem and give us answers to why you have developed these symptoms and then target them with a personalized diet and supplements. The results are astonishing!

The cause of many symptoms such as allergies, acne, autoimmune diseases, weight gain, migraine headaches, arthritis, depression, OCD, ADD, digestive problems; and sugar, food and alcohol addiction, can be traced back to an imbalance of the microbial community you harbor in your gut.

The number one approach and priority to treat these conditions is normalizing gut function and digestion and boosting the immune system. If you suffer from any of these ailments you most likely have allergies to foods and exposure to environmental factors you're not aware of.

Yes, it takes time. There is no miracle cure. But the guarantees of getting your health back are closer than you think, lurking deep within your gut!

Salud!

Ana

ANA LUQUE COOKING PAELLA