Health experts urged the public to maintain a healthy balance between “good” and “bad” bacteria in their bodies after a study showed that Taiwanese have more bad bacteria in their digestive system than people in other Asian countries.
The study, released on Thursday by the Association for Lactic Acid Bacteria (TALAB), found that Taiwanese schoolchildren have up to 30 times more Escherichia coli and 15 times more Clostridium perfringens — two of the “bad” bacteria — than kids of the same age in Japan.
The report said that E coli and C perfringens are two common microbes that can directly or indirectly cause gastroenteritis and a slew of other digestive tract infections.
On the other hand, Taiwanese schoolchildren only have between one-third and one-fifth of the “good” bacteria Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium compared with their peers in Japan, the study showed.
Association officials said that since the bacterial composition of adults is likely to be similar to that of children, the public should take steps to ensure a healthy balance of microorganisms in their bodies.
The study was conducted among children aged eight to 10, in 10 cities in five Asian countries, said Tsai Ying-chieh (蔡英傑), a professor of microbiology and honorary chairman of the association.
Research teams collected stool samples and used DNA testing to screen for microorganism species, Tsai said.
“We found that Taiwanese children have all the major aggregate problems of populations in other Asian cities. In comparison with Japan, we found that Taiwanese children have much lower good bacteria, as well as a wider variety of microbe species, than Japanese children,” he said.
Besides E coli and C perfringens, more than 50 percent of Taiwanese have Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for stomach and duodenal ulcers, Tsai said.
More than 1.42 million people in Taiwan were treated for these two conditions last year, Tsai added.
Daily eating habits and physical activity are critical to maintaining a healthy balance of good and bad bacteria, he said.
“A large number of Taiwanese eat out. People here also tend to have ‘predator eating habits’ — oil-fried, barbecued or roasted food, dishes high in fat content, and lots of meat, but few vegetables and fruit,” Tsai said.
“This is compounded by stress from daily life and work. Many people ignore the importance of normal bowel movement. Once the bad bacteria outnumber the good ones, people’s intestinal microbial ecology becomes imbalanced and they become more susceptible to gastroenteritis, digestive diseases or even colorectal cancer,” he added.
Formosa Cancer Foundation joined the association in raising public awareness about the importance of taking good care of one’s body.
Foundation chief executive Lai Chi-ming (賴基銘) said stomach and colorectal cancers have affected an increasing number of Taiwanese over the past 10 years, and the trend is still rising.
Lai urged people to eat at least five types of vegetables and fruit each day, cut down on meat consumption and exercise more.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS