Researchers Create New Probiotic Beer That Boosts Immunity (upi.com) 84
randomErr writes: A new patent has been filed for a innovative brewing technique that incorporates a live strain of good bacteria into the brewing process. Researchers at NUS (National University of Singapore) have created a probiotic sour beer that may boost immunity and improve gut health. The bacteria Lactobacillus paracasei L26 is capable of neutralizing toxins and viruses and regulating the immune system. Chan Mei Zhi Alcine, of the Food Science and Technology Program at NUS said, "While good bacteria are often present in food that have been fermented, there are currently no beers in the market that contain probiotics. Developing sufficient counts of live probiotics in beer is a challenging feat as beers contain hop acids that prevent the growth and survival of probiotics. As a believer of achieving a healthy diet through consuming probiotics, this is a natural choice for me when I picked a topic for my final-year project."
"As a believer"? (Score:1)
As a believer of achieving a healthy diet through consuming probiotics, this is a natural choice for me when I picked a topic for my final-year project.
Call us when you have gone through peer review by scientists who weren't hoping for a positive result before they even started. You're not doing any favours for the notion of probiotics having more scientific credibility than Revlon's latest innovation.
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"Probiotics" have _Zero_ scientific validity. As in none at all and in many places, like the US and Europe, claiming that they have any validity is illegal:
"Due to these ambiguities, the European Commission placed a ban on putting the word "probiotic" on the packaging of products because such labeling misleads consumers to believe a health benefit is provided by the product when no scientific proof exists to demonstrate that health effect.
In the United States, the FDA and Federal Trade Commission have issue
Re:"As a believer"? (Score:4, Interesting)
"Probiotics" have _Zero_ scientific validity.
That is true. But they used to have scientific validity. There was solid evidence that the probiotic bacteria in yogurt resulted in extended lifetimes in the valleys of the Caucasus Mountains, where yogurt consumption was unusually high, and always prepared with live cultures.
... but then in comparing age listed on birth certificates and baptismal records, with age determined by physical examination, there were wide discrepancies. It turns out the real reason for high longevity was forged documents used to avoid conscription during the First World War. The yogurt eaters actually had expected longevity well within the normal range.
Oh well, it was a good theory while it lasted.
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Oh well, it was a good theory while it lasted.
Or perhaps we have not reached the pinnacle of ultimate medical knowledge. As they say, practicing medicine. Today's gospel is tomorrow's heresy is next year's gospel. And don't confuse probiotics with homeopathics, aka placebos.
The human GI tract is well studied and documented but watch out if you ever get an intestinal parasite or disorder.
Earlier this year I was infected with Cryptosporidium [patient.info]. My doctor tried a couple different treatments that seemed to work then didn't. I was basically a research
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Eat Your Garlic (Score:1)
https://authoritynutrition.com... [authoritynutrition.com]
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/me... [cbsnews.com]
And Don't Forget Your Turmeric Too (Score:1)
https://authoritynutrition.com... [authoritynutrition.com]
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Just using beer ingredients (malt extract) instead of sweet tea?
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You're not doing any favours for the notion of probiotics having more scientific credibility than Revlon's latest innovation.
Linked in TFA [sciencedirect.com], and then there's a trivial web search [nih.gov]:
Probiotics are safe and appear to exert some beneficial effects in GI-related illnesses. The use of probiotics in non-GI illnesses is not sufficiently supported by current data.
Or a little more googling and you'll find plenty of [nih.gov] peer-reviewed [nih.gov] articles saying they have a small beneficial effect (*for certain diseases/ailments*), with some studies recommending caution for various groups [nih.gov].
No, they don't appear to be as medically useful as their "anti" counterparts, and they don't appear to cure cancer (though they can be good -- and bad! -- for cancer patients [cancercenter.com]), but they are hardly in the same category as a beauty product.
And
Call us when you have gone through peer review by scientists who weren't hoping for a positive result before they even started.
S
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There are peer reviewed research for certain
Re: Sour beer? No thanks. (Score:1)
You're having problems finding a good beer in denver ?
You're doing it wrong.
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Try the Wynkoop brewpub. It's about halfway between the Convention Center and Coors Field.
Look for the disclaimer (Score:5, Insightful)
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Starbucks Ice (Score:2)
How much do you have to drink (Score:4, Funny)
More famous last words ... (Score:4, Insightful)
"No, No, these are the GOOD kind of bacteria."
Homer Simpson said it (Score:2)
"Beer, is there anything it can't do?"
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"Beer. The cause of - and solution to - all life's problems."
What was old becomes new again... (Score:2)
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DRANK, you hairy-fingered simian! Why do you have such a hard time getting tenses correct?
This is Slashdot, not a literary magazine.
