July 28, 2014
Humans need to eat – of that there is no doubt. Through the ages, we have evolved from hunter-gatherers to consumers, with a migration away from subsistence and farming our own foods, to a dependence on others to provide our nourishment. For the most part, this has worked well and has allowed our society to evolve – except for one important fact: We have lost control of the food chain to major corporations, whose interests may not completely align to ours. Food for People and Profit The main reason that artificial agricultural chemicals and GMO crops were developed was to.... [Read More...]
The post Living With A Compromised Food Chain appeared first on Natren Probiotics Blog.
July 22, 2014
Probiotics have become one of the more fashionable buzzwords in the healthy living community – and for good reason. True probiotics offer a host of notable benefits, particularly for healthy digestion and strong natural defenses. Lately though, many consumer products are boasting the label of “probiotics” without being rooted in fact or function. A true probiotic is a living bacterial culture that has been identified by scientific research to provide health benefits. As well as being alive and active, a product must contain a certain amount of probiotics to be effective, and those bacteria strains have to be the right.... [Read More...]
The post Probiotics, Household Products, and Snake Oil appeared first on Natren Probiotics Blog.
July 14, 2014
There’s a lot to think about when you’re trying to become pregnant. Probably the last thing on your list of priorities is seeing your dentist – but maybe you should reconsider. An interesting body of research finds a link between bacteria that live in the mouth of a mom-to-be and a higher risk for pre-term delivery. It might seem farfetched that mouth bacteria could have any effect on pregnancy but some research suggests otherwise. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Children’s Hospital have been busy sequencing the genes of bacteria from the placentas of babies born at full-time and.... [Read More...]
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July 07, 2014
There is no doubt that a healthy diet and plenty of exercise will help you lose weight – both in terms of calories in vs calories out, and the nutritional value of your food. But did you know that the type and variety of bacteria in your gut plays a huge part in the effectiveness of any weight loss plan? Scientists have discovered links between the diversity of the bacteria in the gut of athletes, compared to control groups of non-athletes of both low BMI (Body Mass Index) and high BMI. Generally speaking, a higher BMI equals more fat. They.... [Read More...]
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June 23, 2014
A 2012 survey about men and how they handle their health shows 63% of men see their doctor when they have “prolonged, severe pain.” At the same time, most of the men surveyed said they wanted to live a long life and stay healthy well into their eighties. Over a third of the men surveyed said they visited a doctor only after their significant other pressured them to do so. Obviously, men WANT to be healthy but aren’t always taking the necessary steps to stay that way. You’ve heard the old saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound.... [Read More...]
The post Why Men Need to Be Proactive about Their Health appeared first on Natren Probiotics Blog.
June 14, 2014
Father’s Day is a chance to show gratitude to dear old Dad. Where would you be without him? It’s a time to sit back and think about all your father has done for you over the years and what he means to you. Chances are your dad was a provider and a protector that the family looked to for guidance and support. Times have changed and your dad may not fit the mold of “Leave it to Beaver” dads of the past who wore a tie and a hat to work, worked a nine to five job and then sat.... [Read More...]
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June 09, 2014
It’s easy to read the label of a product and find out what’s in it – whether it contains additives or preservatives – but if you want to know whether the ingredients have been genetically engineered, you’re out of luck. There’s currently no labeling requirement for products made with genetically-modified ingredients, or GMOs. Genetically modified organisms are animals or plants that have had their DNA, the genetic material that codes for their most fundamental characteristics, altered. What’s the purpose? To produce plants and organisms with some survival, yield or nutritional advantage – resistance to pesticides for example. GMOs aren’t proven.... [Read More...]
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June 02, 2014
Alexander Fleming discovered the first antibiotic, penicillin, in the late 1920s. This momentous discovery marked the beginning of the “antibiotic age.” No longer were humans defenseless against harmful bacteria that cause life-threatening infections. This rather fortuitous discovery essentially changed the course of medical history. Antibiotic literally means “life killing.” That’s exactly what antibiotics do – they destroy the life of bacteria without harming the host. The discovery of antibiotics was undoubtedly one of the greatest triumphs of the twentieth century – but, now, less than one-hundred years later we’re fighting a different battle – the emergence of the superbugs. What.... [Read More...]
