For Clear, Healthy Skin, Take Care of the Gut

Eczema is a troubling skin condition that affects millions of Americans.  The itchy rash of eczema is due to an atopic reaction: an inappropriate inflammatory response by the immune system.  One thing that has long been known to help eczema, especially the type associated with food allergies, is the use of probiotics supplements (those beneficial bacteria).  Sometimes we think of probiotics as only helping with digestive problems, but their beneficial effects extend throughout the body.  These effects range from helping with obesity to depression to autism.

A new review study (1) clarified the effects of probiotics in eczema and food allergies.  The author clarified that probiotics taken orally have a balancing effect on our immune system (immunomodulation).  This is because most of our immune tissue is located along the lining of our digestive tract.  The interaction of probiotic bacteria with these immune cells sends chemical signals to the immune system in the rest of the body, to make sure it's not overactive or under-active.  Think of it as a toning workout for our immune system.

Probiotic supplementation seems to be most effective at preventing and treating eczema from ages 0 to 2.  Prenatal probiotic supplementation by the mother can also have a strong preventive effect.

The type of probiotic matters, also.  The most beneficial effect was seen with Lactobacillus rhamnosus, but the author emphasized that the chief consideration for immunomodulation is the diversity of microbes in the gut.  For this, it's important to maintain a high fiber diet, to provide the prebiotic nutrients necessary to feed these helpful critters.  Another key to microbial diversity is to declare a truce in the "war on bugs:"  let your kids play in the dirt.  Get rid of the antibacterial hand soaps.  Take it easy on the Clorox wipes.  By decreasing our exposure to germs, this kind of over-attention to hygiene may actually be one of the big contributors to the increased incidence of allergies and eczema over the last couple of decades.

1.  Kuitunen M.  Probiotics and Prebiotics in Preventing Food Allergy and Eczema.  Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013;13(3):280-286. 

Another Key to Childhood Behavioral Problems: Avoid This at All Costs

Aggression.  Inattention.  These issues just seem to be getting more and more prevalent in kids all the Time these days.  Last month, I told you how inadequate sleep can greatly increase the risk of aggressive behavior in children.  Recent research has uncovered another culprit in this growing problem:  soft drinks.

Researchers at Columbia University in New York examined almost 3000 children, looking at the average soda consumption and behavioral habits of five-year-olds.  They used maternal reports of the amount of soda consumed, and an assessment called the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).  The results?  Even one soda per day significantly increased problem behaviors.  And with higher soda consumption, the aggression just gets worse.  Four soft drinks per day doubled the score for inattention and withdrawn behavior, and almost quintupled the aggression score, compared to kids who drank no soda.  These differences remained significant even after controlling for other factors, such as intake of other sweets, level of physical activity, and maternal depression.

Interestingly, the researchers did not differentiate among types of soft drinks: regular versus diet, caffeinated versus decaffeinated.  So it is unclear whether this is an issue with sugar, caffeine, or just a marker of an overall poor diet.  Not surprisingly, the American Beverage Association capitalized on this uncertainty to state that this study does not prove that soft drinks cause any problem behaviors.  Sure.  Just like they have said that artificial sweeteners are a good alternative to sugar, when science has shown that diet soda is linked to dangerously increased stroke risk and diabetes risk in adults.

To me, this is just another reason to say that pop is an unnecessary health risk, no matter what your age.

Sugila S et al.  Soft Drinks Consumption Is Associated with Behavior Problems in 5-Year-Olds.  J Peds 21 August 2013.