Q: I see “cellulose gum” on a lot of ingredient labels. What is it and is it safe? A: Cellulose gum is a common ingredient in both food products, such as salad dressings, sauces, yogurts, and ice cream, and in pharmaceuticals, such as tablets and liquid medications. It’s an effective … Read More
Kristen N. Smith, PhD, RDN, LD
Belly bloat often brings with it the dreaded discomfort of a mash-up of seemingly relentless symptoms, like abdominal pressure and pain, distended abdomen, and gas. We don’t like to talk about it, but it’s actually very common in otherwise healthy individuals. In fact, nearly 10 to 25 percent of people … Read More
Grapefruit seed extract uses are numerous due to its action as a highly concentrated, natural general antimicrobial and antioxidant. Benefits include killing all kinds of infectious microbes—bacterial, viral, and fungal—at least in test tube and animal studies.[1,2] Uses | How To Take | Benefits What’s in Grapefruit Seed Extract? The … Read More
As medical experts learn more about inflammation and how it affects our overall health, its link to a broad array of diseases and medical conditions has also been discovered. Its effect on almost all parts of the body—heart, lungs, bones, joints, skin, brain, and more—means that doctors often recommend a … Read More
People with irritable bowel syndrome can suffer for years without finding a way to relieve their symptoms, but a new review article reveals a promising treatment option: melatonin benefits for IBS. Produced by the pineal gland in the brain and by cells in the mucous lining of the digestive tract, … Read More
The crushing pain, nausea, and light sensitivity of a migraine headache can wreak havoc on the lives of migraine sufferers. For many, the only treatment options are heavy-duty pharmaceuticals with many unpleasant side effects. And those don’t even work for everyone. But research is pointing to surprising melatonin benefits that … Read More
One of the reasons why yogurt may be considered a healthy snack is that it contains beneficial bacteria called probiotics. Lactobacillus acidophilus, commonly known simply as acidophilus, is one of those healthy bacteria found in yogurt. But what is acidophilus, and what does it do for your body? Acidophilus has been … Read More
The lining of your gut is directly related to the health of your whole body. This lining forms a crucial barrier between you and the outside world. In a sense, everything inside your gut is outside of you. Only a few very specific substances are normally allowed through, and the … Read More
With the latest research showing that the benefits of probiotics extend far beyond digestion, the question is not whether you should be taking probiotics, but which probiotics, how much, and how often. As discussed in a previous post, probiotics are live microbes that help the healthy bacteria residing within you to thrive … Read More
It’s hard to believe that by altering the bacteria in your gut, you can better handle stress, improve your mood, and even treat your anxiety or depression. But an explosion of research into the fascinating world of the gut-brain connection is showing just that. We now know that you can … Read More
