5 ms·

Why a cocktail of microbes could give protection against disease

77 points by zeristor 8y ago

learnstats2 8y ago
This reads a bit like snake-oil yakult. The article presents hypothetical causes of leukaemia as fact, when they are not evidenced by current science.
option_greek 8y ago
Why not use existing probiotics like Kefir in the clinical trials rather than reinvent a new mix.
- gumby 8y ago
  Reasons not to include: How do you know the particular mix in a particular batch of Kefir is appropriate for Leukaemia? How do you control batch-batch variance to get a large enough n to power the study adequately. Of course you may have picked the wrong assortment in your study -- oops. Then again people do get leukaemia, some of whom have presumably drunk Kefir. It would need its own study.
pella 8y ago
"A causal mechanism for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (Mel Greaves)" Nature Reviews Cancer volume 18, pages 471–484 (2018) (paywall) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41568-018-0015-6 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41568-018-0015-6 PDF(free): https://www.tuseb.gov.tr/enstitu/tacese/yuklemeler/ekitap/cshastaliklari/all.pdf https://www.tuseb.gov.tr/enstitu/tacese/yuklemeler/ekitap/cs... Latest from cancer scientist Mel Greaves: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=Mel%20Greaves https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=Mel%20Gr...
pella 8y ago
discussion 7 months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17120082 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17120082
sunstone 8y ago
I wonder if all the vaccinations in the first year wouldn't qualify as a "sickness" or several sicknesses as far as the immune system is concerned?
acd 8y ago
Your tummy contains a micro system that is essential to your health. That is why eating food which have nutrients for those microbes are good for your health. There is also link between these microbes and your brain. This is also why eating food feed with antibiotics is bad for you because it kills the good bacteria in the tummy.
masonic 8y ago
The actual title is "‘For 30 years I’ve been obsessed by why children get leukaemia. Now we have an answer’", but the submitter's choice of title is more succinct and descriptive.

77 points by zeristor 8y ago

This reads a bit like snake-oil yakult. The article presents hypothetical causes of leukaemia as fact, when they are not evidenced by current science.

option_greek 8y ago

Why not use existing probiotics like Kefir in the clinical trials rather than reinvent a new mix.

gumby 8y ago
Reasons not to include: How do you know the particular mix in a particular batch of Kefir is appropriate for Leukaemia? How do you control batch-batch variance to get a large enough n to power the study adequately. Of course you may have picked the wrong assortment in your study -- oops. Then again people do get leukaemia, some of whom have presumably drunk Kefir. It would need its own study.

pella 8y ago

"A causal mechanism for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (Mel Greaves)" Nature Reviews Cancer volume 18, pages 471–484 (2018) (paywall) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41568-018-0015-6 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41568-018-0015-6 PDF(free): https://www.tuseb.gov.tr/enstitu/tacese/yuklemeler/ekitap/cshastaliklari/all.pdf https://www.tuseb.gov.tr/enstitu/tacese/yuklemeler/ekitap/cs... Latest from cancer scientist Mel Greaves: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=Mel%20Greaves https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?cmd=search&term=Mel%20Gr...

pella 8y ago

discussion 7 months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17120082 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17120082

sunstone 8y ago

I wonder if all the vaccinations in the first year wouldn't qualify as a "sickness" or several sicknesses as far as the immune system is concerned?

acd 8y ago

Your tummy contains a micro system that is essential to your health. That is why eating food which have nutrients for those microbes are good for your health. There is also link between these microbes and your brain. This is also why eating food feed with antibiotics is bad for you because it kills the good bacteria in the tummy.

masonic 8y ago

The actual title is "‘For 30 years I’ve been obsessed by why children get leukaemia. Now we have an answer’", but the submitter's choice of title is more succinct and descriptive.