Some forms of Asian medicine use ginger to treat common ailments such as nausea, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a division of the National Institutes of Health. Other practitioners may use it to support muscle and joint health as well.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School wanted to study the effects of ginger on the colon. The team enrolled 30 subjects in their experiment and divided them into two groups: one received supplements made with ginger root for 28 days, while the other took placebos. At the end of the study, individuals who consumed ginger showed better markers for digestive health, according to the researchers.

"We need to apply the same rigor to the sorts of questions about the effect of ginger root that we apply to other clinical trial research," said author Suzanna Zick, N.D., M.P.H. These studies are especially important because people are taking a greater interest in nontoxic treatments to support good health, she added.

NCCAM is funding other projects to assess the safety and effectiveness of ginger in promoting digestive, muscle and joint health.

A recent study published in the journal Gastroenterology found that consuming high amounts of folate may be associated with good colon health.

"The strongest association was with total folate [intake through both dietary means and supplements], which suggests that total folate intake is the best measure to define exposure to this nutrient because it encompasses all forms and sources," said lead researcher Victoria Stevens.

The investigators noted that the nutrient encourages healthy, normal cell growth and normal DNA synthesis and repair, which are key mechanisms needed to maintain good colon health.

The National Institutes of Health explains that it is important for individuals to get adequate amounts of folate, since people who are nutrient deficient may experience digestive health issues. Also, women with low folate levels may risk giving birth to premature or underweight babies who can experience a slow overall growth rate throughout life.

As many as 3 percent of children in the Western world have chronic problems with regularity, according to researchers in the Netherlands. However, there are very few studies that evaluate natural, non-pharmaceutical methods to relieve the problem. This prompted the team to review nine studies that included more than 640 children. The combined experiments included remedies such as fiber supplements, fluid intake, behavioral therapy with laxatives, prebiotics and probiotics.

The results suggested that dietary fiber supplements may provide some benefits to the digestive health of children, as published Sept. 26 in Pediatrics. One small study found that before the experiment began, about 71 percent of kids had a low daily intake of fiber. By the end of treatment, a greater proportion of children experienced better digestive health.

However, little evidence has been found to support other forms of therapy, which only demonstrates that more scientific studies that are well-organized are needed to evaluate different treatments, including acupuncture and chiropractic medicine, the researchers said.

As many as 3 percent of children in the Western world have chronic problems with regularity, according to researchers in the Netherlands. However, there are very few studies that evaluate natural, non-pharmaceutical methods to relieve the problem. This prompted the team to review nine studies that included more than 640 children. The combined experiments included remedies such as fiber supplements, fluid intake, behavioral therapy with laxatives, prebiotics and probiotics.

The results suggested that dietary fiber supplements may provide some benefits to the digestive health of children, as published Sept. 26 in Pediatrics. One small study found that before the experiment began, about 71 percent of kids had a low daily intake of fiber. By the end of treatment, a greater proportion of children experienced better digestive health.

However, little evidence has been found to support other forms of therapy, which only demonstrates that more scientific studies that are well-organized are needed to evaluate different treatments, including acupuncture and chiropractic medicine, the researchers said.

It took scientists and researchers decades to discover why a certain food could make one person feel good, yet that same food could trigger numerous health problems in another person. Little-known sticky proteins called lectins—which make up part of a plant’s natural immune system—have been found to be the root cause of your distress.

Although lectins are beneficial for plants, they can cause problems in your body’s digestive tract. When you ingest foods containing lectins—such as wheat, barley, oats, rye, beer, grain-based alcohols, mayonnaise, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, legumes, eggs and all milk products—your body can’t digest or destroy those lectin proteins. Those proteins travel through your digestive tract, attaching themselves to healthy sugar molecules needed for effective digestion. Those sugars are now viewed as defective and your immune system tries to destroy them. Now you have an inflammatory battle in your digestive tract which can lead to…

• Upset stomach, excessive belching and flatulence
• Occasional Headaches, poor concentration and brain fog
• Weight gain, bloating and puffy eyes
• Annoying fatigue
• Joint discomfort

If you believe you have a sensitivity to lectins, you should ask your doctor to check you for “anti-gliadin antibodies and endomysium antibodies.” If either test comes back positive you should request a “celiac panel” to rule out other serious digestive problems. And in the meantime, you should try taking beneficial lectin-fighting supplements such as N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG), bladderwrack, okra powder, D-mannose, mucins, pepsin and sodium alginate.

