With the increased radiation in our world today its good to know that there is something we can do to combat it. Another thing I have read is to make sure you are not low on iodine. You don't want to take it without checking, but its a simple test to do at home.
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Cancer patients undergoing radiation treatments or individuals looking
to protect themselves against general radiation damage can look to
probiotics for help, according to a new study. Researchers from the
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., have found
that radiation therapy patients who take probiotics prior to getting
blasted can gain intestinal radioprotective benefits.
For their study, published in the online journal Gut,
Dr. William F. Stenson and his colleague Dr. Nicholas V. Costrini
compared the effects of radiation on mice, some of which were given
probiotics prior to and after exposure. They found that those who had
received a probiotic mix that included Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) before exposure were protected against radioactive damage in their intestines.
Patients
who receive radiation treatments for prostate, cervical, bladder,
endometrial, and other forms of abdominal cancers often experience
severe intestinal damage. Radiation, of course, knows no bounds, and
will destroy both malignant and healthy cells, which can lead to serious
health problems. But when probiotics are involved, the damage appears
to be effectively reduced or prevented.
"If the epithelium breaks
down as the result of radiation, the bacteria that normally reside in
the intestine can be released, travel through the body and cause serious
problems such as sepsis," said Stenson. "Our study suggests we should
give the probiotic prior to the onset of symptoms, or even before the
initiation of radiation because, at least in this scenario, the key
function of the probiotic seems to be preventing damage, rather than
facilitating repair."
Even better was the fact that the probiotic
dose given to the mice was moderate, and yet it still provided
significant protection. When translated to humans, supplementation with
typical doses of probiotics, such as the amount commonly found in a
typical serving of yogurt, appears to be enough to provide
radioprotective benefits.
Beyond radiation treatments,
individuals simply looking to protect themselves from other types of
general radiation can also derive radioprotective benefits from
probiotics. Probiotics can help to prevent gut damage caused by
radiation still being emitted from Fukushima, for example.
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