The Lactobacilli is the largest group of lactic acid bacteria, and includes more than 50 species. The most well known is the Lactobacilli acidophilus, a probiotic that improves digestion. Lactobacilli bacteria naturally inhabit the...
The completion of the Human Genome Project has enabled the development of diet plans based on the genetics of an individual. A genetic diet is not a specific diet; rather, it is a type of diet that uses an individual’s unique genetic...
People with bipolar disorder suffer from alternating episodes of mania--uncontrolled exuberance--and depression. Studies have clearly established a role of heredity in bipolar disorder. Most scientists believe that many genes, each with a small...
It is well known and accepted that dietary habits can affect your health and risk for disease. Researchers are learning more about the link between diet and disease by examining the effect your diet can have on the structure of cellular...
Infection with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, causes AIDS, a condition in which the immune system becomes weakened, leaving patients vulnerable to life-threatening opportunistic infections. HIV is a retrovirus composed of a genome made from...
Huntington's disease is an inherited disorder characterized by the destruction of nerve cells in specific areas of the brain. Symptoms present in adulthood with the onset most frequently occurring during the third or fourth decade of life. Early...
Genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, are those organisms whose genetic material or DNA has been deliberately altered to incorporate genes from another species. According to the Human Genome Project, GMOs are designed to confer certain...
Type I diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes. Type I diabetes typically affects patients early in their lives, either in childhood or when they are young adults, although it can start later in life. Type I diabetes is caused by...
According to the American Heart Association, primary hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the most common form of hypertension, affecting 74 million adults in the U.S. Hypertension is typically defined as a systolic blood pressure, or top...
The Mycoplasma genus of bacteria consists of a number of different species. According to the Mayo Clinic, Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the species of bacteria responsible for a mild form of the lung infection pneumonia. People infected with the...
Breast cancer is the result of genetic mutations accumulating in breast tissue cells causing them to grow abnormally quickly. Sporadic mutations occur over the course of the patient's life, whereas inherited ones are passed on from the patient's...
Iron is an essential nutrient the human body needs to make oxygen-carrying proteins found in red blood cells. Although iron deficiencies can cause health problems, iron consumed in excess can be toxic or even fatal. Iron toxicity caused by...
The polio virus is the causative agent of poliomyelitis, one of the most feared diseases of the twentieth century, responsible for crippling thousands of people across the globe, prior to distribution of a vaccine developed by Jonas Salk in the...
Ultraviolet, or UV light emitted from the sun affects cells differently depending on the type of cell. Well known is the damage to human cells that can result from prolonged exposure to UV light. Anyone treating a sunburn after a long day outside...
Vitamin D-3, or cholecalciferol, is synthesized in your skin from sun exposure. The vitamin D you take in a supplement is an inactive form that your body converts to vitamin D-3. Dietary intake is essential if you do not spend enough time outdoors...
Xanthomas, xanthelasmas and fatty deposits are all cholesterol spots, a sign of familial hypercholesterolemia, which simply means you have high cholesterol because of your genetic makeup. People with familial hypercholesterolemia may have...
Proteins are large molecules comprising many molecules, including amino acids. They are abundant in nature, and can be found in every living cell. According to the Recombinant Antibody website, the characteristics of all organisms are determined...
Lymphoproliferative disease also is known as Castleman disease. Castleman disease means your lymphatic system grows lymphatic cells that are of unusual size. The disease also may be referred to as angilfollicular lymph node hyperplasia or just...
Numerous proteins are associated with human genetic diseases. According to the Human Genome Project Information website, protein interactions can be the root cause of genetic pathologies. A genetic disease is a condition that is caused by...
Viruses are parasites that cannot reproduce on their own. They recognize specific molecules on the surface of target cells and bind to them. After entering the cells, viruses take off their protein coat'a process called un-coating'to release the...
Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disease characterized by delusions, hallucinations and difficulty distinguishing between reality and imagination. Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disorder triggered by gluten, proteins found in...
Despite the reputation of bacteria as disease-causing microorganisms, some strains can actually benefit your health. According to the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide, regularly taking probiotics, or "good" bacteria, through dietary...
Cancer of any form is the result of genetic mutations that occur in previously normal cells. It takes many different genetic mutations to turn a normal cell into a cancerous cell. These genetic changes may occur as a result of mutations that can...
DNA testing "can provide information for diagnosing, treating and preventing illness," according to the Mayo Clinic. Screenings can help find genetic disorders before the symptoms of the disorder occur, in adults and fetuses. A blood sample is...
Heart disease is a multifactorial disease. Along with lifestyle choices such as smoking, exercise habits and diet, the risk of developing heart disease is strongly influenced by genetics. Many genes have been identified that are associated with...
The most common causes of high cholesterol are obesity, lack of physical activity and poor eating habits. In rare cases, however, the condition is inherited, affecting your low-density lipoprotein -- LDL -- cholesterol levels, and is known as...
Cholesterol pockets are fatty skin deposits that develop for a number of reasons, the primary cause being high levels of cholesterol in your blood. There are two main types of cholesterol pockets -- xanthomas and xanthelasmas. The type depends on...
Almost all human disease has a genetic basis, even those associated with lifestyle choices such as obesity, heart disease and alcoholism. So why do genetic diseases occur in some people, but not in others? The answer lies in the human genome. ...
Restriction enzymes are functional proteins found in bacteria. Enzymes help speed up chemical reactions, and living organisms use enzymes for a variety of purposes. Specifically, bacteria use restriction enzymes to cut DNA at specific sites. This...