Biologists at Georgia Health Sciences University looked at the effects of physical activity on obese children put on a 12-week long exercise regimen. Compared to other participants who remained relatively inactive, the subjects on the regimen had higher levels of the bone-building hormone osteocalcin in their blood. Previous research in mice showed that this hormone may also be associated with better insulin sensitivity and decreased activity of fat cells. Bones, which have insulin receptors, may respond by getting stronger.

"The idea is that bones can possibly sense environmental stimuli, such as being physically active or sedentary, and dictate energy regulation accordingly," said author Norman Pollock. "When osteocalcin is released in your blood, that hormone is talking back to the adipocytes, the cells that store fat, and the pancreatic cells that release insulin to improve energy metabolism."

Ultimately, the most active children in the study had the highest levels of osteocalcin. These same kids also experienced the most bone formation, improved insulin sensitivity and healthier body mass indexes.

The liver is an essential organ. Among its many functions are nutrient metabolism and the filtration of certain toxins from the blood. Liver health is a significant concern for an increasing number of Americans, with incidence rates for several liver conditions increasing, according to the American Liver Foundation.

Previous studies showed that maple syrup may have beneficial antioxidants. Researchers at the University of Tokyo decided to test the effects of a diet that included maple syrup in laboratory rats, and published their results in the November issue of Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry.

Two groups of rats were fed different diets. One of them had a portion of their carbohydrate intake replaced with an equal amount of sugar in the form of pure maple syrup. Analyses showed that these rats had better signs of liver function and may have produced less ammonia, a harmful waste product.

"In addition to [lead author Keiko Abe's] recent findings, published research suggests that pure maple syrup may prove to be a better choice of sweetener because it was found to be rich in polyphenolic antioxidants and contains vitamins and minerals," said Melissa Palmer, M.D., medical director of hepatology at New York University Plainview, while commenting on the study.

Previous research had suggested that these fats, especially n-3PUFAs, helped the fetus's central nervous system develop. A new study now says that n-3PUFAs may also boost the unborn baby's immune system, as published in September's issue of The Journal of Physiology.

"In the western diet, the group of polyunsaturated fatty acids that we have shown to help gut function are actually disappearing — our dietary intake of fish and nut oils is being replaced by corn oils which contain a different kind of fatty acid," said Gaëlle Boudry of the INRA research institute in Rennes, France.

The new study is modeled in pigs, which have a physiology very similar to that of humans. Researchers believe that feeding a pregnant mother a diet enriched with n-3PUFAs affects the small intestines of the developing fetus by making the passage of nutrients from the intestine into the bloodstream easier. If this includes certain bacteria and other materials, it could trigger the baby's immune response and cause the immune system to mature faster, the researchers said.

The next steps in this research are to move from pig models to human subjects, and assessing how long n-3PUFAs' effects last in life, according to the study authors.

Today Online reports that researchers analyzed 25 patients and 19 volunteers for acidity changes over a day. They were monitored again after consuming 400 ml or 800 ml of curry. The participants' pH levels were tested in the esophagus.

The results showed that those who had upper abdominal discomfort and heartburn prior to the study experienced more pain after consuming curry than healthy volunteers. While many of the patients reported nausea and gas, most of the volunteers had no symptoms.

Although many cultures consume curry, a consultant at NUH's department of gastroenterology and hepatology suggested that digestive upset is becoming more common among Asian populations, since curry is unique to this population's palate.

Additionally, Dr. Lim Lee Guan, one of the authors of the study, noted that consuming curry results in more acid moving upwards from the stomach into the esophagus.

The researchers explained that people who occasionally experience gastrointestinal discomfort typically experience other occasional issues as well, such as abdominal discomfort, bloating, diarrhea or constipation.

However, the study’s findings indicated that peppermint stimulates an anti-pain channel called TRPM8, which is located in an individual’s colon. The scientists said that the ingredient reduces the sensitivity of pain-sensing fibers that are activated by spicy foods such as mustard or chili, and soothes inflammation.

"Some people find their symptoms appear after consuming fatty and spicy foods, coffee and alcohol, but it is more complex than that,” Said lead researcher Stuart Brierley, Ph.D.