7 Steps to Maintaining A Healthy Gut

Maintaining a healthy gut is not as easy as popping a magic pill. The entire system must be in sync, the flora is just the tip of the iceberg. Consider these 7 steps when trying to take care of your gut.

1.EAT SEVERAL SMALL MEALS during the day instead of pigging out at dinner. "Cramming in all your food at the end of the day stresses the gut by giving it too much food at once," says Leslie Bonci, a registered dietitian and director of the Sports Nutrition Center at the University of Pittsburgh. Drink plenty of water to keep the food moving.

2.PRIORITIZE WHOLE FOODS. Stock up on vegetables, fruits, nuts & legumes. If the food on your plate looks like food in the wild, you're off to a good start. The best way to restore your gut is to stop assaulting it with processed food all the time.

3.EAT PROBIOTIC FOODS. Shoot for at least one daily serving of a food with probiotic or "live" cultures. Try yogurt, kefir (a fermented dairy drink), tempeh or miso.

4.BULK UP ON FIBER. The more fiber you have in your diet, the more diversity you'll have in your ecosystem. Aim for 25-38 grams of fiber a day.

5.CUT BACK ON SUGAR. Refined sugars acidify the system and prompt the body to make more bile. Bad bacteria feast on sugar & bile acids. Therefore, too much sugar may tip the bacterial balance toward the dark side.

6.RELAX. In a 1999 study published in the International Journal Gut, people in gastrointestinal clinics cited severe life stress as a precursor to their gastrointestinal problems. We know that stress breeds inflammation & also upsets the parasympathetic nervous system, which controls the contractions of the intestine, thereby changing the speed at which food moves through you. Stress affects our biochemistry at many levels.

7.GET SEVEN TO EIGHT HOURS of sleep every night. Sleep not only regulates hormones in the gut that contribute to feelings of hunger and satiety, it also shores up the immune system. When the body is deprived of sleep, even for one night, the immune system suffers.

Like tending a vegetable patch, maintaining a balanced microflora environment requires daily attention.

Source:
Experiencelife.com
13 December

Bacteria To Give You A Lift

WHAT WE EAT can promote feelings of wellness and pleasure, and according to recent research conducted at University College Cork, foods containing probiotic bacteria may have potential in treating anxiety and depression- related disorders.

The research, which was carried out by Dr Javier Bravo, Prof John Cryan and their colleagues at the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre in UCC, found that probiotic bacteria can influence neurotransmitters and potentially ease feelings of anxiety or depression.

The study, which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA , centred on the “gut-brain axis” or how the intestines communicate to the brain.

“There hasn’t been a lot of research done on probiotics and depression,” says Prof Ted Dinan, a psychiatrist who was involved in the study. “We had done some previous work on probiotics and behaviour, but what makes the current study so different is that we discovered how probiotics affect a very important neurotransmitter, and act on feelings of anxiety.”

Probiotics are described as a “functional food” and are defined by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) as “foods that in addition to providing nutrition, possess characteristics that can help to achieve or maintain good health”.

Dairy products such as yoghurt drinks with added “good” bacteria are the most common probiotic products available to Irish consumers. Many people purchase probiotic products believing them to reduce bloating, diarrhoea, and to improve general health. But some probiotics have been found to have little effect on general intestinal health.

The UCC study dealt with a specific probiotic, the bacteria lactobacillus rhamnosus JB-1 , showing that ingesting the bacteria resulted in significantly lower levels of the stress hormone, corticosterone. The research, which was conducted on mice, revealed that the animals who were fed probiotics showed significantly less stress, anxiety and depression-related behaviour than those fed with a simple broth.

The study highlights the important role of bacteria in how the gut and brain communicate with each other. Regular feeding with the lactobacillus bacteria caused changes in the brain neurotransmitter known as GABA, demonstrating that probiotics can affect the brain in normal situations – reducing feelings of stress and anxiety.

The relationship between the gut, probiotics and depression is not a new one. Sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) frequently also suffer from depression. “In our hospital, 50 per cent of patients with IBS have anxiety and depression,” says Dinan.

“We don’t completely know why this is, but the general view is that it’s essentially a disorder in communication between the brain and gut.”

For those looking to enhance their mental health, the study offers interesting insights, but the specific lactobacillus bacteria used in this research may not be present in many off-the-shelf probiotic foods.

The UCC team is also uncertain as to whether more general lactobacillus bacteria could have the same effect on mood and behaviour as the specific one used in their experiments. However slight the hope, probiotics could provide a future remedy for sufferers of depression, many of whom are prescribed SSRIs, or selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors.

“As a psychiatrist, I would like to see something other than conventional treatments for anxiety and depression. Most patients who take SSRIs would be delighted to try something else,” says Dinan. “But without large scale placebo- based studies, we don’t know as yet just how effective probiotics can be.”

The APC unit in Cork may be able take this research further but, for now, the less glamorous claims made by many probiotic foods in terms of their role in gut function may be running into trouble with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

“Out of over 180 health claims made by probiotics that were examined by the EFSA’s panel of experts, none have sufficient evidence to back them up,” says Dr Mary Flynn of the FSAI. Some of the bacteria in their products were not evaluated properly and the bacteria also change with every tiny alteration of temperature or pH level.

“Probiotics are a positive development in food and there’s definitely a story there, but in terms of consumers, the claims they make about their affects on health have so far simply failed to be valid,” says Flynn. More research is needed if probiotics are to prove to consumers exactly how they improve general health.

Is it a step too far to say they could also have a role in mental health? If the findings from UCC are replicated in human trials, probiotic foods could yet become useful tools for the brain, not just the bowel.

Source:
The Irish Times
10 October 2011

Dealing with Diarrhoea

Global statistics has revealed that of the 9 million ‘under 5 years of age’ child deaths in 2008, nearly 40% were due to two most common infectious diseases – pneumonia and diarrhoea. This only goes to show that diarrhoea can be more fatal than AIDS, measles and malaria combined. India features among one of the 5 countries that accounts for nearly 50% of diarrhoeal deaths.

While much has been done to prevent the disease, mostly by improving hygiene, sanitation and including interventions such as ORS, zinc and also vaccines,we keep searching for newer remedies that can benefit by providing a synergistic effect when used in combination. Two recent reviews suggest that one way to battle diarrhoea could be by introducing probiotics or ‘friendly’ bacteria, an important part of our gut flora. Probiotics that modify the gut flora have gained a lot of importance and scientific evidence is quickly accumulating to validate their utility in simple gut-related problems such as constipation & diarrhoea to the more complicated cancers and allergies.

How do probiotics work?
Probiotics has been defined by FAO/WHO as live microorganisms that are intrinsically-resistant to the harsh environment of the stomach and reach the intestines in numbers sufficient enough to elicit a beneficial effect. In the intestine, they modify the environment in such a manner that the growth of the harmful disease-causing bacteria is suppressed & the balance of the gut flora restored. Given that 70% of the immune cells are harboured by the intestine, they are also known to build immune response.

Scientific evidence suggests that, with diarrhoea, probiotics act against pathogens by producing substances that inhibit their growth & increasing the ability to fight infection. The role of probiotics has been investigated in various disorders but the compelling evidence comes from trials conducted in the developed world in the area of diarrhoea.

A study was conducted in India on more than 3000 children at the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata. The study evaluated the role of a probiotic strain lactobacillus casei shirota in preventing diarrhoea & the positive results observed brings a ray of hope for the use of probiotics.

As investigation in the area of probiotics continue their utility may far exceed beyond gut health and the coming years may find probiotics playing a significant role in lowering of cholesterol, preventing cancers, obesity and maybe even autism.

Source:
www.deccanherald.com
17 August 2011

Get Cultured!

What's tasty, easy, and has lots of health benefits?
Yogurt!
It's got powerful boosting protein and bone building calcium. In fact, the health benefits of yogurt are so impressive that many health-conscious people make it a daily habit.

Here are four possible health benefits of having a Yogurt every day:
Benefit No. 1:
Yogurt may help prevent Osteoporosis – adequate nutrition plays a major role in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and the micronutrients of greatest importance are calcium and Vitamin D.
Benefit No. 2:
Yogurt may reduce the risk of high blood pressure – the potassium in yogurt may help flush out excess sodium in your body.
Benefit No. 3:
Yogurt with active cultures may help certain gastrointestinal conditions – your body needs to have a healthy amount of "Good" Bacteria in the digestive tract, and many yogurts are made using active, good bacteria.
Benefit No. 4:
Yogurt may help you feel fuller – the balance of carbohydrates and protein can keep your blood sugar levels steady.

What to consider when buying and eating yogurt Per 6 ounce serving:
Calories: 100 to 150
Fat: 3.5 or less (low fat or non-fat)
Saturated Fat: 2 grams or less
Protein: at least 8 to 10 grams
Sugar: 20 grams or less
Calcium: at least 20 percent of the daily value
Vitamin D: at least 20 percent of the daily value
Look for active cultures and probiotics, "live and active cultures."

Yogurt makes a perfect after workout snack. The protein provides the amino acids your muscles need to repair themselves, and the carbohydrates replace your muscle's energy stores.

Note: Greek yogurt has twice the protein content of regular yogurt. Yet, regular yogurt has three times as much calcium than Greek yogurt. Either way, both of these yogurts are a great way to indulge.

Source:
webmd.com
8 April 2011

Important Facts about Probiotics

With 70% of your body's natural defenses found in the gut, there’s hype & talk about the benefits of probiotics. It’s important to understand the role that helpful probiotics play as part of a holistic health routine.

Here are some important facts you need to know about probiotics:
Probiotics work because they are live bacteria that need to thrive in the human gut. Probiotics need tender loving care, therefore, don’t abuse your probiotics. Keep them cool & dry so they will be alive when they get into your body. For best results & for long-term storage, most probiotics need to be kept refrigerated.

Probiotics displace and even help kill pathogenic bacteria like salmonella and E. coli. Not all bacteria are bad. Probiotic Bacteria is good bacteria which we need to survive. The word “probiotic” means “for life.”

You have more bacteria in your intestines than there are cells in the rest of your body! The average person has approximately 100 trillion bacteria in their gut which represents ten times more than the number of cells in the body.

Retail probiotics vary drastically. Some products might not have sufficient numbers of live bacteria in them to make them effective. Also, some products might not be well-cared for, & the number of live bacteria on the label might not be correct. It is important for you to look for strains of bacteria that have been researched and have a proven track record of stability and efficacy, such as the DDS-1 strain of L. acidophilus.

The average human has 2-4 pounds of bacteria in their body! Within every human being is a flourishing, living colony of both beneficial and pathogenic bacteria. Most of these bacteria live in the human digestive tract (although some are found elsewhere, like the oral cavity, throat & skin), & perform necessary functions for humans, such as helping break down food.

Healthy Babies are Born with Probiotics! Healthy humans are born with good bacteria already in their intestines. But due to poor diet, antibiotics, & other factors, we might need a probiotic supplement to maintain the healthy bacteria in our gut as we get older.