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If you don't think bacteria is important to proper digestion then I suggest you go on antibiotics for a month and see how well you can digest things.
That said, all things in moderation.
Someone IMPROVED on "Beer" ? (Score:1)
BO-RING! (Score:2)
Also one that makes them experts at sports trivia and politics.
Re: Wrong product (Score:2)
I was under the impression that beer companies want to sell a lot of beer, not 'one per' drinker...
Imagining someone grabbing a six-pack of this 'poop beer' and jumping in a row boat to go fishing - I imagine it could get 'messy' when that 6x dose of probiotic emzymes hits their digestive system...
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Really? (Score:2)
Researchers Create New Probiotic Beer That Boosts Immunity
Poop beer?
Boost immunity? (Score:2)
Probiotics is horseshit (Score:3)
There is a lot more to maintaining healthy gut bacteria than just drinking them down. There have been precious few studies that show "probiotic" foods or drinks actually do anything, and almost none that show effects that are more than extremely temporary.
If you want to have healthy gut bacteria, you've got to eat a variety of healthy food that have been minimally processed or not processed at all. And stay off the antibiotics. Fermented foods and foods that are advertised as having "live bacteria" just won't get the job done.
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eating varied and healthy, skipping my nice fat, salty and suggary processed foods sounds too much trouble.
i'd rather just go for feces transplantation instead...
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Fermented foods and foods that are advertised as having "live bacteria" just won't get the job done
That sir, is a fallacy :)
Yogurt that has no live bacteria inside is a simple protein shake, so why would you buy it in the first place - get the shake instead! My apologies to all you reasonable /. readers and writers; I am well aware that "official medicine" has not figured out the GI tract yet. However, I simply cannot discount my own experience here - when you get cured [by fermented foods and some probioti
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There is a lot more to maintaining healthy gut bacteria than just drinking them down. There have been precious few studies that show "probiotic" foods or drinks actually do anything, and almost none that show effects that are more than extremely temporary.
If you want to have healthy gut bacteria, you've got to eat a variety of healthy food that have been minimally processed or not processed at all. And stay off the antibiotics. Fermented foods and foods that are advertised as having "live bacteria" just won't get the job done.
There has been a lot of scientific activity lately that shows that the bacteria in the gut play a large role in every aspect of both mental and physical health. There is correlation that fat people and thin people have different ratios of different types of bacteria. Cause or effect, who knows, but the correlation is there.
My personal pet theory (based on basically nothing) is that it is reasonable to assume that bacteria which are successful in breaking down food outside the body may also affect how fo
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there is correlation that fat people and thin people have different ratios of different types of bacteria. Cause or effect, who knows, but the correlation is there.
There have been a few fecal transplants where a fat person got one from a skinny person, then the fat person lost nearly all of their excess weight after the transplant without a change to their diet or exercise.
What's next? (Score:2)
Perhaps vitamin C added to cigarettes or Omga fatty acids in pot brownies or high protein potato chips or super fiber added to mega caffeine energy drinks? Hmmm.
Or you could just eat those without the carriers?
Meaningless Drivel (Score:1)
" neutralizing toxins" - what are these "toxins"?
"Good bacteria" - over-simplification.
Defeats the purpose of beer (Score:4, Interesting)
So, my point is that making a beer with other stuff growing in it can mean only a few things: either you kill off the yeast after its work is done and replace it with probiotics, or you make a piss weak beer that won't kill off the probiotics, or it's bullshit and the probiotic's dead from the alcohol.
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OK, I'll try to sum up what beer and yeast is. Yeast evolved over a long time by actually loosing the ability to turn alcohol into vinegar. Many microorganisms can digest sugars into alcohol and then vinegar in one fell swoop. When yeast lost that, it was actually an evolutionary advantage because alcohol is toxic, so by itself evolving to resist the toxicity of alcohol, it could kill of the competition (all the other microorganisms present in rotting fruits) and live happily. Men used that ability to make beer, wine, etc... Wild yeast dies off after something like 8% alcohol, but humans have been selecting it for 10ky so it resists 12% (and now up to 15% in some strong wines).
Not only that, but humans have been evolving [scientificamerican.com] to tolerate ethyl alcohol for about 10My:
The results suggested there was a single genetic mutation 10 million years ago that endowed human ancestors with an enhanced ability to break down ethanol. "I remember seeing this huge difference in effects with this mutation and being really surprised," Carrigan said.
It's called Kombucha (Score:2)
It's called Kombucha, people!
I've had this beer already. (Score:2)
One of the local breweries makes a Dinosour beer with these Lactus bacterial beasties in it.
Not bad. Not great either.
obvious flaw in claim (Score:2)
the yeast in beer and wine is a probiotic
Healthy beer? Get rid of the hops! Hops = poison. (Score:2)