Diet, health links crucial

Public forum: A free public forum in Galway will this evening look at the links between food, medicine, diet and health.

Researchers from University College Cork's Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) will travel to NUI Galway to talk about natural solutions to today's medical problems.

They will present their latest findings on a range of topics including how food can influence stress levels and the importance of maintaining healthy bacteria in the gut.

"It's about the inter-relationship between your health status and what you eat, and the role that food could have in maintaining the good health status," explained Prof Gerald Fitzgerald, deputy director of the APC.

"The gut is one of our most important organs," he said.

One of this evening's talks will focus on "stress and the angry gut", with particular insights into molecules in food that can have an impact on the brain, and may explain why some people like to drink cocoa at bedtime. "There are components in food that make you feel a little bit more relaxed, a little bit more at ease and maybe go to sleep better," Prof Fitzgerald said.

There will also be discussion about gut microflora. Prof Fitzgerald encouraged people to become aware of the millions of active bacteria that colonise the intestine. "This microflora is part of what you are and is a part of keeping your gut healthy. When your microflora goes wrong then you can have significant problems, ranging from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) right through to inflammatory bowel disease, and ranging into other things like the mood you are in," he said, adding that gut micro-organisms may also influence the way fat is deposited in the body.

Prof Fitzgerald said taking probiotic bacteria and prebiotic oligosaccharide sugars could help maintain a healthy microflora but he noted that some probiotics are more beneficial than others.

"We and others have produced very solid scientific data that indicate some probiotics but not others relieve the symptoms of IBS," he said. "But I have never come across any bacteria that we would call a probiotic that actually does you any harm."

Prof Fitzgerald encouraged anyone with an interest in health and the impact of diet to attend tonight's forum from 6.30-9pm at the Arts Millennium Building, NUI Galway.

Consultant gastroenterologist and APC director Prof Fergus Shanahan will chair the event.