Salmonella at the Source: What You Need to Know About Your Food

Most food recalls deal directly with simple mistakes: accidental ingredient omission on labels, or marking an item as gluten-free when it’s actually a gluten source. While these mistakes can lead to problems, primarily related to allergic reactions, news reports make it seem like every recall is an all out attack on the American public. While pathogens do play a part in recalls, for the most part they only affect those people who have low immunity to the bacteria, such as children, senior citizens, pregnant women, and individuals who have immune issues due to disease. 

What Superbugs Are Lurking in Your Body?

Estimates from the World Health Organizations suggest that the usage of antibiotics over the past 70 years has added about 20 years to the average human’s lifespan. When you take an antibiotic, you expect it to do its job and attack the pathogen that’s making you ill – but that’s not always the case.

Bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other live organisms evolve over the course of time and become immune to human medications. Part of the problem is that doctors frequently over-prescribe antibiotics due to improper information received from patients or simply due to human error. As human reliance on medication increases, so does microbial resistance. Why?

Decoding DNA: Modern Practices for Winning the War on Bacteria

You’ve probably heard of genetic mapping. It’s become a medical research staple over the past few decades to help professionals decode and comprehend the growth potential and intent of modern diseases. But new breakthroughs are leading top microbiologists toward mapping the DNA of bacteria responsible for food poisoning outbreaks as well.

Salmonella, E.coli, campylobacter and listeria are the top food poisoning bacteria concerns for pregnant women. But microbiologists are currently focusing on listeria, the third top prenatal danger, since it’s found practically everywhere on the planet. Technical advances have already led to containing an outbreak responsible for one death and seven severe illnesses across the U.S.

Discovering the Differences Between Probiotics and Live Cultures

Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can potentially aid in specific health concerns. But aiding and curing are completely different concepts. Advertising easily confuses consumers with fancy labels and the power of suggestion. Let’s face it, food manufacturers get away with more than their share of misconceptions. Advertisements love to hint that if you just buy a certain product, all of your health issues will magically disappear. But is that true? Read on for some of the more interesting Probiotic myths.