XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Sunday 13 October 2013

The bacteria that live in your gut may play a major role in your mental health and well-being -

The bacteria that live in your gut may play a major role in your mental health and well-being - 



Scientists searching for the underlying causes of mental illness have discovered a surprising contributor — it appears the bacteria that live in your gut may play a major role in your mental health and well-being.

CBC Radio science columnist Torah Kachur spoke to researchers such as Karen Madsen at the University of Alberta who are studying the types of bacteria that live in your gut and how they affect your behaviour, via a nerve that travels between the gut and the brain.

"You know the whole term, 'listen to your gut'? It’s kind of taking on a whole new meaning," Kachur told Rebecca Zandbergen, host of CBC's Radio West.

Kachur explained that there are "good" bacteria, like Bifidiobacterium and Lactobacillus, that are present in yogurt. They produce a happy signal called GABA, which acts on the nervous system to curb depressive symptoms and anxiety. 

Meanwhile, "bad" bacteria like the Clostridium family, of botulism fame, live in our guts and dine on our Western diets of high fat, high sugar and processed foods, Kachur said. She added that these bacteria can produce toxins that are released into the bloodstream and could affect the  brain.

Kachur recommends eating food high in probiotics, such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi and miso soup; and avoiding high fat and high sugar diets, in order to promote the growth of bacteria that are good for your mental health.

"We've got to nurture and take care of our microbes."

Read more -

'Racist' LA police dogs only bite Latinos and African-Americans... -

'Racist' LA police dogs only bite Latinos and African-Americans... - 



A new report on the Canine Special Detail of the LA Sheriff’s Department (LASD) shows that police dogs bite a disproportionately large number of minority suspects.
According to the Police Assessment Resource Centre (PARC) report, the number of Latino people bitten by LASD dogs went up 30 per cent between 2004 and 2012 and the number of African Americans bitten rose 33 per cent.
Most disturbingly, for the first half of 2013 100 per cent of individuals bitten by LASD dogs have been black or Latino.

PARC is a non-profit devoted to 'advancing effective, respectful and publicly accountable policing.'
The report's writers say the 2013 statistics for police dog bites to minorities is 'a troubling and unacceptable figure.'

Also noted by the report is the low or non-existent incidence of dog bites in affluent areas with smaller minority populations.
'Crime rates are lower in these areas, but the stark disparity leads us to wonder why canine deployments seem to occur disproportionately in less affluent areas with larger minority populations,' stated the report.


Read more: -

GOOGLE to use users' photos, comments in ads... -

GOOGLE to use users' photos, comments in ads...  - 



Google has made a fortune selling ads. Now it’s trying to put its hundreds of millions of users to work as company pitchmen, using the profiles, pictures and recommendations of ordinary people to endorse products and services across the Web.

After the policy takes effect Nov. 11, users who review a video on YouTube or a restaurant on Zagat.com could see their name, photo and comments show up in ads on any of the 2 million Web sites that are part of the company’s display advertising network.

The controversial practice, announced Friday by Google, is part of an emerging trend on the Internet. Advertisers believe that consumers place enormous value on product endorsements that come from a friend or family member, and growing numbers of Web companies are trying to capture that social advertising in a systematic way.

Read more -