Probiotic bacteria keep you healthy! Not only are good bacteria essential for healthy digestion, there is more and more research showing that good bacteria can help fight “lifestyle” diseases such as diabetes, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease.

Source:
HealthNewsDigest.com
15 September 2011

Indian Council of Medical Research Looking at Probiotics as an Alternative to Antibiotics

Could probiotics - good bacteria, become an alternative to antibiotics that are fast becoming resistant?
This is what the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) wants to find out.

The Indian Council of Medical Research says, "Antibiotic resistance is a burgeoning problem in India. Due to the availability of over-the-counter antibiotics and improper and rampant use, antibiotic resistance in the Indian population has sky rocketed. Probiotics can be studied and used as alternative and/or adjunctive therapy to conventional antibiotic therapy in various infectious diseases."

When it comes to role of probiotics on children, ICMT says the broad areas for research under the call for proposals includes looking at influence of probiotics on immunological response to oral vaccines, effect of probiotics on virus infections in organs other than GI tract, role of probiotics bacteria in mucosal protection against HIV in breastfeeding, examination of colonizing ability of different strains in target populations (neonates, infants, pediatric, adult and elderly population).

ICMR wants to initiate a study on the long-term colonization patterns of probiotics. Apart from looking at the immediate changes in gut flora, which may affect health and disease during that period, it is equally important to examine the colonization pattern over the longer term. Changes in gut flora over one-two years may have serious positive or negative effects, ICMR says.

As far as role of probiotics in women is concerned, ICMR has asked researchers to look at its role in restoring and maintaining uro-genital health, in reducing pre-term birth, in the field of female controlled HIV prevention and it as delivery agents for antiretroviral drugs. India recently released guidelines on the use of probiotics in the country. All strains of probiotics being used in India will now have to be deposited in an internationally recognized culture collection/repository for future reference.

In order to assure safety for humans, even for the group of bacteria that are "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS), all probiotic strains will have to be tested to assess its undesirable side-effects.

Companies will also have to determine antibiotic resistance patterns of the probiotic strain and should be ascertained that it is not at a significant risk with regard to transferable antibiotic resistance.

There were no regulatory guidelines for probiotic foods in India. In the absence of any such standards, there was a great scope for spurious products with false claims being marketed.

The guidelines go on to say that under labelling requirements, the following information has to be mentioned on the label of the probiotic products - genus, species and strain in the product, the minimum viable numbers of each probiotic strain at the level at which efficacy is claimed, evidence-based health claims, suggested serving size to deliver the minimum effective quantity of the probiotic related to the health claim and proper storage conditions.

Probiotics are good bacteria which are similar to beneficial micro organisms found in the human gut. According to the committee, India is fast emerging as a potential market for probiotics in food. The normal human digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system. The global probiotic market generated $15.9 billion in 2008 and is expected to be worth $ 32.6 billion by 2014 with annual growth rate of 12.6% from 2009 to 2014.

On the other hand, the probiotic product industry in India was estimated to be around Rs 20.6 million with a projected annual growth rate of 22.6% until 2015.

Source:
The Times Of India
28 October 2011

Prebiotics And Immunity

Dr. Jaclyn Chasse is a naturopathic physician and Medical Educator at Emerson Ecologics, President of the New Hampshire Association of Naturopathic Doctors explains that "Prebiotics" describes a category of nutrients that support the growth of the healthy microflora that populate your large intestine. They include selectively fermented ingredients that result in specific changes in the activity of gastrointestinal microbiota, specifically increasing probiotic bacteria. When probiotic bacteria are allowed to colonize and flourish, they help to keep many systems of your body healthy, including your immune system.

Probiotics play a key role in regulating immune function, they influence the gut barrier by modulating the production of mucous, reducing bacterial adhesion (of pathogenic bacteria), tightening cell junctions and inducing an appropriate response of IgA, one of the first lines of immune defense. In addition to supporting the growth of probiotic microflora, prebiotic nutrients may also have their own beneficial effects on the immune system.

In one study, prebiotic supplementation increased fecal secretory IgA and postnatal immune development in infants. Prebiotics have also demonstrated a modest effect on symptoms in patients with Crohns disease. Research is not clear on the mechanisms behind these benefits, or whether the supplementation was helpful due to their impact on microflora. With symbiotic relationships such as this, the beneficial results conferred are likely due to a combination of factors involving both the prebiotics and probiotics including effects from the by products of their interactions, such as the creation of powerful anti-inflammatory short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), a metabolic byproduct of prebiotic fermentation by probiotic bacteria.

Prebiotics can be supplemented, but they can also be easily integrated into the diet. Most prebiotics are soluble fibers. The most well-recognized prebiotics are inulin and fructooligosaccharides (FOS), both of which occur naturally in many foods. Some of these foods include chicory root, garlic, onion, and many other vegetables and fruits. There are no recommended daily intakes established for prebiotic fibers, but most studies demonstrate an effect with between 4-8g for a healthy individual and 15-20g for someone with an active digestive disorder.

Chicory root is the most concentrated source of prebiotic fiber. It contains almost 65% prebiotic fiber by weight. Other foods that are very high in prebiotics include Jerusalem artichokes, dandelion greens, garlic, leek, onion, asparagus, wheat (especially the bran or whole wheat flour) and bananas. For most of these foods, consuming them raw transmits more of the prebiotic benefit than when cooked.

In addition to these foods naturally containing prebiotics, there are additional "superfoods" hitting the marketplace with either high natural quantities of prebiotics or supplemented levels; these include yogurts, breads, cereals, and drinks. Naturally fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, kefir, and miso contain high levels of prebiotics.

Prebiotics are also available in a supplement form. As previously mentioned, the most common forms of supplemented prebiotics include inulin and FOS. Prebiotics are easy to consume as a powder, as normally their taste is mildly sweet and they are soluble in water or juice. They can also be found encapsulated and are often used as a filler in probiotic products.

Whether prebiotics benefit our immune system all on their own, or it is their symbiotic relationship with probiotic bacteria that supports healthy immunity, it is none-the-less an important aspect in maintaining overall wellness. Somehow though, don't think the saying will ever change to "an onion a day, keeps the doctor away!"

Source:
Emerson Ecologics
21 October 2011

Probiotic Improves Irritable Bowel Syndrome

59 children (aged 4-18 years; mean, 12.5 years) with IBS were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, (a probiotic) VSL#3 or placebo for 6 weeks.
After a 2-week washout period, each child received the alternate treatment for an additional 6 weeks.

Ages 4 through 11 were given 1 sachet of VSL#3 per day and ages 12 through 18 were given 1 sachet twice a day.

Compared with placebo, active treatment resulted in a significant improvement in symptoms, as measured by the global assessment of relief (p < 0.05).

In addition, active treatment was significantly more effective than placebo for 3 of 4 secondary endpoints: abdominal discomfort/pain, abdominal gassiness/bloating, and family assessment of life disruption. Active treatment was nonsignificantly more effective than placebo for improving stool pattern.

Source:
www.townsendletter.com
7 July 2011

Probiotic To Treat Ulcers Identified

A strain of probiotic bacteria, that may be useful in treating ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori, has been identified by Spanish scientists.

Researchers say that "Helicobacter pylori is considered one of the major risk factors underlying the development
of gastritis and gastric and duodenal ulcers."

At this time, antibiotic-based treatment for H. pylori infection is neither satisfactory nor sufficient, with the most successful treatments reaching 75-90pc eradication rates. Researchers say, that the use of probiotics is a potentially promising tool to prevent Helicobacter pylori.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization & the World Health Organization, probiotics are "live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit to the host."

Taking probiotic microoganisms on a regular basis, has been demonstrated to prevent several disorders including inflammatory bowel disease & diarrhea.

Among probiotics, Bifidobacterium is one of the favorite genera in studies focused on the prevention of gastrointestinal infection and is often used in fermented dairy products or food supplements.

In vitro studies (in test tubes or petri dishes) have been done, showing bifidobacterial activity against H. pylori. The researchers tested numerous strains of bifidobacteria isolated from the feces of breast-fed infants for activity against H pylori.

One strain was identified (Bifidobacterium bifidum CECT 7366). Under certain conditions it had an inhibition level of nearly 95% in vitro and tested its activity against infection in mice.

After 21 days, the mice that was treated with the potentially probiotic strain, developed considerably less ulcers than the control group.

Additional tests imply that treatment partially relieved damage to gastric tissue caused by H. pylori infection. Ingestion of the bacteria did not induce any disease or mortality in both healthy and immunocompromised mice.

Source:
www.dnaindia.com
24 June 2011

Probiotics As A Dietary Supplement

Many people are unfamiliar with probiotics, however there are studies to demonstrate that these supplements may be beneficial in the treatment of numerous ailments. Probiotics are dietary supplements that contain sufficient Beneficial Bacteria.

For example, certain types of yogurt contain probiotics in therapeutic quantities. This means that certain food have an adequate amount of this supplement to be useful and is measured in quantities where it cannot be overindulged.

Probiotics are thought to assist the body’s digestive system and are sometimes recommended by physicians. More frequently, on the other hand, probiotics are recommended by nutritionists as part of a healthy, well balanced diet plan. Certain theories actually exist that suggest these dietary supplements might help to boost the immune system. Whilst there is no recorded evidence to claim that probiotics can replace harmed parts of the body’s digestive tracts, there is proof that it could form temporary associations that might help to produce the same functions while the damaged areas have additional time to recover. By allowing the body with additional recovery time, probiotics may offer both valuable and temporary assistance.

With support in digestion and improving the immune system, Probiotics are also considered to help prevent constipation, decrease the incidence of insomnia and may help to lessen stress-related illness. Stress is believed to be accountable for the onset of numerous health problems, which is why research continues in an endeavor to find ways to reduce these ailments. One of the major illnesses related to stress is high blood pressure which, alone, can be extremely threatening and might lead to other problems if not maintained.

Certain types of commercial products, namely health foods, contain a certain amount of probiotics. As stated previously in this article, such products may include yogurt or sauerkraut. Probiotic foods and dietary products are the most typical forms of the dietary supplements, but tablets and capsules and sachets of powder are also offered. People may ask their physician about different types of food and the amount of probiotics which each contains.

Source:
www.updateddailey.com
21 March 2011

Probiotics Protect From Colds and Pregnancy Complications

In a review, The Cochrane Library of 14 Studies involving over 3000 people has concluded that probiotics can have a positive preventative effect against the common cold for both kids & adults.

They found that people who take or consume probiotics on a regular basis, have less need for antibiotics for a cold or upper respiratory ailments like laryngitis, tonsillitis,  sinusitis, ear infections, and croup. The review compared probiotic effects against placebo.

Probiotics are found in yogurts, kefir & are also available in supplement form or drink form. Probiotics  include beneficial bacteria called lactobacillus & bifidobacteria. Few side effects were reported by people who took probiotics.

