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The beneficial bacteria that line the intestinal
tract may help to prevent the body's immune system from causing inflammation
in the gut, new research suggests.
This discovery raises hopes for a treatment for the
millions of people who suffer from the chronic inflammation associated
with diseases like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Researchers conducted experiments to examine the effects of different
bacteria that normally reside in the gut. " We found that a
subset of non-illness causing bacteria actually blocked the inflammatory
response," said lead author Dr. Andrew Neish, of the at
Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia.
"What we found most interesting is that these
bacteria are able to control the host's immune system," Dr. Neish
told Reuters Health. "The bacteria appear to turn down the immune
response for their own benefit -- to stay in the intestinal tract without
being attacked by the body's immune system."
The results of this study
may explain the health benefit that people with inflammatory bowel disease
may experience when they consume probiotics, according to Dr.
Neish.
"Our aim now is to confirm these findings in
animal studies using other bacteria, including the varieties found in
probiotics, and see if they have a similar effect," he said.
Science September
1, 2000; 289; 1560-1563.
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