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Showing posts with the label BACTERIOLOGY

Protect your scalp from getting itchy, dry

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Winter brings dry and itchy scalp, but incorporating few things like increasing your probiotics intake and minimising hair wash can do wonders. Gaurang Krishna, Specialist Hair Transplant Surgeon and Consultant Dermatologist, Director at MedLinks, suggests: * Minimise stress level: Stress impacts various aspects of our health and well-being. While stress doesn't directly cause an itchy scalp , it can aggravate the symptoms. * Wash your hair less often: Excessive use of shampoo can strip your hair of lucrative moisture and leave it even dryer. Washing your hair less often will help regain your hair's lustre. Incorporate a mild, pH balanced, sulphate-free shampoo with a hydrating conditioner in your hair care routine. Oiling the scalp an hour before your head wash will also soothe your scalp. * Increase your probiotics and water intake: Probiotics enhance the immune system, which in turn helps the body fight fungal infections that contribute to dandruff or dry

Breastmilk sugars differ in pregnant women on probiotics: Study

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The composition of breastmilk changes in pregnant women on probiotics, a recent study suggests. The finding, published in the Journal of JAMA Pediatrics, upends what scientists thought of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) -- the sugar molecules found exclusively in human breast milk -- and could lead to future studies on how the compounds can be potentially influenced by diet and other factors. Though HMOs are indigestible for a newborn child, they are consumed by certain species in the microbiome and can significantly affect its composition. As a result, scientists have begun focusing on HMOs as a possible reason that infants who consume breastmilk are less likely to get certain viral and bacterial infections, and other severe conditions such as necrotizing enterocolitis, along with allergic diseases like a food allergy. The study analysed data from 81 pregnant women who were enrolled in a probiotic supplementation study in Finland. The researchers then compared 20 diff