Our purpose here was that you, the consumer, would educate yourself about the efficacies of the products, ingredients, and policies which affect your body’s immune health.

So as I sign off, I would encourage you to continue to look for demonstrated effectiveness in the health products you choose, not just the anecdotal or “traditional” belief about a product.

All the best!

According to the article,

the tissue in the gut linked to immune system functions constitutes 80% of the entire immune system in the body.

Of particular note is the author’s mention of research indicating the decrease in “transit time” for food passing through the gastrointestinal systems of elderly constipation sufferers when taking probiotic supplements.

Researchers at the University of California at San Diego found

…that “too much stratum corneum tryptic enzyme and too much cathelicidin leads to the abnormal peptides that cause the symptoms of this disease,” Dr. Gallo said.

“Antibiotics tend to alleviate the symptoms of rosacea in patients because some of them work to inhibit these enzymes,” he noted. “Our findings may modify the therapeutic approach to treating rosacea, since bacteria aren’t the right target.”

Read more.

“An 8-week treatment with olive extract improved daily living activities in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and significantly reduced plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA),” wrote lead author Catherine Bitler.

Read more.

Hunter-gatherers ate a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, roots, beans, nuts, tubers, pollen and even flowers rich in antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre. Some researchers believe that the early humans ate up to 100 different varieties of plants and it’s estimated that their vitamin C intake was about 600mg per day (about 10 times more than the present-day recommended intake). Also, the meat that formed part of the palaeontological diet differed from modern meat because it was low in fat and cholesterol.

In contrast, The everyday diets we follow are much more monotonous and restricted than those of our forefathers. Modern diets are high in energy, low in micronutrients, high in fat and sugar, have a high GI and a low fibre content.

Considering our genetic makeup hasn’t changed much in that time, it’s no wonder so many of us are sick!

Read more.

Researchers found that levels of C3, an immune system protein which is a marker of inflammation (the body’s response to injury or infection), were 7.1 percent higher in men whose psychological screenings showed the hightest levels of hostility and depression.

While the increase in C3 levels seems directly related to the subjects’ psychological attributes, is not yet known whether psychological treatment could reverse those levels.

Read more.

At the same time, Juvaris BioTherapeutics, located in Pleasanton, reported the award of a $9 million grant over a five-year period for the purpose of researching a way to increase the effectiveness of the flu vaccine. (More.)

And then we also have the report that money from G8 countries to develop vaccines for the poor is possibly being misspent, while large pharmaceutical companies rake in profits.

So it’s not surprising that small-time “entrepreneurs” are recognizing the business potential of vaccines: seventeen men were arrested in China this week for selling fake rabies vaccines. Apparently 227 people were administered a “vaccine” consisting of starch and water.

In their most recent experiments, Duke University Medical Center investigators demonstrated that exposure within the womb to bisphenol A (BPA), an ubiquitous chemical used in the production of plastics, caused noticeable changes in the offspring without altering any of the offspring’s genes. Additionally, the researchers discovered that administration of folic acid or genistein, an active ingredient in soy, during pregnancy protected the offspring from the negative effects of BPA.

Read the whole article.

So it should come as good news that scientists have identified two gene variants linked with MS, the first such a discovery in 20 years. Both genes are involved in controlling the activity of a class of cells within the immune system known as regulatory T-cells.

“We have identified a gene that increases an individual’s risk of multiple sclerosis by 30 per cent, and that this variant has an effect on the function of the gene. It is likely that variants of many genes are associated with the development of multiple sclerosis, so identifying a novel gene that is associated will be very helpful in understanding this complex disease,” said Simon Gregory, a molecular geneticist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Read more.

Phytonutrients are

compounds found in plants that are not required for normal functioning of the body but that nonetheless have a beneficial effect on health or an active role in the amelioration of disease. Thus, they differ from what are traditionally termed nutrients in that they are not a necessity for normal metabolism, and their absence will not result in a deficiency disease. What is beyond dispute is that phytonutrients have many and various beneficial health effects. For example, they may promote the function of the immune system, act directly against bacteria and viruses, reduce inflammation, and may also be associated with the treatment and/or prevention of cancer (the focus of this article), cardiovascular disease and any other malady affecting the health or well-being of an individual.

Read about the specific phytonutrients found in different foods and their beneficial properties.