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 Health 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…