Probiotics & Pregnancy:
A recent study has concluded that probiotics taken during pregnancy can help reduce complications like pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is a sudden increase in blood pressure during pregnancy, usually occuring after the 20th week. Approximately 5% of pregnant women suffer from pre-eclampsia. The disorder can progress to be dangerous to both the mother & the child.

The study was performed with over 30,000 women in Norway over a 6 year period. The women who took probiotics every day were found to develop pre-eclampsia less. Pre-eclampsia prevention is crucial, as the only current cure for the disorder is early birth.

Source:
jotzoom.com
20 September 2011

Probiotics in Clinical Practice: An Update

Taylor Wallace & fellow researchers have written an article the was published in The Journal of Nutrition Reviews in July 2011. It is a very helpful in bringing practitioners up to date as to the evidence-based use of probiotics, particularly with respect to their potential application in clinical practice.

As an overview, they talk about how the human large intestine houses more than 1,000 different types of bacteria, known as microflora. Studies in recent years have shown that supplementation with health-promoting strains of bacteria can exert beneficial effects in terms of preventing certain ailments and helping to better manage others.

Metabolic Effects of Probiotics and the Gut Microflora Bacteria within the gut microflora degrade and/or ferment various substrates including starches, soluble dietary fibers, and other carbohydrate sources available in lower concentrations (oligosaccharides and portions of non-absorbable sugars and sugar alcohols). Proteins and amino acids can be effective growth substrates for colonic bacteria. The same is true for bacterial secretions, lysis products, sloughed epithelial cells, and mucins.

A wide range of bacterial enzymes degrade these materials into various intermediates, which are then fermented into organic acids, histamine, carbon dioxide, and other neutral, acidic, and basic end products.

The intermediate and end products formed in this process have been shown to provide various health influences of importance:
-Suppress Growth of Harmful Bacteria and Other Undesirable Microorganisms
-Enhanced Nutrient Absorption Carbohydrate fermentation and short-chain fatty acids improve the absorption of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
-Immune Modulation
-Improve Digestion
-Guard Against Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea and Related Complications

Reduce Risk of Intestinal Infections:
-Decrease Inflammation
-Improved Intestinal Barrier

Clinical Applications and Considerations:
Research over the past 25 years suggests that probiotic supplements may be a useful adjunct in the management of various health conditions such as antibiotic-associated diarrhea, necrotizing enterocolitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and extraintestinal disorders including atopic dermatitis and recurrent urinary tract infections.

Other considerations include rheumatoid arthritis, other autoimmune diseases, immune-compromised states, psoriasis, food intolerances, and other conditions in which digestion may be compromised. Probiotic supplementation may also be a consideration as part of a colon cancer prevention program.

At present, there is no single probiotic combination considered to be the gold standard by the scientific community. Researchers in this field suggest using the probiotic bacteria that have been shown to provide the desired health outcome on a case-by-case basis.

Wallace suggests using a probiotic supplement that contains various strains of bacteria, ensuring the presence of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli. For example, the probiotic combination supplement shown to improve intestinal barrier function in animals with colitis included Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii (subspeciesbulgaricus), Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium infantis and Streptococcus salivarius (subspeciesthermophilus).

He also mentions that supplementation with prebiotics such as fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) and inulin can also help spur the growth of friendly gut bacteria.

Prebiotics are the food upon which friendly bacteria thrive. Many health outcomes available from probiotic supplementation have also been shown to occur with supplementation of prebiotics. Thus, daily ingestion with soluble fiber, as well as 1,000-5,000 mg of FOS and inulin, may be helpful in the prevention and management of some of the health conditions mentioned above. As well, it seems to make sense to take a prebiotic supplement in conjunction with probiotics to optimize the potential for probiotic bacteria to thrive in the large bowel.

Common Probiotic Species:
Probiotic terminology can be a bit confusing because the word acidophilus is often used as a general name for a group of probiotic bacteria commonly used in probiotic supplements.

This common group of bacteria include:
-Lactobacillus acidophilus
-Lactobacillus casei
-Lactobacillus delbrueckii (subspeciesbulgaricus)
-Bifidobacterium species
-Streptococcus salivarius (subspeciesthermophilus)

More accurately, Lactobacillus (acidophilus, casei and bulgaris) are the common lactobacillus bacteria used in many probiotic supplements.
Bifidobacterium infantis, B. brevi and B. longum are also common Bifidobacteria that reside in the human large intestine and vagina, and are also popular constituents of probiotic formulations. Infantis was shown to dramatically reduce irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in a recent clinical trial. The lower number of Bifidobacteria in formula-fed babies has been linked to risk of diarrhea and allergies that are usually associated with babies who are not breast-fed. As well, Bifidobacteria produce lactic acid instead of gas (like E. coli),and thus, infants and adults with more Bifidobacteria have been shown to have less gas and digestive problems.

There is also a significant difference in the incidence of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children receiving probiotic-supplemented (enriched with Bifidobacterium) formula (16 percent) than non-supplemented formula (31 percent).

Reference:
Wallace TC, et al. Human gut microbiotica and its relationship to health and disease/Nutrition Review

Source:
Dynamic Chiropractic
26 October 2011

Scripps Clinic Gastroenterologist Identifies 7 Useful Probiotics

Walter J. Coyle, MD, director of the Scripps Clinic Gastroenterology Fellowship Program, discussed the potential benefits of seven probiotics on the market in Internal Medical News.

The probiotics Coyle identified were VSL #3 for pouchitis, Digestive Advantage and Align for irritable bowel syndrome, Florastor for recurrent clostridium difficile infections, Actimel for hospital-acquired diarrhea, Activia to increase transit time in women & in older adults & Culturelle for diarrheal illnesses.

Read the Internal Medical News report on successful probiotics.

Ten Probiotic Foods To Add To Your Daily Diet

Probiotics are beneficial forms of gut bacteria that help stimulate the natural digestive juices and enzymes that keep our digestive organs operating properly. In addition to taking a probiotic supplement, one can also support their probiotic intake by eating foods that are hosts to these live bacterium.

Although probiotics have great benefits, not all of us know how to take advantage of these health benefits. Below is a list of the best probiotic foods for you to add to your daily diet.

Yogurt:
One of the best probiotic foods is handmade, live-cultured yogurt. Brands made from goat milk that has been infused with extra forms of probitoics like lactobacillus or acidophilus is best. Goat’s milk and cheese are particularly high in probiotics like thermophillus, bifudus, bulgaricus and acidophilus. Read the ingredients list, as not all yogurts are made the same. Many popular brands are filled with High Fructose Corn Syrup, artifical flavors & artificial sweeteners.

Kefir:
This fermented dairy product is a unique combination of goat milk and fermented grains,it is similar to yogurt. Kefir is rich in antioxidants & high in lactobacilli and bifidus bacteria. The organic version is best.

Pickles:
The common green pickle is an excellent food source of probiotics.

Sauerkraut:
Is made from fermented cabbage (as well as other vegetables), sauerkraut is not only extremely rich in healthy live cultures, but also aids in reducing allergy symptoms. Sauerkraut is also rich in vitamins A, B, C and E.

Kombucha Tea:
This is a form of fermented tea high in healthy gut bacteria. This drink is not only a probiotic, but has been used for centuries and is believed to help increase your energy, enhance your wellbeing and is said to help you lose weight. However, kombucha tea may not be the best fit for everyone, especially those that already have a problem with candida.

Microalgae:
This refers to super-food ocean-based plants such as spirulina, chorella, and blue-green algae. These probiotic foods have been shown to increase the amount of both Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria in the digestive tract. They also offer the most amount of energetic return, per ounce, for the human system.

Miso Soup:
Miso is considered as Japanese traditional medicine, and is commonly used in macrobiotic cooking as a digestive regulator. Miso is made from fermented rye, beans, rice or barley, adding a tablespoon of miso to some hot water makes an excellent, quick, probiotic-rich soup, full of lactobacilli and bifidus bacteria. Beyond its important live cultures, miso is extremely nutrient-dense and is believed to help neutralize the effects of environmental pollution, alkalinize the body and stop the effects of carcinogens in the system.

Tempeh:
Tempeh is a fermented, probiotic-rich grain made from soy beans. It is a great substitute for meat or tofu & great source of vitamin B12. This vegetarian food can be sautéed, baked or eaten crumbled on salads. If it is prepared correctly, tempeh is also very low in salt, which makes it an ideal choice for those on a low-sodium diet.

Kimchi:
An Asian form of pickled sauerkraut, kimchi is an extremely spicy and sour fermented cabbage, typically served alongside most meals in Korea. Besides from beneficial bacteria, Kimchi is also a great source of beta-carotene, calcium, iron and vitamins A, C, B1 & B2. Kimchi is one of the best probiotic foods you can add to your diet, as long as you can handle the spice, of course.

Dark Chocolate:
A good, high-quality dark chocolate has four times the amount of probiotics as many forms of dairy. This is only one of the health benefits of chocolate. Remember to eat chocolate in moderation.

Other Sources of Probiotics:
Besides the list of probiotic foods mentioned above, you can also get plenty of beneficial bacteria by taking a probiotic supplement such as
Dr. Ohhira
Primal Defense
Primal Defense Ultra 
Primal Defense Kids 
GOL Raw Probiotics for men, women or children
VSL#3

Source:
www.globalhealingcenter.com
15 June 2011

The Important Link Between Immunity & Digestion

What do food intolerances, allergies, asthma, coeliac disease, cancer, IBS, hayfever, behavioural issues, and many other increasingly similar conditions all have in common?
They are all symptoms of immune system dysfunction. Not many people realise this but approximately 70% of our immune system lives in the gut, which is why probiotics — ‘good’ bacteria — has become such an important word these days, and need to be replaced after taking a course of antibiotics.

Many people develop food intolerances or are diagnosed with coeliac disease after suffering from viruses or similar immune dysfunction. This is because the good flora in the gut, which is so important for healthy digestion, has often been affected by the illness or even the medication for treating it.

Avoiding the food or allergen is one way to deal with the situation, but to achieve optimal health it is vital to boost immunity and gut function from within. Secretory IgA (sIgA) levels are an important indicator of immune health within the gut: a decreased level shows diminished activity of the intestinal immune system and often leads to allergies, asthma, autism, IBS, food intolerances, behavioural problems, chronic infections, Crohns, candidiasis, thrush, cystitis, coeliac disease, and autoimmune conditions; very high levels on the other hand are indicative of intestinal inflammation and immune overload.

SIgA is found in saliva in the mouth, throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and in the mucus secretions throughout the body. Secretory IgA (sIgA) provides our first line of defence against bacteria, food residue, fungus, parasites, and viruses. Poor diet, alcohol, infections, medications, ageing, food poisoning, gastroenteritis, chemotherapy, and high stress levels causes an imbalance in secretory IgA levels.

Doing the best for your bones:
Eating foods rich in calcium and vitamin D is definitely the prescription for healthy bones. The difficulty is getting foods to fit into your diet that fill this need, especially when many of the fad diets recommend cutting out dairy foods to promote weight loss. So what can you do to practically make sure that you are having enough calcium and vitamin D, without compromising on your diet, to keep you at, or move you in the right direction to a healthy weight?

