Latest news with #Brain
Mint
3 days ago
- Health
- Mint
Do probiotics work?
A DAZZLING menagerie of microbes live inside the human gut—by some counts a few thousand different species. Most residents of this gut microbiome are not the disease-causing kind. In fact, many do useful jobs, such as breaking down certain carbohydrates, fibres and proteins that the human body would otherwise struggle to digest. Some even produce essential compounds the body cannot make on its own, like B vitamins and short-chain fatty acids, which help regulate inflammation, influence the immune system and affect metabolism. As awareness of the microbiome has grown, the shelves of health-food shops have become stocked with products designed to boost good bacteria. These usually fall into two categories: probiotics, capsules containing live (but freeze-dried) bacteria that, in theory, spring back to life once inside your gut; and prebiotics, pills made of fibres that beneficial bacteria feed on. There are good scientific reasons to tend one's microbiome. Having a diverse assortment of gut bugs, with plenty of the good kind, seems to confer broad health benefits. A varied microbial population can fend off pathogens like E. Coli, by competing with them for nutrients and space. Reduced diversity, by contrast, has been linked to obesity, type-2 diabetes and irritable bowel syndrome. There is also evidence that having greater microbiome diversity, as well as a higher total number of microbes, are associated with improved recovery from gastrointestinal surgery. The microbiome's influence stretches well beyond the gut. A diverse microbiome seems to be important for brain health too: people with depression have less microbial variety in their guts than those without do, for example. One study from 2023, published in the journal Brain, found that transplanting the microbiome of patients with Alzheimer's into a rat caused the rat to develop memory problems. An off-kilter microbiome has also been linked to respiratory infections: mice with fewer gut microbes are more likely to catch pneumonia or influenza. To keep the microbiome healthy, diet is key. Microbes thrive on foods rich in fibre and digestion-resistant starch, so munching on fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts is a good place to start. Fermented foods and drinks, such as yogurt, sauerkraut and kombucha, also contain friendly micro-organisms like Lactobacillus. Avoiding unnecessary antibiotics is important, as they wipe out good bacteria along with the bad. Supplements seem equally appealing, but because they are not regulated as medicines, many have not been rigorously tested. 'It is absolute cowboy territory in terms of marketing", says Ted Dinan, a psychiatrist at University College Cork who studies the influence of the microbiome on mental health. Fortunately for consumers based in America, Britain and Canada, academics in those countries have developed apps (each called The Probiotic Guide) that can be used to search for probiotic products and check what scientific evidence, if any, backs them up. Nothing so comprehensive exists for prebiotics, as yet. Taking the wrong product may not do much good, but it probably won't do much harm either. 'You really cannot overdose on probiotics," says Glenn Gibson, a microbiologist at the University of Reading. Taking too many prebiotics, however, could temporarily disrupt the microbiome. The likely side effect? 'Gas", he says. 'But that's more just antisocial than anything else." © 2025, The Economist Newspaper Ltd. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on
Daily Mirror
02-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
Ex-'cult' priest who 'sexually assaulted members' held 'disturbing services'
Christopher Brain, 68, is accused of abusing his position as leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS) to sexually assault a 'staggering number' of women followers A former priest accused of sexual offences against 13 women in his congregation led an evangelical movement that held "extremely disturbing" services featuring "young women behaving in what looked like a controlled manner," a court has heard. Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995. He has been charged with one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995, all of which he denies. The prosecution allege NOS became a cult where Brain abused his position to sexually assault a "staggering number" of women followers, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family. Inner London Crown Court has heard a "homebase team" was set up to "care for" Brain – referred to as "the Lycra Lovelies" or "the Lycra Nuns" – with witnesses reporting seeing the defendant surrounded by attractive women in lingerie at his home looking after his needs. Mark Stibbe was a curate of St Thomas's Church in Sheffield when NOS was holding services there. Giving evidence on Wednesday, he said there was "concern" about the direction NOS was taking and discussion about Brain and what was going on at his home. He told the court: "I remember one church administrator or finance officer at St Thomas's who was like an old school army man and he brought up the negative optics, potentially