In a dramatic illustration of the potential for microbes to prevent disease, researchers at Yale University and the University of Chicago showed that mice exposed to common stomach bacteria were protected against the development of Type I diabetes.

The findings, reported in the journal Nature, support the so-called "hygiene hypothesis" - the theory that a lack of exposure to parasites, bacteria and viruses in the developed world may lead to increased risk of diseases like allergies, asthma, and other disorders of the immune system. The results also suggest that exposure to some forms of bacteria might actually help prevent onset of Type I diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the patient's immune system launches an attack on cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.

The root causes of autoimmune disease have been the subject of intensive investigation by scientists around the world.

The cholera outbreak in Cameroon is falling under the radar in the international news. With events in Syria and Libya dominating the World News and a more substantial epidemic in Haiti, the fight against cholera in Cameroon is one of those forgotten emergencies. Dualta Roughneen of Plan Ireland has spent the last month working with Plan's team in Cameroon who are working to stop the outbreak turning into an epidemic.

Bibemi is a rural health district in the North Region of Cameroon. It takes about 19 hours to drive there from the capital, Yaoundé, along many dirt roads. Bibemi has been particularly hard hit by this outbreak. With a population of 90,000, there have been over 800 cases of cholera resulting in 62 deaths in the district. Not only is the number of cases per population far higher than other areas, but the fatality rate is extremely high at 7%. Of the total reported cases since April, 10% have been in Bibemi.

A hundred years ago, pretty much all of the food Americans ate was essentially organic and local - and not surprisingly, much more nutritious. But with the advent of Big Agra and industrialized food production, we moved towards a food supply heavily modified for higher yields and higher profits. First came pesticides, which U.S. farmers began using just after World War II. Then came genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The first genetically modified food crop was introduced in 1994, and since then, the introduction of new GMO crops has accelerated at an alarming rate.

Throughout these changes, very little consideration has been given to food labeling, and by and large, consumers have had no idea to what extent the food they buy is contaminated with pesticides or genetically modified. Ironically enough, we now label normal food as "organic" to separate it from pesticide-laden, genetically modified food, which requires no labeling at all.

The answer to treating painful arthritis could lie in an age old herbal remedy - frankincense, according to Cardiff University scientists.

Cardiff scientists have been examining the potential benefits of frankincense to help relieve and alleviate the symptoms of the condition.

"The search for new ways of relieving the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis is a long and difficult one," according to Dr Emma Blain, who leads the research with her co-investigators Professor Vic Duance from Cardiff University's School of Biosciences and Dr Ahmed Ali of the Compton Group.

"The South West of England and Wales has a long standing connection with the Somali community who have used extracts of frankincense as a traditional herbal remedy for arthritic conditions.

How many times have we all heard this bunk myth repeated?

"Humans can't actually digest meat: it rots in the colon."

And its variant: "Meat takes 4-7 days to digest, because it has to rot in your stomach first."
(Some variations on this myth claim it takes up to two months!)

Like most vegetarian propaganda, it's not just false, it's an inversion of truth. As the proverb says, "When you point your finger, your other three fingers point back at you." Let's take a short trip through the digestive system to see why!

A Trip Through The Human Digestive System (abridged)

Briefly, the function of digestion is to break food down as far as possible - hopefully into individual fats, amino acids (the building blocks of protein), and sugars (the building blocks of carbohydrates) which can be absorbed through the intestinal wall and used by our bodies.

Dieters who try to cut their calorie consumption by picking low-fat versions of their favourite snacks should be wary, scientists say.

They found that opting for 'light' crisps could encourage you to gain more weight by increasing hunger pangs.

Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana studied the effect of synthetic fat substitutes by comparing high-calorie Pringles crisps with low-calorie Pringles Light crisps.

They said their surprising results challenged the conventional wisdom that foods made with fat substitutes aided weight loss.

Lead author Dr Susan E. Swithers, said: 'Our research showed that fat substitutes can interfere with the body's ability to regulate food intake, which can lead to inefficient use of calories and weight gain.'

The team put two groups of rats on separate high and low-fat diets. They then fed half of each group normal Pringles and offered the other half a mix of normal and low-fat crisps.

The Pringles Light chips, which are available in the U.S but not the UK, are made with olestra - a synthetic fat substitute that has zero calories and passes through the body undigested.