Calcium:
Switch to low fat or skimmed dairy products — they will have just as much calcium as the higher fat versions. They may be a bit hard to get used to at the start, but persevere — your taste buds will soon get used to the healthier version. Include at least three portions of dairy foods per day — tips on how to do this, are to have milk on breakfast cereal, yogurt with lunch, and some cheese sprinkled over your vegetables in the evening. Milk added to your tea & coffee can be counted as well.

Vitamin D:
Although vitamin D is referred to as the sunshine vitamin, you can only rely on the full summer sun to provide enough intensity to make enough vitamin D, and unfortunately it is not a vitamin we can stock up on. It is important to get vitamin D from our diet. Dietary sources of vitamin D include fortified breakfast cereals, margarine, dairy products, oily fish, and egg yolks. To get a sufficient amount you should eat at least a few of these foods every day. Oily fish is rich in vitamin D, so not only is it good for your heart but will also help your bones. Eat oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel and trout at least once a week. Tinned oily fish will do as well. Tuna is the only exception, as it contains calcium but very little vitamin D because of the way it is processed. If you cannot stand oily fish take fish oil supplements.

Safeguarding your bones is vital — remember that exercise is as important. The best exercises to help towards strong bones are weight bearing exercises such as walking, jogging, aerobics or bouncing on the trampoline. Strong bones will definitely support you for a healthier life.

Source:
www.advertiser.ie
11 August 2011

Probiotic Yogurt May Improve Carb Breakdown

Eating probiotic yogurt might help the body to break down carbohydrates, new study shows.

Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine found that the live bacteria in the yogurt helped gut microbes to break down certain classes of carbohydrates more efficiently.

”It’s interesting that just by virtue of introducing species, you can get quite dramatic changes in the expression of genes in the gut microbes,” said Susan Lynch, an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the research.

Our guts are home to hundreds of different species of bacteria, known as the microbiome. These bacterial species are beneficial microorganisms which help us in a variety of ways, such as breaking down food and toxins that our bodies could not otherwise digest, stimulates the immune system by producing natural antibiotics and antifungals or regulates the fat storage of the body.

Studies have shown that probiotics can improve intestinal function, maintain the integrity of the lining of the intestines and help those with irritable bowl syndrome.

The study was performed on mice and seven pairs of identical twins to using yogurt with five strains of live bacteria. The twins were given two servings of yogurt a day for seven weeks. The researchers found that the yogurt didn’t “colonize” the species of the bacterial communities in the intestines of the women. Two weeks after the twins have stopped eating yogurt, researchers couldn’t detect any live yogurt bacteria in the participants’ systems.

“The idea of using twins is a nice one. To some extent, it can standardize genetic and environmental factors that could have an affect on the results,” Lynch said. [Studies like this] are fundamental to understanding the possible benefits of microbial supplementation approaches.”

Source:
jotzoom.com
3 November 2011

Probiotics May Help Prevent Obesity

According to a doctoral thesis published in the British Journal of Nutrition, daily intake of probiotics may help reduce low-level inflammation & prevent obesity.

Researchers at Lund University examined the effect of feeding a lactic bacteria named lactobacilli plantarum HEAL19 in rats. They found rats that consumed the lactobacilli had a richer and better composition of bacteria occurring naturally in the intestines. A healthy gut flora should contain a large proportion of “good bacteria", such as lactic acid bacteria, in order to keep the inflammation-causing bacteria in check.

Caroline Karlsson, a researcher in food hygiene at Lund University said, “rats who were given this specific lactic acid bacterium from their time in the uterus up to adult age put on significantly less weight than other rats. Both groups ate the same amount of high-energy food."

A 3rd group of rats was given the inflammation-causing E. coli bacteria in their drinking water in addition to the same high-energy food as the other rats. The E. coli supplement led to changes in gut flora and increased body fat.

The researchers noted that certain foods, including yogurt, cheese and olives naturally contain lactobacilli—the type of bacteria most often used as probiotics.

Source:
Lund University
31 May 2011

Strain Of Probiotic May Help Treat Ulcers Caused By Helicobacter Pylori

According to an article published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a strain of probiotic bacteria that may help alleviate ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori has been identified by Spanish scientists.

Helicobacter Pylori, often referred to as H. pylori causes ulcers in the stomach and gastritis (stomach inflammation). The mainstream of gastric and duodenal ulcers globally are caused by this bacterium.

The authors wrote: "Currently, antibiotic-based treatment for H. pylori infection is neither sufficient nor satisfactory, with the most successful treatments reaching 75 to 90% eradication rates. The use of probiotics is a potentially promising tool to prevent H. pylori."

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO),state that probiotics are live organisms which when consumed in sufficient quantities benefit the host.

The authors add that regular consumption of Probiotics has been compellingly shown to significantly decrease the risk of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, diarrhea and many other disorders.

Bifidobacterium, a type of probiotic, is commonly used in fermented dairy products as well as food supplements. It is one of the favorite genera in studies that look at the prevention of gastrointestinal infections.

Some in vitro studies have demonstrated how Bifidobacterium acts against H. pylori. The scientists gathered samples of feces from breast-fed infants and tested various strains of bifidobacteria against H. pylori. Bifidobacterium bifidum CECT 7366, one of the strains, was found to have an inhibition level of almost 95% in certain conditions in an in vitro experiment - its activity was tested against infection in mice.

Within 3 weeks, the mice that were treated with the potentially probiotic strain were found to have considerably fewer ulcers than the mice in the control group. Further testing indicates that the probiotic treatment partially reduced damage to gastric tissue the H. pylori infection had caused.

The scientists stressed that in no time did the consumption of the bacteria cause any deaths or disease in the healthy and immunocompromised animals.

They wrote: "The results presented here confer to strain B. bifidum CECT 7366 the status of a probiotic bacterium with functional activity against H. pylori. Human clinical trials must be performed before commercialization of this strain can be approved."

Source:
www.medicalnewstoday.com
22 March 2011

Probiotics And Health Promotion

Dr. Jaclyn Chasse, naturopathic physician and Medical Educator at Emerson Ecologics, President of the New Hampshire Association of Naturopathic Doctors says, that when most people think about probiotics, they think about the important role they play in supporting digestive health.

There is a large body of research demonstrating the vital role that probiotics play in the proper functioning of the intestines as well as digestion, absorption, and assimilation of nutrients. In contrast, some people are not aware of some of the other beneficial effects of probiotic supplementation. One of the less publicized benefits of probiotics is the beneficial effect on the immune system.

Several human studies have been published demonstrating the protective effect of probiotics against several types of infectious organisms. With increasing concerns around superbugs and contagious diseases, probiotics are an inexpensive, safe, and easy option to support a healthy immune response to organisms and viruses in our environment.

In a double-blind study conducted in China, school aged children who received probiotics for six months had a significantly lower incidence of cold symptoms compared with children who received a placebo.

Another double-blind trial of children in daycare centers demonstrated that children supplemented with probiotic organisms for three months had a 34% decrease in incidence of upper respiratory tract infections. Several trials have demonstrated that supplementation with probiotic bacteria can reduce the incidence of infectious diarrhea in children, one of the most common causes for hospitalization in that age group.

It is thought that probiotic bacteria inhibit the growth of potentially pathogenic organisms by producing acids, hydrogen peroxide, and natural antibiotics called bacteriocins and microcins (Fernandes 1987). They also consume nutrients and space that would be needed by infectious organisms in order to grow. It is hypothesized that some probiotic bacteria may stimulate immune attacks on pathogens directly.

Probiotics remain a safe choice for most individuals in order to support the immune system. When you consider the financial impact of even minor illness, probiotics remain a viable and cost-effective option to support a healthy immune response.

Source:
Emersonecologics.com
14 October 2011

Cocoa is Prebiotic to Gut Microflora

In a study of healthy humans, a drink high in cocoa flavanols showed a prebiotic effect, increasing both lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, while reducing bad bacteria in the gut.

The University of Reading, England, researchers noted that cocoa flavanols undergo limited absorption in the small intestines, so they amply reach to the large intestines, where they deliver their digestive benefits. They results were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

In the study, 22 healthy volunteers were randomly assigned to take either a High-Cocoa Flavanol (HCF) drink (494 mg cocoa flavanols/d) or a control low-cocoa flavanol (LCF) drink (23 mg cocoa flavanols/d) for 4 weeks. A 4 week washout was then followed by a crossover to the other arm.

Researchers collected fecal samples before and after each intervention and measured bacterial counts using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Other biochemical and physiologic markers were also measured. Daily consumption of the HCF drink significantly increased the bifidobacterial (P < 0.01) and lactobacilli (P < 0.001) populations but significantly decreased clostridia counts (P < 0.001), compared to consumption of the control (LCF) drink.

In addition, HCF also reduced plasma triacylglycerol (P < 0.05) levels and C-reactive protein (CRP, P < 0.05) concentration, which was linked to changes in lactobacilli counts (P < 0.05, R(2) = -0.33 for the model). These results were accompanied by cocoa flavanol-induced bacterial changes in mixed-batch culture experiments.

The researchers concluded, “This study shows, for the first time to our knowledge, that consumption of cocoa flavanols can significantly affect the growth of select gut microflora in humans, which suggests the potential prebiotic benefits associated with the dietary inclusion of flavanol-rich foods.”

Source:
www.naturalproductsinsider.com
23 March 2011

A Probiotic Drink a day Helps Women lose Weight after giving Birth

Science Correspondent for the Telegraph in Amsterdam has reported on the findings of a Finnish study.

“Researchers found that women who took the food supplement during and after pregnancy saw a bigger reduction in both their waistline and overall body fat.

They found that six months after pregnancy the women taking the probiotic were half as likely to have a pot belly.

After a year the gap narrowed slightly but those taking the food additive remained significantly slimmer.

The researchers believe the probiotics could help people in general lose weight and also give babies the best possible start to life.

‘We were surprised at how big the reduction was,’ said Dr Kirsi Laitinen, a nutritionist at the University of Turku in Finland.

‘One year after childbirth, they had the lowest levels of central obesity as well as the lowest body fat percentage.’

‘We know how difficult it is to lose weight and every little helps.’

The research, at the European Congress on Obesity, comes after laboratory studies suggest that probiotics may reduce the body’s ability to produce fat and distribute it around the body.

The study of 256 Finnish women found that after six months only a quarter of women on the probiotics were classed as obese with a body mass index. This compared with around half of those who were not taking the supplements.”

Source:
Helsinki Times

Pilates for Health

American Academy of Pediatrics Reviews Use of Probiotics, Prebiotics

The currently known health benefits of probiotics and prebiotics, including those added to infant formula and other food products for children, are reviewed in an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) report published online November 29 in Pediatrics.