anyway, of scantily clad, lycra-wearing pretty young women as he put it coming to and from Chris Brain's house on a regular basis to perform 'domestic duties'." The witness said the man got a "roasting" for asking whether there was "anything untoward" about it and that others at St Thomas's felt that if the church's vicar, Robert Warren, was not going to intervene then junior clergy had no business doing so. He said it did not appear to him that Reverend Warren was able to control Brain. He also recalled there was "a lot of controversy" over the Greenbelt Christian arts festival "into which NOS had poured many hours and many thousands of pounds." Dr Stibbe moved to another church in 1993 but attended a NOS service once it had moved to a new location in Ponds Forge after a member of his congregation expressed concerns to him about it. Of his visit, he said: "My view at the time was that it was extremely disturbing and that my friend who had said it was disturbing was correct. The reason I found it disturbing is that the things that had been reported from the Greenbelt Festival about girls gyrating in scantily clad costume in a worship context, that is what I was seeing in this context." Asked if he thought the women were willing participants, he told jurors: "This is the thing that concerns me. I couldn't tell. In a progressive culture… it seemed to me to be a graphic, vivid contradiction to have young women behaving in what looked like a controlled manner." Earlier the court heard from Rev Warren who said allegations that emerged about Brain's abuse "came as a total shock," although he admitted he had a sense of "cult-like elements" emerging in NOS. Asked while giving evidence over a video link to explain what kinds of behaviour he saw, he said: "Just a sort of controlling of people and a focus on Chris Brain almost as a sort of guru." He added: "I think it was a sense of deference to Chris Brain that if you asked people about the service they would always say, well what Chris thinks is or what Chris wants is. With the other services I wouldn't get that sort of response." The reverend said if NOS had continued to hold services at St Thomas's he expects that behaviour would have become clearer and he would have done something about it. He told the court that NOS had 400 regular worshippers when it left St Thomas's and at one stage there was a mass confirmation service of 93 members of NOS – "the largest group that we had ever confirmed in one church." He agreed that NOS was exciting and innovative for the Church of England and that it could engage young people in ways the church was until then failing to do, incorporating "rave" culture and music as part of worship. "Some people who were at that service would come from 20 or 30 miles away because they found the service so inspiring," he said. The witness also told jurors that NOS functioned independently financially from St Thomas's, and that NOS contributed to payments to Brain as a "lay leader" and then as a priest once he was ordained. The trial continues.
Leader Live
02-07-2025
- Leader Live
Former priest led movement with ‘extremely disturbing' services, court hears
Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995. Brain denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995. The prosecution allege NOS became a cult where Brain abused his position to sexually assault a 'staggering number' of women followers, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family. Inner London Crown Court has heard a 'homebase team' was set up to 'care for' Brain – referred to as 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' – with witnesses reporting seeing the defendant surrounded by attractive women in lingerie at his home looking after his needs. Mark Stibbe was a curate of St Thomas's Church in Sheffield when NOS was holding services there. Giving evidence on Wednesday, he said there was 'concern' about the direction NOS was taking and discussion about Brain and what was going on at his home. He told the court: 'I remember one church administrator or finance officer at St Thomas's who was like an old school army man and he brought up the negative optics, potentially anyway, of scantily clad, lycra-wearing pretty young women as he put it coming to and from Chris Brain's house on a regular basis to perform 'domestic duties'.' The witness said the man got a 'roasting' for asking whether there was 'anything untoward' about it and that others at St Thomas's felt that if the church's vicar, Robert Warren, was not going to intervene then junior clergy had no business doing so. He said it did not appear to him that Reverend Warren was able to control Brain. He also recalled there was 'a lot of controversy' over the Greenbelt Christian arts festival 'into which NOS had poured many hours and many thousands of pounds'. Dr Stibbe moved to another church in 1993 but attended a NOS service once it had moved to a new location in Ponds Forge after a member of his congregation expressed concerns to him about it. Of his visit, he said: 'My view at the time was that it was extremely disturbing and that my friend who had said it was disturbing was correct. 'The reason I found it disturbing is that the things that had been reported from the Greenbelt Festival about girls gyrating in scantily clad costume in a worship context, that is what I was seeing in this context.' Asked if he thought the women were willing participants, he told jurors: 'This is the thing that concerns me. I couldn't tell. 'In a progressive culture… it seemed to me to be a graphic, vivid contradiction to have young women behaving in what looked like a controlled manner.' Dr Stibbe said he wrote to the then Bishop of Sheffield to ask about oversight of NOS. 'It seemed to me that it had drifted so far away from being a Christian ritual and Christian service and there were elements of it that deeply disturbed me and I felt it was not properly accountable,' he said. 'I do remember saying to him that I felt that if he did not step in and discern what was truly going on in the congregation that there would be disaster within one year.' Of the response, he said: 'Part of it was a reprimand or rebuke and the rebuke was that we did not conduct witch hunts in the diocese. So I really had my ecclesiastical wrists slapped.' He added that he was told then archdeacon Stephen Lowe was overseeing NOS and that 'that should be enough for me'. Earlier the court heard from Rev Warren who said allegations that emerged about Brain's abuse 'came as a total shock', although he admitted he had a sense of 'cult-like elements' emerging in NOS. Asked while giving evidence over a video link to explain what kinds of behaviour he saw, he said: 'Just a sort of controlling of people and a focus on Chris Brain almost as a sort of guru.' He added: 'I think it was a sense of deference to Chris Brain that if you asked people about the service they would always say, well what Chris thinks is or what Chris wants is. 'With the other services I wouldn't get that sort of response.' The reverend said if NOS had continued to hold services at St Thomas's he expects that behaviour would have become clearer and he would have done something about it. He told the court that NOS had 400 regular worshippers when it left St Thomas's and at one stage there was a mass confirmation service of 93 members of NOS – 'the largest group that we had ever confirmed in one church'. He agreed that NOS was exciting and innovative for the Church of England and that it could engage young people in ways the church was until then failing to do, incorporating 'rave' culture and music as part of worship. 'Some people who were at that service would come from 20 or 30 miles away because they found the service so inspiring,' he said. The witness also told jurors that NOS functioned independently financially from St Thomas's, and that NOS contributed to payments to Brain as a 'lay leader' and then as a priest once he was ordained. Brain's personal tutor during his ordination training also gave evidence, telling jurors how she initially thought he was arrogant, how he was often absent and failed to consistently meet deadlines. Marilyn Parry said she raised issues with senior tutors and the diocese but that they did not appear to share her view, adding: 'They felt he should be given some slack because he was running such an important ministry for the church.' 'Mr Brain was not having a normal curacy so he was being fast tracked through the process,' she said. 'I felt it was a mistake.' The court heard it would normally take three to four years for someone to be ordained from the time they begin training at college but that Brain was ordained in one. The witness also said she had difficulty getting in touch with him and would often find 'young women' answering his phone, telling of a particular conversation that 'worried' her when a young woman said Brain could not take her call because he was being massaged by another member of the team. Former members of NOS also gave evidence, telling the court how Brain led a 'luxurious' lifestyle with a 'lavish' car, mobile phone and 'the best' clothes. They also said there was an 'expectation' that followers should try to contribute 10% of their income to NOS. The trial continues on Thursday.
Glasgow Times
02-07-2025
- Glasgow Times
Former priest led movement with ‘extremely disturbing' services, court hears
Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995. Brain denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995. The prosecution allege NOS became a cult where Brain abused his position to sexually assault a 'staggering number' of women followers, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family. Brain is charged with one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault (Elizabeth Cook/PA) Inner London Crown Court has heard a 'homebase team' was set up to 'care for' Brain – referred to as 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' – with witnesses reporting seeing the defendant surrounded by attractive women in lingerie at his home looking after his needs. Mark Stibbe was a curate of St Thomas's Church in Sheffield when NOS was holding services there. Giving evidence on Wednesday, he said there was 'concern' about the direction NOS was taking and discussion about Brain and what was going on at his home. He told the court: 'I remember one church administrator or finance