Previously on this blog, we reported that curcumin supplements may counter the impact of food poisoning on brain health. Now, new research from the University of California, Irvine, has indicated that another nutritional compound could potentially provide another layer of defense about foodborne illnesses – specifically salmonella.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, salmonella accounted for 30 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks across the country between 2009 and 2010. The study was published by the academic journal Cell Host & Probe, and focuses on how probiotics may combat salmonella by essentially snatching up the essential iron that these harmful microbes need to spread.
"Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium thrives in the inflamed gut by scavenging for iron with siderophores. By administering [probiotics], which assimilates iron by similar mechanisms, we show that this nonpathogenic bacterium can outcompete and reduce S. Typhimurium colonization," the study abstract states.
Dr. Manuela Raffatellu, lead author of the study, told NutraIngredients-USA that past research regarding probiotics has largely explored how this "good" bacteria can help fight disease by bolstering the immune system. This study is one of the first to examine "their competition with other microbes," she said.
Ultimately, Dr. Raffatellu and her team found that administering probiotics could restrict the spread of salmonella by limiting iron availability.
As well as promoting digestive health, probiotics have been shown to help bolster the immune system and may even facilitate weight loss, among other documented benefits. Click here to read information about our probiotic supplements.