"Efforts to optimize the intestinal microbial milieu have increased the interest in adding probiotics and prebiotics to nutritional products. As with antibiotics, the use and efficacy of probiotics and prebiotics should be supported by evidenced-based medicine," write Frank R. Greer, MD, FAAP, and Dan W. Thomas, MD, FAAP, and the Committee on Nutrition; Section on Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. "The purpose of this clinical report is to review the medical uses of probiotics and prebiotics and to summarize what is currently known about their health benefits as dietary supplements added to food products marketed to children, including infant formula. The guidance in this report will help pediatric health care providers to make appropriate decisions regarding the usefulness and benefit of probiotics and prebiotics for their patients."

Probiotics are supplements or foods containing viable microorganisms capable of changing host microflora. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have shown probiotics to be modestly effective in treating acute viral gastroenteritis in healthy children. For otherwise healthy children and infants with diarrhea from acute viral gastroenteritis, giving probiotics early in the course may reduce the duration of diarrhea by 1 day.

Despite the lack of evidence for the efficacy of probiotics in treating antibiotic-associated diarrhea in otherwise healthy children, RCTs have shown that they are modestly effective for prevention.

Although more studies are needed, some evidence supports probiotic use to prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in very-low-birth-weight infants (birth weight between 1000 and 1500 g).

Before probiotics can be recommended for treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, colic, and constipation, or for prevention of common infections and allergy in children, additional studies are needed.

However, preliminary results were encouraging in RCTs in which probiotics were used to treat childhood Helicobacter pylori gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic ulcerative colitis, and infantile colic, or to prevent childhood atopy. Evidence to date has not shown a benefit of probiotics in treating or preventing human cancers or in treating pediatric Crohn's disease.

Routine use of probiotics or prebiotics added to infant formula and other foods intended for consumption by children is not supported by currently available evidence of clinical efficacy, but these formulas do not appear to harm healthy infants and children. However, probiotics should not be administered to children with chronic or serious diseases, including children who are immunocompromised, chronically debilitated, or who have indwelling medical devices.

Prebiotics are supplements or foods containing a nondigestible food ingredient that selectively promotes growth and/or activity of indigenous probiotic bacteria. Prebiotics found in human milk may help reduce common infections and atopic eczema in healthy infants, but more evidence is needed before adding prebiotics to infant formula can be recommended.

"Important questions remain in establishing the clinical applications for probiotics, including the optimal duration of probiotic administration as well as preferred microbial dose and species," the report authors conclude. "The long-term impact on the gut microflora in children is unknown. It also remains to be established whether there is significant biological benefit in the administration of probiotics during pregnancy and lactation, with direct comparison to potential biological benefit derived from probiotic-containing infant formulas."

Source:
Medscape Medical News
Laurie Barclay, MD
December 2, 2010

Antigen-presenting cells exposed to probiotics have regulatory T cell activity

The effect in vitro of six different probiotic strains including:

Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM,
Lactobacillus salivarius Ls-33,
Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei YS8866441,
Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-115,
Bifidobacterium bifidum BI-504 and BI-98

was studied on splenic enteroantigen-presenting cells (APC) and CD4(+)CD25(+) T-regulatory cells (Tregs) in splenocyte-T cell proliferation assays.

Splenocytes that were exposed to enteroantigen +/- probiotics were used to stimulate cultured CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells to which titrated numbers of Tregs were added. Cytokine assays were performed by use of neutralizing antibodies and ELISA.

The results indicated that exposure of APCs to enteroantigens and the series of probiotic strains mentioned above did not influence the stimulatory capacity of APCs on proliferative enteroantigen-specific T cells.

However, exposure to B. bifidum BI-98, BI-504 and L. acidophilus NCFM consistently reduced the suppressive activity of Tregs.

The suppressive activity was analyzed using fractionated components of the probiotics, and showed that a component of the cell wall is responsible for the decreased Treg activity in the system.

The probiotic-induced suppression of Treg function is not mediated by changes in APC-secretion of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 or IL-1b.

The researchers concluded that certain probiotic strains can modify APCs to cause reduced Treg activity.

This effect apparently depends on a direct APC-to-Treg cell contact.

The APC-mediated suppressive effect on Treg function of certain probiotic strains may constrain the anti-inflammatory activity, which is often desired from probiotic therapy.

This unexpected function of certain probiotic strains should be taken into consideration when designing adjuvant therapies with these bacteria, or when probiotic strains are selected for improvement of gut-associated inflammation like IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)

Source:
Inflamm Bowel Disease. Aug, 2009.
Schmidt EG, Claesson MH, Jensen SS, Ravn P, Kristensen NN
Antigen-presenting cells exposed to Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, Bifidobacterium bifidum BI-98, and BI-504 reduce regulatory T cell activity.

Candida Helped with Probiotics & Diet

Hyacinth Allen in an article posted in Articlesbase.com on May 12, 2007 says:

"Educate rather than medicate! It is obvious that no one diet or treatment suits all in the fight against Candida Albicans.

The crucial element that applies to everyone is a healthy Gastrointestinal Tract, and our genetic makeup determines in part precisely how that functions.

There are broad generalisations that can be made."

According to Hyacinth Allen, antibiotics destroy friendly and non friendly gut bacteria. When this happens the bad overgrows and mutate into moles which can penetrate the intestinal wall and then is set free to become a systemic infection affecting the whole body.

Replacing friendly bacteria, the acidophilus types of intestinal bacterium, is crucial to the health of the gastro intestinal tract. While this is very important all the time, it is most important during the 'die off' period, when the Candida can thrive again in the empty pockets of the intestines.

Allen continues to say that eating raw vegetables is good because raw foods have enzymes present which assist in the digestion of the food. These enzymes are often destroyed by cooking.

When we do not digest food completely we fail to get all the nutrients out of that food. Plant-based digestive enzymes in the stomach work whether our body is acid or alkaline - the pH Balance is not critical, though our bodies find it easier to digest vegetables. Once they reach the stomach the digestive process begins.

On the other hand, animal based protein, fish or meat, do not begin to work until the stomach content has a pH balance of around pH 3, which means that it needs acid to be digested.

Plants such as Echinacea, Thyme and Marigold can build the immune system, they do not cause the side effects of antibiotics.

Allen also mentions that the Immune System is the body’s natural protection agent. Without it, the body would not be able to defend itself against invading bacteria, viruses, toxins and microbes.

Building the immune system is an important part of keeping a healthy body that can repel attacks naturally. Unfortunately, the immune system works silently, we cannot see it working and it is only when factors such as stress or illness affect it that we realize that all is not well.

Homeostasis is a biological condition which means the inherent tendency in an organism toward the maintenance of physiological and psychological equilibrium.

When the body cannot maintain a homeostatic state, unpleasant symptoms occur. These symptoms are the bodies' “panic button”, and it is saying it is out of synchronization.

The body will make sure that all essential functions receive the maximum support - this means the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys as vital organism will get the bulk of all available nutrients.

Non-essential bodily functions, which include skin replenishment, muscle tone, skin tone, hair replacement, and keeping the joints healthy becomes secondary functions. Although they are not life threatening, the effects of them not being carried out can be seen externally very quickly.

Hyacinth also says that all drugs, including drugs considered safe to be bought without prescription such as aspirin, have negative side effects to the body, as they all deplete nutrients.

The body can also be aggravated by exposure to environmental pollutants and stress makes it all worse.

Allen goes on to say, "Probiotics contain live bacteria and prebiotics are nutrients designed to promote beneficial bacteria in the gastro intestinal tract. The European Union has invested over 15 million euros, which in dollars is nearer $20,000 in trying to find out whether they have a scientific basis.

Michael Blaut, Head of Microbiology at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam has pioneered a lot of this research.

He maintains that we know little of the ecosystem in the human gut, other than the fact, it is normal for it to have 1.2 kilograms, or 2.4 pounds of bacteria.

Molecular biologist Joël Doré working with the French Agricultural Research Agency (INRA) has found that the faecal matter of adults is quite different.

Though his work is unpublished at the moment, it suggests that whilst the gut is capable of supporting thousands of different types of bacteria most people only cultivate about a hundred, partly because we all cultivate bacteria in different ways.

Before we are born, our guts are sterile but we accumulate bacteria whilst being born from the vaginal passage and faecal bacteria of our mothers.

By the time we are 2 years old we have ingested our complement of bacteria and that does not change much as we age. The good news is that this seems to thwart the invasion of new bacteria such as salmonella in the gut.

Probiotics may affect the contents of the gut; if they are to have any lasting effect at all, they must be ingested daily.

Preliminary studies show that they can be effective for some people with some types of inflammatory bowel diseases, but not necessarily against a Candida infection."

Allen also says that one Finnish medical study that was conducted studied the effects on a pregnant women of a daily dose of Lactobacillus rhamnosus , and later the babies of these women were given a daily dose for the first six months of their lives.

The results were quite conclusive; the babies were less prone to eczema, which is one of the symptoms of Candida.

Dr. Erika Isolauri conducted the survey and whilst the reason why the children were protected is not understood she has hypothesized that the probiotic shifted inflammatory factors in the gut.


There are some dietary guidelines for cleansing the body of Candida:

• Eat different foods and rotate the food groups daily.
• Eat high fiber foods such as chickpeas to absorb the toxins
• Drink at least two liters of pure water daily.
• Snack on raw veggies.
• Make certain that your foods do not form any form of mold, store them correctly in airtight tubs in the refrigerator and eat them before they get moldy.

Reference:
Source: Articlesbase.com, Posted May 12, 2007
Author: Hyacinth Allen
Article Name: Education is Better Then Medication - Some facts about Candida, Probiotics and the Gut

Dr Ohhira's Probiotics Wins 2010 'Best Supplement' Award

Lisa Kurdziolek with Better Nutrition Magazine presented William Schoor, executive vice-president of Dallas-based Essential Formulas & Kathy LaForce, director of business development for EFI, the 2010 Best Supplement Award for Dr. Ohhira's Probiotics.

“We are honored but not surprised by the continued accolades that Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics garners from the natural product industry, healthcare practitioners and consumers,” said William Schoor. “This is a truly remarkable product backed by years of research and formulated like no other probiotic available in the United States today.”

To select the winning products, Better Nutrition conducted extensive interviews with a panel of experts, including naturopaths, medical doctors, and experts in the supplement industry. These experts also completed a comprehensive supplement survey and provided feedback on various supplements in 31 categories.

Nicole Brechka, Editor-in-Chief of Better Nutrition, commented that Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics is the only supplement to win the Probiotic Category three years in a row and that it’s also the only one she is aware of that merges ancient Japanese fermentation techniques with modern technology.

Source:
Better Nutrition
November 2010

Expecting Mothers Taking Probiotics Have Healthier Babies

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) recently conducted a study on the effects of probiotic supplementation during pregnancy. The team found that mothers who drank probiotic-supplemented milk during their pregnancies cut their children’s risk of developing eczema by 40 percent.