officer at St Thomas's who was like an old school army man and he brought up the negative optics, potentially anyway, of scantily clad, lycra-wearing pretty young women as he put it coming to and from Chris Brain's house on a regular basis to perform 'domestic duties'.' The witness said the man got a 'roasting' for asking whether there was 'anything untoward' about it and that others at St Thomas's felt that if the church's vicar, Robert Warren, was not going to intervene then junior clergy had no business doing so. He said it did not appear to him that Reverend Warren was able to control Brain. He also recalled there was 'a lot of controversy' over the Greenbelt Christian arts festival 'into which NOS had poured many hours and many thousands of pounds'. Dr Stibbe moved to another church in 1993 but attended a NOS service once it had moved to a new location in Ponds Forge after a member of his congregation expressed concerns to him about it. Of his visit, he said: 'My view at the time was that it was extremely disturbing and that my friend who had said it was disturbing was correct. 'The reason I found it disturbing is that the things that had been reported from the Greenbelt Festival about girls gyrating in scantily clad costume in a worship context, that is what I was seeing in this context.' Asked if he thought the women were willing participants, he told jurors: 'This is the thing that concerns me. I couldn't tell. 'In a progressive culture… it seemed to me to be a graphic, vivid contradiction to have young women behaving in what looked like a controlled manner.' Dr Stibbe said he wrote to the then Bishop of Sheffield to ask about oversight of NOS. 'It seemed to me that it had drifted so far away from being a Christian ritual and Christian service and there were elements of it that deeply disturbed me and I felt it was not properly accountable,' he said. 'I do remember saying to him that I felt that if he did not step in and discern what was truly going on in the congregation that there would be disaster within one year.' Of the response, he said: 'Part of it was a reprimand or rebuke and the rebuke was that we did not conduct witch hunts in the diocese. So I really had my ecclesiastical wrists slapped.' He added that he was told then archdeacon Stephen Lowe was overseeing NOS and that 'that should be enough for me'. Earlier the court heard from Rev Warren who said allegations that emerged about Brain's abuse 'came as a total shock', although he admitted he had a sense of 'cult-like elements' emerging in NOS. Asked while giving evidence over a video link to explain what kinds of behaviour he saw, he said: 'Just a sort of controlling of people and a focus on Chris Brain almost as a sort of guru.' He added: 'I think it was a sense of deference to Chris Brain that if you asked people about the service they would always say, well what Chris thinks is or what Chris wants is. 'With the other services I wouldn't get that sort of response.' The reverend said if NOS had continued to hold services at St Thomas's he expects that behaviour would have become clearer and he would have done something about it. He told the court that NOS had 400 regular worshippers when it left St Thomas's and at one stage there was a mass confirmation service of 93 members of NOS – 'the largest group that we had ever confirmed in one church'. He agreed that NOS was exciting and innovative for the Church of England and that it could engage young people in ways the church was until then failing to do, incorporating 'rave' culture and music as part of worship. 'Some people who were at that service would come from 20 or 30 miles away because they found the service so inspiring,' he said. The witness also told jurors that NOS functioned independently financially from St Thomas's, and that NOS contributed to payments to Brain as a 'lay leader' and then as a priest once he was ordained. Brain's personal tutor during his ordination training also gave evidence, telling jurors how she initially thought he was arrogant, how he was often absent and failed to consistently meet deadlines. Marilyn Parry said she raised issues with senior tutors and the diocese but that they did not appear to share her view, adding: 'They felt he should be given some slack because he was running such an important ministry for the church.' 'Mr Brain was not having a normal curacy so he was being fast tracked through the process,' she said. 'I felt it was a mistake.' The court heard it would normally take three to four years for someone to be ordained from the time they begin training at college but that Brain was ordained in one. The witness also said she had difficulty getting in touch with him and would often find 'young women' answering his phone, telling of a particular conversation that 'worried' her when a young woman said Brain could not take her call because he was being massaged by another member of the team. Former members of NOS also gave evidence, telling the court how Brain led a 'luxurious' lifestyle with a 'lavish' car, mobile phone and 'the best' clothes. They also said there was an 'expectation' that followers should try to contribute 10% of their income to NOS. The trial continues on Thursday.
