Probiotic
Mucosal TNF-alpha production in Crohn’s disease downregulated by probiotic bacteria – (10-17-02)
Mucosal TNF-alpha production in Crohn’s disease downregulated by probiotic bacteria
Research articles like this just bring tears to my eyes. Probiotics are showing efficacy and high levels of safety in a wide variety of GI conditions (and their associated systematic manifestations). Like many other natural therapies, however, their use is still rare. Here we see probiotics lowering the amount of inflammation at the mucosal level of the GI tract. Remember, this is similar to what the new class of drugs for Crohns’ and RA do–the drugs block the effect of TNF-alpha. What still surprises me is that, despite all the research on the benefits of probiotics, we still view antibiotic resistance as the major concern with rampant antibitotic use. I have always considered the destruction of natural flora as the most important bad side effect…
Gut — Abstracts: Borruel et al. 51 (5): 659