Ethan A. Huff tells us about a study that is part of a larger Norwegian research project being conducted by the university called “Prevention of Allergy Among Children in Trondheim”, or PACT. In this particular study, women were given either milk with probiotics or milk with a placebo, beginning at week 36 of their pregnancies. Neither group knew which formula they were drinking. Researchers evaluated the women and their children from pregnancy until the children were two years old before presenting their findings.

“The taste of both products was similar, and the milk was delivered in unmarked milk cartons. This means that neither the participants in the study or the researchers knew who had received probiotic milk or placebo milk,” explained Torbjorn Oien, one of the study researchers. “We can therefore say with great certainty that it was the probiotic bacteria alone that caused the difference in the incidence of eczema between the two groups.”

Probiotics have been studied quite heavily in recent years, and science continues to discover the many health-promoting benefits of this beneficial bacteria.

“Probiotic bacteria favorably alter the intestinal microflora balance, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria (like Candida albicans, or “yeast”), promote good digestion, boost immune function, and increase resistance to infection. Probiotics also contain enzymes that help break down and digest dairy products like lactose in milk,” explains Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., in his book The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why.

The Norwegian study is the first to identify a definitive link between probiotics and eczema prevention, particularly as the effects are passed down from mother to child. The team plans to conduct a follow-up study to evaluate the preventative effect of probiotics on allergies like asthma as well.

Source:
Natural News
July 22, 2010

Gluten Free Diet for Celiacs Disease

It's estimated that 1 in 100,Americans has celiac disease, though most do not know it.
They suffer from diverse symptoms, ranging from diarrhea to depression. Although there is no known cure for celiac disease, it can be effectively treated.

What is celiac disease?

It's an autoimmune disorder with a strong genetic component that is triggered by gluten,a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

Who gets celiac disease?

We know that it only occurs in people with certain genes, but those genes occur in about 40 percent of the U S population. Just having those genes does not mean a person will get celiac disease. On the other hand, if they do not have those genes, they will not get celiac disease.

What are the symptoms?

Celiac disease results in destruction of tiny, fingerlike projections called villi that line the interior of the small intestine. Their job is to provide a large surface area, about the size of two regulation tennis courts, over which vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from passing food can be extracted.
When the villi are severely damaged or totally disappear, expected symptoms like diarrhea, gas and bloating, belly pain, weight loss, anemia, vitamin deficiencies and fatigue can occur. However, quite a few people have milder damage.
Some people have mouth ulcers, an itchy skin rash, migraine, premature osteoporosis, unexplained iron deficiency, or even dental enamel defects.

What's the treatment? Is there a cure?

No cure.At least not yet.
Treatment means switching to a gluten-free diet, after which symptoms may decline quickly, often within a few weeks. Fully repairing damage to the gut lining requires more time. Barring a breakthrough, patients need to stay on a gluten-free diet for life.

Source:

San Diego Union Tribune

Wednesday 27 October 2010

Good Bacteria helps Indian Children Fight Diarrhea

India has the highest number of child deaths, under the age of 5 Years.

If basic hygiene practices were followed,nearly all could have been prevented. But since sanitation facilities are lacking in many parts of the country, scientists are looking at alternative ways to combat diseases in children - including the use of an intestinal bacteria to prevent diarrhoea.

Sanitation is a big challenge in slum clusters and rural areas of India. During the monsoons, drinking water gets contaminated causing a host of diseases.

About 5,000 children die in India every day from diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia. Most deaths occur in children, less than a year old. Over 90% of these deaths could have been prevented with proper sanitation, but slum clusters are rarely connected to the city's sanitation infrastructure.

Scientists are now looking at other ways to boost the immunity of children. A recent study found that good bacteria can help prevent diarrhoea.

A trial was conducted among nearly 4,000 children living in slums to understand the health benefits of probiotics or good bacteria.In 3 months, diarrhoeal episodes fell by 14% in children who were given a daily dose of probiotics.

Professor NK Ganguly, former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research said: "The hygienic condition in slums is not that good. So if it works in those unhygienic conditions,... it gives a good signal that probiotics, even in a not so ideal condition, will work."

The probiotic drink - Yakult - contains billions of live microorganisms similar to the beneficial bacteria found naturally in human intestines.The study found that it helped to control stomach infections in children less than 5 years of age.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that go into your intestine and suppress the growth of harmful bacteria says Shefali Sapra, senior GM of Yakult Danone.

"Similarly Yakult has lactobacillus bacteria strain Shirota that goes into your intestine... and suppresses the growth of harmful bacteria, helps to build immunity and also improve your digestion."
Past studies have shown that children usually have 3-4 episodes of diarrhoea per year.
In slum settings, that number goes up by about three times.

Diarrhoea kills more children in India than any other disease. It is caused by stale food and polluted water.
While the most effective prevention is to focus on hygiene practices, interventions such as probiotics can also go a long way in bringing down the mortality rate of children under 5 years of age.

Source:
By Damanjeet Kohli
9 October 2010

Immune System Changes Linked to Inflammatory Bowel Disease Revealed

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered some of the key molecular events in the immune system that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease. The results, which help researchers move one step further in their efforts to develop new drugs to treat inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases, are reported in the November 2010 edition of the journal Mucosal Immunology from the Nature Publishing Group.

Inflammatory bowel disease starts when the gut initiates an abnormal immune response to some of the one hundred trillion or so bacteria that come into contact with the colon of the human body.

More than 1 million people are affected by inflammatory bowel disease in North America alone and direct healthcare expenses for inflammatory bowel disease in the United States are estimated at more than $15 billion annually.

Earlier mathematical and computational work by the scientists pinpointed a special type of immune cell as a possible target for intervention strategies to fight inflammation-related disease in the gut. The immune cells identified in the earlier work, which are known as M1 or classically activated macrophages, cause inflammation and possess a specific molecule, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma, that, when activated, favors a switch to a type of macrophage that reduces the impact of inflammation (alternatively activated macrophage or M2) . The activation of the receptor protein and the anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage switch plays a beneficial role in reducing the severity of the disease in the gut during experimentally induced inflammatory bowel disease.

"We have been able to validate experimentally some of the key events that take place in the regulation of the mucosal immune system when inflammatory bowel disease is triggered in mice," said Josep Bassaganya-Riera, associate professor of immunology at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, leader of the Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Group in the institute's CyberInfrastructure Division, and principal investigator. "When we produce mice that lack the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma specifically found in macrophages, the severity of inflammatory bowel disease increases significantly. In parallel, we are able to observe the impact of the onset of disease on key inflammation-related genes and other molecules involved in inflammation and metabolism."

"In this study, we were able to use mouse Affymetrix GeneChips® to examine which genes were turned on and off under disease and non-disease conditions," said Clive Evans, director of the Core Laboratory Facility at the institute. "This gave us a comprehensive snap-shot of what is happening in the immune system of mice when inflammation-related disease takes hold in the gut."

"In addition to our observations of what is happening when inflammatory bowel disease is triggered in mice, we showed that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma in macrophages is essential for recovery from disease when the drug pioglitazone is used to treat it," said Raquel Hontecillas, assistant professor of immunology at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, and lead investigator of the study. "Our group has dissected the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma as an internal thermostat for inflammation in other cells involved in gut inflammation such as intestinal epithelial cells and T cells."

Some of the currently available therapies for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in humans are effective in treating the disease but are linked to sometimes-drastic side effects in patients. The researchers hope to use their knowledge of the immune system and specific targets for repurposed drugs and naturally occurring compounds to develop safer alternatives for the long-term management of the disease.

"Our combined computer modeling and experimental validation approach, which is part of the work of our Center for Modeling Immunity to Enteric Pathogens, is already generating important clinical leads that should help us in our quest to deliver better therapies for infectious enteric diseases," concluded Bassaganya-Riera.

Source:
ScienceDaily
Dec. 10, 2010

Intestinal Enzyme Helps Maintain Population of Beneficial Bacteria

An enzyme that keeps intestinal bacteria out of the bloodstream may also play an important role in maintaining the normal microbial population of the gastrointestinal system. Since the loss of beneficial bacteria that usually results from antibiotic therapy can sometimes lead to serious health problems, a treatment that maintains microbial levels could have significant benefits.

"Our mouse studies confirmed that giving this enzyme by mouth keeps the gut healthy, in terms of the microbes that usually live there," says Richard Hodin, MD, of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Surgery, senior author of the report in the November issue of the journal Gut. "This could prevent infection with dangerous bacteria like Salmonella and C. difficile, which can occur when the normal bacterial population becomes depleted, and may lead to development of a supplement to maintain intestinal health whenever someone takes an antibiotic."

Virtually all higher animals maintain a population of microbes -- primarily bacteria -- in their digestive tracts. These organisms are not only harmless, they also benefit their host by helping with digestion, and their presence prevents the more pathogenic bacteria that may be present from proliferating. Because antibiotics kill all non-resistant bacteria, including those residing in the intestines, the usual balance of beneficial versus harmful microbes is destroyed, leading to problems ranging from diarrhea to infections with dangerous antibiotic-resistant organisms.

A 2008 study by members of Hodin's team that investigated why intestinal bacteria and their toxins do not pass into the bloodstream found that intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), an enzyme produced by the intestinal lining, blocks the activity of a toxic molecule found on many pathogenic bacteria. Because that study and findings by other groups showed that IAP acts against several bacterial toxins, the MGH researchers looked at whether the enzyme directly interacted with intestinal bacteria.

Studies of mice lacking the gene for IAP revealed that the animals had reduced levels of all intestinal bacteria and practically none of the common beneficial strains of E. coli. In fact, the most common E. coli strain would not grow if introduced into these knockout mice. But when the animals received oral doses of IAP, beneficial E. coli proliferated quickly after other microbial species were killed by antibiotics. Experiments with normal mice infected with an antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strain showed that IAP treatment significantly reduced Salmonella levels in the animals' feces. Although only 20 percent of animals not treated with IAP survived, 70 percent of those receiving the enzyme were alive 7 days later.

"We believe that IAP rapidly restores E. coli and other beneficial bacteria after antibiotic treatment and that the higher numbers of these bacteria prevent colonization by Salmonella or other pathogens by competing for nutrients and attachment sites," says Mahdu Malo, PhD, MBBS, of MGH Surgery, corresponding and first author of the Gut paper. "We need to test this approach in larger animals before planning a human clinical trial, but this approach has the potential of solving a common, often serious health problem."

Source:
www.sciencedaily.com
Oct. 18, 2010

MRSA control suggestions

Barry NI. Farr, MD, MSc says that isolation of contaminated patients is the key to preventing the spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA).

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that commonly inhabits the skin of healthy people. Antibiotic- resistant strains of this bacterium caused an estimated 94,360 severe infections in the US during 2005, resulting in around 18,500 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

About 85% of all invasive MRSA infections have been associated with exposure to a hospital or clinic. However, strains of community- associated MRSA are now being found in hospitals. To reduce the risk of infection, the CDC tells the public to wash hands frequently, cover open sores/wounds with bandages, and avoid sharing razors, towels, or other equipment likely to transfer the bacteria from skin to skin.