South Wales Guardian
02-07-2025
- South Wales Guardian
Former priest led movement with ‘extremely disturbing' services, court hears
Christopher Brain, 68, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, was leader of the the Nine O'Clock Service (NOS), part of the Church of England, in Sheffield between 1986 and 1995. Brain denies one count of rape and 36 counts of indecent assault between 1981 and 1995. The prosecution allege NOS became a cult where Brain abused his position to sexually assault a 'staggering number' of women followers, exerting control over their lives and ostracising them from friends and family. Inner London Crown Court has heard a 'homebase team' was set up to 'care for' Brain – referred to as 'the Lycra Lovelies' or 'the Lycra Nuns' – with witnesses reporting seeing the defendant surrounded by attractive women in lingerie at his home looking after his needs. Mark Stibbe was a curate of St Thomas's Church in Sheffield when NOS was holding services there. Giving evidence on Wednesday, he said there was 'concern' about the direction NOS was taking and discussion about Brain and what was going on at his home. He told the court: 'I remember one church administrator or finance officer at St Thomas's who was like an old school army man and he brought up the negative optics, potentially anyway, of scantily clad, lycra-wearing pretty young women as he put it coming to and from Chris Brain's house on a regular basis to perform 'domestic duties'.' The witness said the man got a 'roasting' for asking whether there was 'anything untoward' about it and that others at St Thomas's felt that if the church's vicar, Robert Warren, was not going to intervene then junior clergy had no business doing so. He said it did not appear to him that Reverend Warren was able to control Brain. He also recalled there was 'a lot of controversy' over the Greenbelt Christian arts festival 'into which NOS had poured many hours and many thousands of pounds'. Dr Stibbe moved to another church in 1993 but attended a NOS service once it had moved to a new location in Ponds Forge after a member of his congregation expressed concerns to him about it. Of his visit, he said: 'My view at the time was that it was extremely disturbing and that my friend who had said it was disturbing was correct. 'The reason I found it disturbing is that the things that had been reported from the Greenbelt Festival about girls gyrating in scantily clad costume in a worship context, that is what I was seeing in this context.' Asked if he thought the women were willing participants, he told jurors: 'This is the thing that concerns me. I couldn't tell. 'In a progressive culture… it seemed to me to be a graphic, vivid contradiction to have young women behaving in what looked like a controlled manner.' Dr Stibbe said he wrote to the then Bishop of Sheffield to ask about oversight of NOS. 'It seemed to me that it had drifted so far away from being a Christian ritual and Christian service and there were elements of it that deeply disturbed me and I felt it was not properly accountable,' he said. 'I do remember saying to him that I felt that if he did not step in and discern what was truly going on in the congregation that there would be disaster within one year.' Of the response, he said: 'Part of it was a reprimand or rebuke and the rebuke was that we did not conduct witch hunts in the diocese. So I really had my ecclesiastical wrists slapped.' He added that he was told then archdeacon Stephen Lowe was overseeing NOS and that 'that should be enough for me'. Earlier the court heard from Rev Warren who said allegations that emerged about Brain's abuse 'came as a total shock', although he admitted he had a sense of 'cult-like elements' emerging in NOS. Asked while giving evidence over a video link to explain what kinds of behaviour he saw, he said: 'Just a sort of controlling of people and a focus on Chris Brain almost as a sort of guru.' He added: 'I think it was a sense of deference to Chris Brain that if you asked people about the service they would always say, well what Chris thinks is or what Chris wants is. 'With the other services I wouldn't get that sort of response.' The reverend said if NOS had continued to hold services at St Thomas's he expects that behaviour would have become clearer and he would have done something about it. He told the court that NOS had 400 regular worshippers when it left St Thomas's and at one stage there was a mass confirmation service of 93 members of NOS – 'the largest group that we had ever confirmed in one church'. He agreed that NOS was exciting and innovative for the Church of England and that it could engage young people in ways the church was until then failing to do, incorporating 'rave' culture and music as part of worship. 'Some people who were at that service would come from 20 or 30 miles away because they found the service so inspiring,' he said. The witness also told jurors that NOS functioned independently financially from St Thomas's, and that NOS contributed to payments to Brain as a 'lay leader' and then as a priest once he was ordained. Brain's personal tutor during his ordination training also gave evidence, telling jurors how she initially thought he was arrogant, how he was often absent and failed to consistently meet deadlines. Marilyn Parry said she raised issues with senior tutors and the diocese but that they did not appear to share her view, adding: 'They felt he should be given some slack because he was running such an important ministry for the church.' 'Mr Brain was not having a normal curacy so he was being fast tracked through the process,' she said. 'I felt it was a mistake.' The court heard it would normally take three to four years for someone to be ordained from the time they begin training at college but that Brain was ordained in one. The witness also said she had difficulty getting in touch with him and would often find 'young women' answering his phone, telling of a particular conversation that 'worried' her when a young woman said Brain could not take her call because he was being massaged by another member of the team. Former members of NOS also gave evidence, telling the court how Brain led a 'luxurious' lifestyle with a 'lavish' car, mobile phone and 'the best' clothes. They also said there was an 'expectation' that followers should try to contribute 10% of their income to NOS. The trial continues on Thursday.