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May 26, 2014
Staying healthy is it high on your priority list? What could be more important than a healthy mind and body? Some women ignore their health when they’re young, assuming they’ll always have it, but you lay the foundation now for good health later on. It’s never too early to begin taking care of health, especially if you plan on starting a family later on. Not cultivating healthy lifestyle habits prior to pregnancy puts you at greater risk for pregnancy-related complications. Lifestyle habits make a difference – not smoking, using alcohol only in moderation, exercising, eating a healthy diet and maintaining.... [Read More...]
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May 19, 2014
The month of May has been declared “Family Wellness Month”. The first thing we ask is – why only a month? Of course, these designated “months” are a great opportunity to draw attention to a particular cause – and this is one that is particularly worthy, and we have dedicated our company to fulfilling. Family wellness means wellness inside and out for everyone. Obviously, as a probiotic manufacturer and supplier, we have a huge focus on digestive health for the entire family – from our Life Start products for infants and expectant mothers, through to our Healthy Start powders, which.... [Read More...]
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May 09, 2014
[If you are looking for Part 1 of this story, you can find it here] Did you know that you can launch your own probiotic product line with no scientific experience whatsoever? No measurement of effectiveness, no study of how the bacteria interact with each other, and no study of potency through to consumption by the consumer. Well, you can, and we’ll show you exactly how to do it: 1) Secure sufficient funding to place a commercial sized order 2) Gather a marketing team to create tantalizing taglines like “Now with 20 probiotic strains to boost your digestive health” 3).... [Read More...]
The post Truth in Labeling: Regulation of Probiotics – Part 2 appeared first on Natren Probiotics Blog.
May 05, 2014
We rely a lot on regulatory authorities to help ensure that products we consume are safe and good for us. We depend upon the FDA to make sure that drug manufacturers are properly regulated and their products are safe, and we trust the USDA to keep our food safe and adequately labeled, so we know exactly what we are eating, and that it too is safe. For instance – you may have noticed small labels on fruit & veg at the grocery stores – sometimes stuck to the produce with impossible-to-remove glue! Well, those labels have a 4 or 5-digit.... [Read More...]
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April 28, 2014
Sometimes a piece of news comes along which sounds too good to be true, like a glass of red wine being good for your health. Well, that happened again last month at a meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), where a study was presented showing that not only is dark chocolate good for your health, but the reason it is so good for you may be due to our friend, the humble probiotic. Now that’s news that we like to hear! Scientists have for a long time believed that chocolate has beneficial properties, but have never been quite sure.... [Read More...]
The post Probiotics and Chocolate – The Perfect Combination? appeared first on Natren Probiotics Blog.
April 22, 2014
Today (April 22nd) is Earth Day, and gives us a fine opportunity to think about our impact on the environment, and equally importantly, the impact of our environment on our health. A few weeks ago, we wrote about our “Inner Ecosystem” and highlighted the importance of organic foods. This time, we’d like to focus on what organic food really means, and what makes it so special. Historically, all food was organic. Crops were farmed by hand, and later by machine. Meat was a smaller part of our diet, and animals were raised in an open environment with a natural food cycle..... [Read More...]
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April 14, 2014
Our children today are born into an environment that is substantially different than nature has provided for centuries. We now live in a world where food is more sterile and often genetically altered, antibacterial products are everywhere, and infants are introduced to processed foods at an earlier age. All this takes an increasing toll on the fragile makeup of a newborn’s digestive system. Our digestive system is established in the very early years – in fact, by the time an infant reaches the age of two, the “microbiota” (the name given to the array of bacteria in the gut that.... [Read More...]
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April 07, 2014
Today (April 7th) is World Health Day – a day set aside to recognize the fine work of the World Health Organization (WHO), and an opportunity to highlight specific health focus areas. Through a process of education and inter-governmental action, the WHO has been progressively tackling worldwide health issues and raising health awareness for 66 years. Each year, the WHO focuses on a theme slogan and this year, it’s vector-borne illnesses – those transmitted by mosquitoes, bugs and ticks that are largely associated with sub-tropical region, but with the rapid and increased movement of people and goods around the world,.... [Read More...]
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