The team found that those on the high-fat diet gained more weight and developed more fatty tissue if they ate the low-fat crisps.

More than 15,000 food scientists, chefs, recipe developers and purveyors of spices, flavorings and additives met here last week to examine the newest innovations in the cook's pot and on grocery shelves.

Nanoparticles, which could revolutionize steps all along the path from the farm to the table, were discussed openly and with passion in many of the scientific sessions of the Institute of Food Technologists annual conference.

But in the huge exhibition hall, among the thousand of displays of the newest advancements in the food industry, nano was rarely being promoted as the exciting science it may well be. Its absence was perplexing.

Food Safety News patrolled the sprawling Food Expo questioning likely users of the new technology. The enthusiastic company sales reps and scientists saw the "press" tags affixed to our convention passes and suddenly had very little to say. It was akin to not talking about the crazy aunt at the family reunion.

Scientists have found that harmful fungal pathogens are enduring high temperatures, aggressive doses of detergents and rinsing salts, and both acid and alkaline types of water to take residency in dishwashers.

The scientists took samples of the fungi in 189 homes in 101 cities on six continents.

They said 56 percent of the dishwashers contained the black yeasts called Exophiala dermatitis along with its cousin fungus E. phaeomuriformis on the rubber seal on the appliance door.

The study said both species "are known to be able to cause systemic disease in humans and frequently colonize the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis,"

According to the scientists, the fungi are "extremophile" organisms that are rarely found in nature. This suggests they have found an evolutionary benefit by occupying a dishwasher, which provides a warm and moist home.

The study did not focus on whether the dishwasher fungi had been any threat to health.

A national study of food allergies in the US, the largest of its kind, finds that more children have food allergies than previously reported.

The study, published in the July issue of Pediatrics, and headed by Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a pediatrician at Children's Memorial Hospital, shows food allergy affects 8 percent of children under 18 years of age, or about 5.9 million children in the US. Of those, 38.7 percent had a history of severe reactions, and 30.4 percent had multiple food allergies. Children with food allergies were most commonly allergic to peanuts (25.2 percent), milk (21.1 percent) and shellfish (17.2 percent).

"The large, population-based nature of this study shows that pediatric food allergy is a significant and growing problem in our society," said Dr. Gupta. "Based on our data, about 1 in every 13 children has a food allergy. What's more, nearly 2 out of every 5 affected children suffer from a severe food-allergy. For these children, accidental ingestion of an allergenic food may lead to difficulty breathing, a sharp drop in blood pressure, and even death. Now that we understand just how far-reaching the problem of food allergy truly is, we can begin taking the necessary steps to keep these children safe."

While doing my research for a host of issues related to bones and joints, it occurred to me a lot of information exists about arthritis, perhaps more than I am usually accustomed to reading. Is it because we are subject to more forms of media presentations these days, or are arthritis rates steadily climbing? Perhaps it is a bit of both, but further investigation revealed that, yes, arthritis rates are on the rise. In fact, I have noticed that many people in my age category (40s) are presenting more cases of the disease than I realized. I have several friends who struggle with this condition, and it is alarming to me that they must deal with arthritis at what I presume to be such a young age.

Epidemics come in many forms - the flu, HIV, etc - but recent information from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has suggested that arthritis has the potential to turn into an epidemic that will not only weaken the quality of life for many individuals, but perhaps can even become a life-threatening one.

Currently, nearly 50 million adults suffer from arthritis in the US, which represents an increase of four million people in the past four years. Within the next 19 years, that number is expected to reach 67 million adults who will be living with arthritis.

Those who suffer from this disease are all too familiar with the associated pain and discomfort, and many have trouble simply maintaining a normal daily routine. According to the CDC, about 42 percent of adults living with arthritis indicated they have to limit their daily activities because of joint pain.(1)

Many people who are struggling with the debilitating effects of arthritis are also carrying the burden of other conditions, such as obesity, osteoarthritis, and the need for invasive procedures, such as joint replacements. This has caused great concern among doctors and patients.

The factors that contribute to these frightening statistics include age, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and vitamin D deficiency. Advancing age is a strong risk factor. Being female and over the age of 75 further increases one's risk of developing the disease.