You don't need live bacteria to boost your digestive system

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from 'Nature Science Update' -- full article at --

http://www.nature.com/nsu/040202/040202-1.html

Dedy

·You don't need live bacteria to boost your digestive system - just their DNA,

according to US-led research in Gastroenterology. The human gut contains about

100 species, including " good " bacteria such as Lactobacillus and

Bifidobacterium.Eyal Raz of the University of California, San Diego, and

colleagues looked at the effect of these bacteria on mice with colitis , a

condition similar to inflammatory bowel disease in humans. The bacteria were

just as effective when inactivated with gamma-ray radiation as when live

cultures were used.