STOMACH ache? Try some yogurt to soothe the pain. Lactobacillus acidophilus, a “friendly” bacterium often found in yogurt and “probiotic” drinks, boosts the synthesis of receptors for opioids and cannabinoids, our natural painkillers, in gut cells.
A team led by Christel Rousseaux of the French National Institute of ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ and Medical Research in Lille saw the effect in human intestinal cells as well as in the guts of live rodents (Nature Medicine, DOI: 10.1038/nm1521).
Rats had a 20 per cent increase in their abdominal pain threshold – or twice that if they had irritable bowel syndrome. The team believes…