But Doctor Barry Farr says there are simple ways hospitals can lower their infection risk. First, implement a hand-washing program. Studies show nearly 50 percent of doctors and nurses don't wash their hands between patients. The CDC says this alone could prevent up to 20,000 deaths each year.

Unfortunately, vigilant hand washing programs alone do not stop the spread of infection, which is transmitted via direct contact with contaminated objects or infected people.

He also suggests screening all high-risk patients for MRSA as it is a dangerous and common hospital-acquired infection. Isolate those who test positive. Barry Farr, M.D. says, "If you're not taking this approach, there's a cost to not doing it, which is having high rates of more expensive infections."

It's been used at the University of Virginia since 1980 with great success.

Mobile Phones a Source of Hospital-acquired Infections.

Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine at the Ondokuz Mayis University, Turkey, tested the telephones of physicians and nurses in hospital operating rooms as well as intensive care units. They found that about 95% were contaminated with bacteria of different types, including the 'superbug', MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), thus potentially causing infections ranging from relatively minor skin complaints to life-threatening illness. Only 10% of staff regularly cleaned their phone.

The authors say, "Our results suggest cross-contamination of bacteria between the hands of healthcare workers and their mobile phones.

. These mobile phones could act as a reservoir of infection which may facilitate patient-to-patient transmission of bacteria in a hospital setting".

Their findings show an obvious need to find ways to prevent contamination of mobile phones and other hand-held electronic devices. There ought to be strict infection-control procedures, environmental disinfection, hand hygiene and decontamination methods.

Journal reference:

Fatma Ulger, Saban Esen, Ahmet Dilek, Keramettin Yanik, Murat Gunaydin and Hakan Leblebicioglu. Are we aware how contaminated our mobile phones are with nosocomial pathogens? Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials, (in press)
Adapted from materials provided by Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

New Study Shows Probiotic Strain Effective in Boosting Immune Response

A new study in the March issue of Postgraduate Medicine suggests that a strain of probiotic bacteria, Bacillus coagulans, also known as GanedenBC30 ( GBI-30, PTA-6086), increases the body's immune response to viruses that cause common viral respiratory tract infections like colds and flu.

The study showed a significant increase in T-cell production of TNF-alpha, a key immune marker, versus control on exposure to adenovirus and influenza A in healthy adults who took a daily capsule of GanedenBC30 for 30 days.

Although many health professionals believe that probiotics can help people who have specific health conditions, there has been a lot of controversy about the benefits of probiotics in healthy people. The new study endorses the idea that probiotics can actually benefit those who are healthy.

Results showed a 250% increase in TNF-alpha levels with adenovirus and a 1709% increase in TNF-alpha levels with influenza A after participants took the probiotics for a 30 day period. Increased production of TNF-alpha in response to viral exposure indicates a heightened immunological effect.

Mira Baron, M.D., is the author of the study said "The study helps support the long-suspected belief about the beneficial effects of GanedenBC30 on the immune system and adds to the emerging body of evidence that probiotics can benefit healthy people as well as those with specific health issues."

Dr. Justin Sonnenburg, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, reviewed the study's findings. "The standard practice today is for people to take medicine to achieve symptomatic relief of colds and flu, but this research hints that healthy adults may be able to boost their immune system to potentially ward off infection and prevent such illnesses."

The study also indicates that different strains of probiotics have different inherent properties, suggesting that the unique ability of GanedenBC30 to survive common conditions that can potentially kill other probiotics before they can have a beneficial effect, such as manufacturing conditions, extreme temperatures, and the harsh gastric environment, may contribute to its ability to support the immune system.

Dr. Ken Alibek, M.D., Ph.D., Sc.D., an infectious disease, microbiology, and immunology expert who has studied Bacillus coagulans extensively, believes that the strain may be the most ideal in existence, saying that "no other probiotic has the ability like that of Bacillus coagulans to survive the challenges probiotics face in reaching the intestinal tract where they can do good". He added, "once there, no other strain is as prolific in producing the beneficial by-products responsible for many of the benefits of probiotics."

Andrew Lefkowitz, is the CEO of Ganeden Biotech. They helped fund the study through a research grant and has completed a total of seven clinical trials using GanedenBC30. This includes trials in immunity, IBS, intestinal gas, Crohn's disease, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. "We will continue to fund research investigating the benefits of GanedenBC30 and its ability to improve the quality of life," says Lefkowitz.

Source:


Digestive Advantage

Oral Probiotics

Oral-systemic connection

Recent research confirms that a connection exists between periodontal or gum disease and a host of systemic problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. While the strength of these correlations is currently the focus of considerable research, the exact mechanism of the link between these diseases is not certain, and this has led to some controversy as to whether the association is causal or casual. Those dental researchers who promote a causal relationship between gum disease and other systemic diseases suggest that this link likely relates to oral plaque build-up, especially under the gums. The resultant chronic inflammation from oral plaque can then contribute to the total systemic inflammatory burden.

Other scientists, however, propose that there is merely a casual relationship, and that there are common causal factors for both periodontal disease and other systemic outcomes, including such lifestyle factors as smoking, diet, alcohol, and certain medications. The dental health status, therefore, may be predictive of systemic health simply because a lifestyle that is harmful for teeth and gums is very likely harmful for general health.

The question of causal vs. casual link will likely be answered in the coming years as more evidence accumulates from well-designed clinical trials and epidemiological studies. Regardless of which position eventually proves to be true, however, controlling inflammation in any part of the body represents a sensible treatment goal for the dental community.

In dental practice, the control of oral inflammation typically involves the use of mechanical or chemical means to remove plaque as the causative agent of this localized inflammation. Also, whatever the nature of this link, dentists should routinely discuss healthy lifestyle choices with their patients to improve not only their oral health, but their overall health as well.

Traditional approaches to plaque control

Periodontal disease is among the most common chronic infectious diseases worldwide. Current periodontal therapy is basically designed to disinfect the existing periodontal pockets by aggressively removing the bacterial load around and below the gum line. Current methods typically include scaling and root planning (SRP) the four quadrants using an ultrasonic scaler or hand instrumentation to remove calculus and microbial biofilms.

Often SRP is followed by simple pocket irrigation with a strong antibacterial agent or the use of a controlled delivery device for local application of antimicrobials, such as the professionally available products PerioChip, Arestin, or Atridox.

Despite best efforts by dental professionals to sterilize the periodontal pockets and remove any source of localized inflammation, the pockets will inevitably repopulate with oral bacteria. There is a significant body of clinical research which suggests that, following periodontal therapy, the earliest colonizers of the sterilized pockets strongly relate to the clinical outcome of the therapy, so that the long-term success of the therapy correlated well with the specific types of bacteria that initially repopulated the treated site. If certain viridians streptococci are the initial colonizers, it was reported that these species promoted long-term periodontal health, most likely by inhibiting the recolonization or outgrowth of microorganisms in the treated sites capable of reinitiating periodontal disease.

The studies also showed that an unchecked overgrowth of certain putative pathogenic bacteria in the periodontal pocket resulted in more severe localized inflammation and further tissue breakdown. With the recognized oral-systemic link, such a poor therapeutic outcome could potentially portend systemic health problems for that individual.

Novel approach to plaque control

Bacteria are normal inhabitants of humans, and the oral cavity itself provides an ecological niche for more than 700 microbial species. The vast majority of these oral species are referred to as commensal species, indicating that they do no harm to the host. A small number of species, however, can cause a shift from oral health when they are able to achieve sufficiently large numbers in localized areas of the teeth and gums.

In contrast, it has been determined that a small number of species can actually help maintain a microflora balanced in favor of health. An interesting approach to controlling the harmful effects of oral plaque build-up and the subsequent development of localized inflammation, therefore, may be to augment the host with these beneficial bacteria that are normally responsible for maintaining that healthful balance of oral microflora.

Beneficial bacteria can help to maintain a healthy microbial balance in a variety of ways; for example, through the production of specific metabolites that are antagonistic to the putative pathogenic microorganisms, or by competition with them for essential nutrients and attachment sites in the oral cavity.

Probiotics for oral care

The term "probiotic" occurs with regularity in the lay press and is traditionally defined as live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. I began my basic research into controlling the balance of good bacteria in dental plaque in the late 1970s at the Harvard-affiliated Forsyth Institute in Boston, and then transferred my research to the University of Florida, College of Dentistry, in 1992.

The extensive research conducted at these dental institutions convinced me that a few key naturally occurring oral bacteria can act as antagonists to potentially harmful bacteria that are very frequently present in the human mouth. In 1996, I formed a company called Oragenics to commercialize the scientific discoveries resulting from more than 25 years of research into oral biology.

As a result of significant product development efforts at Oragenics over the past several years, in late 2008 our company launched a new product, ProBiora3, based on a proprietary blend of three select oral bacterial strains of human origin. This probiotic blend consists of Streptococcus oralis strain KJ3 and Streptococcus uberis strain KJ2 for maintaining gingival health, and Streptococcus rattus strain JH145 for maintaining dental health.

A clinical trial demonstrated that twice-daily rinsing with this blend of naturally occurring oral bacteria cultures was able to substantially decrease the numbers of key, potentially pathogenic bacteria in the mouths of young, healthy adults over a period of four weeks.

In addition to helping maintain a healthy balance of bacteria on tooth and gingival surfaces, oral care products containing ProBiora3 have further been shown to gradually whiten dental surfaces due the natural production of low levels of hydrogen peroxide by these strains, and to help to freshen breath by suppressing the oral bacterial species associated with malodor.

Logically, microorganisms that normally colonize the teeth or gums are going to be best suited to serve as oral probiotics. There have been reported attempts to utilize bacteria for oral care that normally colonize the intestinal mucosa rather than adhere to dental tissues as part of the recognized biofilm or plaque. An important element for long-term oral care benefits, therefore, requires that any selected strain be indeed "an oral probiotic."

Further, the selected strains must also be shown to be safe, especially at the recommended dosage level, and the strains should not contain any resistance factors to commonly used antibiotics. The safety of ProBiora3 strains has been well-established for oral application. Finally, any clinical trials used for the selection of strains, for the identification of the mechanism(s) of action, and for supporting any oral care claims must be well-designed, and the results of such studies should be published in peer-reviewed journals.

As an example, some published clinical reports rely on microbiological analysis of saliva samples to demonstrate changes in oral plaque composition; such an approach may lead to misinterpretation of the true situation that occurs in the complex oral biofilm.

The impact of probiotics on home oral hygiene regimen

Proper implementation of effective home oral hygiene techniques between office visits, along with healthy lifestyle choices regarding diet, will go a long way toward improving the level of oral health in America. In this regard, the benefits of regular brushing and flossing for the maintenance of oral health is well-documented and cannot be underestimated. Unfortunately, compliance will always be a problem for most patients when it comes to following any home oral hygiene regimen that you may recommend.

