Category Archives: Medical

Say Cheese!

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How It’s Made

Cheese is made by heating whole milk for about an hour. It is then ripened by adding bacteria and rennet or a microbial enzyme, and kept warm while the milk sugars are converted into lactic acid. This releases the whey from the milk. It will begin to look like yogurt, which is really a thin form of fresh cheese.

Once the cheese has cooked, it is strained to separate out the whey, and the curds are pressed or milled. Salt is often added at this stage or the cheese may be soaked in brine. The cheese is then ripened which can take it from a soft creamy fresh cheese to a dried, aged one. Cheeses can be allowed to grow mould or may be wrapped in grape leaves. Some develop rinds, others are soaked in wine.

How the cheese is cooked, separated from the whey, and handled, affects the flavour and texture of the cheese. Mozarella for example, is cooked twice, then stretched.

Health Benefits

Finnish scientists have shown a link between cheese and a healthy immune system among the elderly because it acts as a carrier for probiotic bacteria.

The study recommends daily doses of probiotic cheese to help fight age-based deterioration of the immune system (immunosenescene) which can lead to the body being unable to resist disease and infection.

Since most bacteria enter the body through the mouth and 70% of immunoglobulin are created in the gastrointestinal tract , the team considered the possibility that one could fight immunosenescene through food.

They asked volunteers from a senior’s care residence to eat a slice of either placebo or probiotic Gouda cheese with their breakfast for four weeks. For those taking the Gouda, blood tests showed enhanced natural and acquired immunity through the activation of NK blood cells and an increase in phagocytic activity.

Fats and Asthma

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Heavy, high-fat meals appear to inflame airways within a few hours and inhibit the response to Ventolin (albuterol), an asthma relief medication.  Since asthma is on the rise in westernized countries, some already believe it may be responsive to environmental factors such as diet. This means that for some sufferers at least, there may be some relief in changing lifestyles.  Our western diet tends to be higher in fats than other cultural culinary traditions.

High dietary fat intake is believed to activate the immune response, which can mean greater susceptibility to inflammation.  To test whether this affected the airways, researchers recruited 40 asthmatics and randomly served them either a high-fat, high-calorie meal of fast food burgers and hash browns,  or a low-fat, low-calorie meal of reduced fat yogurt. Sputum samples were collected before the meal and 4 hours later.

Those who had ate the burgers suffered inflammation of the airways.  The TLR4 cell surface receptors in their airways were activated by the nutritional fatty acids. They responded to the saturated fatty acids as if they were being attacked by a pathogen and released inflammatory mediators.  Further, when given medication, they were less responsive to its effects.

For more information visit the Thoracic Organization

DanActive Yoghurt

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Three cheers for probiotics! And an extra one for the probiotic yogurt-like drink DanActive, a drink I happen to love very much!

Seems that DanActive or a substitute, was given to 638 children, aged 3 to 6,  all in daycare 5 days a week.  The DanActive kids showed reduced rates of common illnesses such as ear infections, sinusitis, the flu and diarrhea. Yes the study was funded by The Dannon Company, Inc., and yes, probiotics are faddishly popular, turning up in ice cream as well as other common foods. Nevertheless, the results are positive.

Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) DN-114 001 is the probiotic in DanActive.

  • Parents kept daily diaries of their child’s health and the number of drinks consumed.
  • Researchers found a 19% decrease in common infections among the DanActive kids who also had
    • 24 % fewer gastrointestinal infections (such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting),
    • 18% fewer upper respiratory tract infections (such as ear infections, sinusitis and strep).
  • There was no change in the number of days kids missed from school so one presumes the infections were mild?

Weight Watchers and Diabetes

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57 million Americans live with “pre-diabetes” and 23 million have type 2 diabetes. Two indicators of the disease are high fasting glucose and insulin levels.

Weight loss programs can help because there is a strong correlation between diabetes-2 and obesity. A new study shows that following Weight Watchers for only 6 months  helped overweight adults lose weight and reduce both fasting glucose and insulin levels.

The study worked with 61 overweight people who were taught the benefits of a low-calorie diet, exercise and weekly support meetings.  Those who attended 20 or more sessions out of a possible 24, lost on average, 14 pounds and significantly lowered glucose and insulin levels.

The total cost of treating diabetes in the USA alone is over $200 billions. But the most effective form of medical intervention is change your lifestyle.  According to the Diabetes Prevention Program Trial (DPP), changing your lifestyle can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by over 50%.

For many people, the only way to get into gear with a healthier lifestyle is to join an organization that supports them in the quest for greater wellness.

According to the American Diabetes Association, “structured programs emphasizing lifestyle changes including moderate weight loss (7% body weight) and regular physical activity (150 min/week), with dietary strategies including reduced calories and reduced intake of dietary fat, can reduce the risk for developing diabetes.”

Acid Reflux

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Acid reflux (GERD) is painful and it affects up to 15% of all people.

Acid backs up into the esophagus to leave a burning sensation in the throat. For those who suffer from the disease, you may be heartened to hear that a recent study suggests that the problem has a specific cause and there may be medical relief on the way.

What’s the Problem?

For people with GERD, the circular valve-like muscle  (lower-esophageal sphincter) that should prevent what’s in your stomach from backing up into the esophagus, doesn’t close properly.  The sphincter may even open spontaneously. Either way, gastric acid leaks into the esophagus, causing inflammation and acid indigestion, or “heartburn.” In time, it can lead to tissue damage or even cancer.

Many people treat GERD with antacids which simply control the acids in the stomach. Knowing exactly where the problem lies, researchers may be able to find a medical solution to fix the problem or at least relieve sypmptoms.