probiotics

What If We Were Able To Graze on Grass Like Cows?

Shona Hanaishi — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 10:00:00 +0000

On a future field trip to Mount Royal, I imagine opening up my lunch box to find a small forest of fried insects flavoured with MSG and curry powder. On the side are some salmon rice balls. Noting I missed some greenery, I grab some grass and sprinkle it onto my rice balls.

An Ode to Yogurt

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 20:55:34 +0000

Many years ago, when I first started teaching about the chemistry of food, yogurt was only granted a few minutes of lecture time. It appeared as one of the first processed foods, albeit accidentally processed, dating back some 7000 years to when bacteria happened to drift into a pot of milk in Mesopotamia, thickening it and giving it a tart taste. I explained that the bacteria were likely of the Lactobacillus genus that produce lactate dehydrogenase, an enzyme that converts the milk sugar lactose into lactic acid.

Another Bullet Fired at Highly Processed Food

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:54:56 +0000

Elie Metchnikoff drank sour milk every day. He believed that the lactic acid bacteria found in fermented foods like yogurt, especially the Lactobacillus bulgaricus strain, helped to promote longevity by preventing potentially disease-causing bacteria from proliferating in the intestines. He attributed the long life of Bulgarian peasants to their daily consumption of yogurt.

The Microbiome and Its Myth-Making Machine

Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. — Fri, 11 Aug 2023 06:37:32 +0000

As promising new discoveries are made in the health sciences, the telephone game begins. Scientists put their best foot forward when presenting their results. The public relations department at their institute further digests their findings and adds a dash of hype. Journalists amplify and simplify, social media influencers garble the message, and start-ups capitalize on the hype to sell unproven health solutions. Before you know it, you’re grabbing a cup of coffee while your colleague tells you that they heard cancer was caused by bad bacteria in your gut.

Think Twice About Opting Out of Sauerkraut

Haleh Cohn — Thu, 05 May 2022 16:58:04 +0000

If you’ve ever lined up for a classic hot dog on a hot day on campus, you may have reached for the yellow-white sauerkraut perched on the toppings table. The fermented cabbage sure dresses up that hot dog, but did you know this tasty flavour enhancer has a number of health benefits? Eating sauerkraut introduces a variety of “good bacteria” (probiotics) into the gut that control inflammation, boost immunity, keep the lining of the gut healthy, supply vitamins (particularly K2), and help with digestion. On top of all that, sauerkraut can also serve as a laxative!

The Right Chemistry: Probiotics, Gut Health, and Happiness

Joe Schwarcz PhD — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 19:47:57 +0000

Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on probiotics, gut health and happiness

Good Bacteria to Prevent the Flu? Interpreting the Data Is Messy

Jonathan Jarry, MSc — Thu, 24 May 2018 14:52:45 +0000

“We have a ton of studies that have shown that eating [Danone’s DanActive yogurt with L. casei probiotics] at a dose of about two containers per day can actually decrease your incidence and severity of things like cold and flu.”

So claimed postdoctoral fellow Mary Scourboutakos on the investigative program CBC Marketplace, which aired on April 6.

“A ton of studies”?