Oral health problems can then follow, losing much of the gain achieved through regular, professional dental visits. Oragenics currently markets a family of oral care products for home use, such as EvoraPlus for teens and adults, EvoraKids for children 3 to 10 years, and EvoraPro for dispensing from the office to patients for home care following a dental visit.

Probiotics for oral care can help to balance the oral microflora of your patients toward health and may offer a convenient, safe, and effective method for augmenting your currently prescribed home oral care program for your patients to follow between their regularly scheduled office visits.

Source:
Jeffrey D. Hillman, DMD, PhD.
Sept 2010

Jeffrey Hillman founded Oragenics, Inc., to commercialize the fruits of 25 years of research at the Harvard-affiliated Forsyth Institute in Boston and the University of Florida. Currently a professor emeritus at the University of Florida, College of Dentistry, Dr. Hillman has continued his work at Oragenics on final development of several cutting-edge health technologies. Dr. Hillman has authored or co-authored more than 125 publications and textbook chapters on subjects related to the etiology and prevention of caries (cavities), periodontal (gum) diseases, and other infectious diseases and cancer. Dr. Hillman received his undergraduate training at the University of Chicago, his DMD degree from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and his PhD from Harvard Medical School.

Probiotic ... Friendly bacteria to the rescue

In an article posted on May 28, 2008, New Scientist magazine says, "The good bacteria that inhabit our guts are more beneficial than we imagined. As well as crowding out dangerous organisms, they also release molecules that may protect us against inflammatory diseases, such as colitis."

Dennis Kasper at Harvard Medical School and his colleagues found that mice inoculated with Bacteroides fragilis - a human gut bug that produces a molecule called PSA - were able to fend off colitis provoked by the pathogenic bacterium Helicobacter hepaticus. Mice inoculated with strains that could not produce PSA, however, succumbed (Nature, vol 453, p 620).

PSA given orally also protected mice from colitis.

If it has a similar effect in humans, supplementary PSA could help treat inflammatory gut disorders.

Reference.
Source: http://www.newscientist.com, From issue 2658 of New Scientist magazine, 28 May 2008, page 19.

Probiotic Treament for Kidney Stones

Treating patients with bacteria may be an effective way of reducing their risk of repeatedly developing painful kidney stones, a study suggests. People naturally carrying the bacterium Oxalobacter formigenes were found to be 70% less likely to have problems.

Formigenes breaks down oxalate in the intestinal tract and is present in a large proportion of the normal adult population. Researchers at Boston University, in the US, are now investigating the possibility of using the bacteria as a probiotic treatment. The study features in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

• Kidney stones are small, hard lumps formed of waste products contained in the urine.
• They normally range in size from a grain of sand to a pearl. They can be smooth or jagged, and are usually yellow or brown.
• Once a kidney stone has formed in a kidney it may travel down through the other parts of the urinary system, where they can slow the flow of urine, cause infection, severe pain and even lead to kidney failure.

Here some more facts:

• About 3 in 20 men and 1 in 20 women in the UK will develop a kidney stone at some point in their lifetime.
• They are most likely to occur in people aged 20 to 40.
• Up to 80% of kidney stones are predominately composed of a compound called calcium oxalate.

The Boston team compared 247 patients with recurrent calcium oxalate kidney stones with 259 people with no history of the condition. They found just 17% of the kidney stones group were colonized with O. formigenes, compared with 38% of healthy group.

Researcher Professor David Kaufman: "Our findings are of potential clinical importance.
The possibility of using the bacterium as a probiotic is currently in the early stages of investigation."

Promising Avenue
Derek Machin, clinical director of urology at University Hospital, Aintree, said that an effective treatment for recurrent kidney stones would be a significant step forward.

He said bigger kidney stones were currently treated by using shock waves to break them up, but this was not always completely effective. Passing a stone in the urine intact can be extremely painful, and even getting rid of the smaller pieces created by shock treatment could cause significant pain.

"For some people kidney stones can be an on-going lifelong problem," he said. And in some cases a stone can destroy kidney function before it is even identified."

However, Machin warned that there was much work to be done before clinical trials of a probiotic could be considered. He said kidney stones had been linked to dehydration and were more common in countries such as Saudi Arabia where the climate is hot and dry.

In instances they may be linked to an unusually high rate of calcium excretion. "However," he said, "in many cases there was no obvious cause for the condition. It is a particular problem for airline pilots, who are not allowed to fly if they have a stone."

Reference:
Source: BBC NEWS, March 09, 2008
Article Name: Probiotic hope for kidney stones

Probiotic VSL#3 Relieves Bloating in IBS

Probiotic formulation VSL#3 appears promising in relieving abdominal bloating in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation in Rochester, Minnesota, United States, found that the action was unrelated to alteration in gastrointestinal (GI) or colonic transit in a randomised, controlled trial with 25 diarrhea-predominant IBS patients.

Following a 2-week run-in period, participants were randomly assigned to either VSL#3 or placebo twice daily for eight weeks. Patients underwent pre- and post-treatment measurement of GI transit. They also recorded bowel function and symptoms daily during the 10-week study.

No significant differences were observed between treatment groups pre- or post-therapy on measurements of GI transit, bowel function or satisfactory global symptoms.

The investigators say that further analysis indicated abdominal bloating was reduced in patients receiving VSL#3. This effect was not seen in patients receiving placebo.

All patients were able to tolerate the probiotics.

Source:
DGReview
By Elda Hauschildt
Alimentary Pharmacology 2003;17:7:895-904. "A randomized controlled trial of a probiotic, VSL#3, on gut transit and symptoms in diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome"

Probiotics & Anti-Inflammatory Effects in Healthy Adults

Research in Finland was conducted in order to evaluate the effects of three potentially anti-inflammatory probiotic bacteria from three different genera on immune variables in healthy adults in a clinical setting based on previous in vitro characterization of cytokine responses.

Method:
A total of 62 volunteers participated in this randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled parallel group intervention study on probiotics.
The volunteers were randomized to receive a milk-based drink containing one probiotic

• Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG (LGG),
• Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Bb12 (Bb12), or
• Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii JS (PJS) or
• a placebo drink

for 3 weeks.

Venous blood and saliva samples were taken at baseline and on d 1, 7 and 21.
Fecal samples were collected at baseline and at the end of intervention.

Result: The serum hsCRP expressed as the median AUC(0-21) (minus baseline) was 0.018 mg/L in the placebo group, -0.240 mg/L in the LGG group, 0.090 mg/L in the Bb12 group and -0.085 mg/L in the PJS group (P = 0.014). In vitro production of TNF-alpha from in vitro cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was significantly lower in subjects receiving LGG vs placebo. IL-2 production from PBMC in the Bb12 group was significantly lower compared with the other groups.

Conclusion:
Probiotic bacteria have strain-specific anti-inflammatory effects in healthy adults.

Reference
Source: University of Helsinki, Institute of Biomedicine, Pharmacology, Helsinki, Finland, posted on Apr 7, 2008
Authors: Kekkonen RA, Lummela N, Karjalainen H, Latvala S, Tynkkynen S, Jarvenpaa S, Kautiainen H, Julkunen I, Vapaatalo H, Korpela R.
(*) Kekkonen RA, Lummela N, Karjalainen H, Latvala S, Tynkkynen S, Jarvenpaa S, Kautiainen H, Julkunen I, Vapaatalo H, Korpela R.

Probiotics & Functional Food

According to Aditya Upadrasta B.Sc M.Sc PhD, functional foods have gained gradual recognition as we learned that healthy diets result from not only eating nutritious foods but from the identification of the mechanisms by which foods modulate metabolism and gut health.

Now research is focusing on the area of probiotics. We can say this is the 'golden period' of probiotics as probiotics is not a new word, it was first conceptualized by the Russian Nobel prize winner and father of modern immunology Elie Metchnikoff at the beginning of the 20th century.

She believes that the fermenting bacteria in milk products consumed by Bulgarian peasants were responsible for their longevity and good health. Recent research is now catching up with his instincts. Lilly and Stillwell first used the actual word in 1965 as a contrast to the word 'antibiotics.' By the 1970s probiotics were being used in the sense that we know today.

She continues to say, "as antimicrobial resistance increases into a major public health problem, Antimicrobial peptides are the starting point of multiple efforts to develop new agents that are effective against a variety of microbes but not against mammalian cells."

What do probiotics do to the gut?
Probiotics protect the mucosal barrier from undesired bacterial colonization through more than one mechanism, which we can classify into three categories:

• Effects on the bacterial populations and their metabolism.
• Effects on the intestinal epithelia and their differentiation
• Effects on the immune cells and their activation.

Upadrasta also mentions barrier effects of the microbiota could include competition with a pathogen for a specific receptor; a non-specific steric hindrance caused by the bacteria adhering to the gut wall. The common phenomenon behind this is production of antibacterial substances or competition for metabolic substrates. Probiotics could improve mucosal health by activating the hosts' defense mechanisms without stimulating an inflammatory reaction in the intestinal mucous

Aditya finishes by saying the new age of functional foods and the introduction of the probiotics concept into the food industry have brought new and unforeseen challenges to the design and application of such living solutions to new generation of stable but functional foods.

In making probiotics products, for example, relatively long storage in chilled dairy products may seriously hamper the survival of these strains. That means essential organisms targeted to populate the human gut one of the most important issues in health benefit provision by probiotics bacteria.

Shelf life - the presence of an adequate number of live bacteria at the end of the shelf life even more important because this is the essence of the health promoting values. The final stage of development, in which additional bacterial action and their health benefits are being discovered and incorporated into new strains, is just beginning but it is already very clear that the future for this field is promising.

Reference.
Source: http://www.scientificblogging.com, submitted on March 20, 2008
Author: Aditya Upadrasta B.Sc M.Sc PhD

Probiotics - Beneficial Bacteria

Bacteria used to be a dirty word in the ingredient industry. No one wanted it to find its way into batches, and then delivered to consumers. Bacteria in products meant adulteration, sick consumers and potential fines from regulation agencies.

With probiotics, that has changed. Probiotics are defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “Live organisms, which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host,” while the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) says a probiotic must: “be alive when administered, have undergone controlled evaluation to document health benefits in the target host, be a taxonomically defined microbe or combination of microbes (genus, species and strain level), and be safe for its intended use.”

In short, probiotics are bacteria that have been shown to help bolster health, and research has emerged showing health benefits ranging from gut to immune to skin. Probiotics are ingested and help maintain a critical flora balance between various groups of bacteria, such as lactobacilli, streptococci, lostridia, coliform and bacteriodes, in the intestine. This balance can be disrupted by stress, disease, antibiotics, unhealthy foods, lack of sleep and harmful environmental conditions.

In his book, “The Consumer’s Guide to Probiotics,” S.K. Dash, Ph.D., noted, “Normally, populations of pathogenic flora are kept in balance by competition from good bacteria and because of symbiosis, which is the mutually interdependent relationship among the hundreds of microbial species. The problem is that our modern lifestyles … have left many people with an imbalance of beneficial to pathogenic gut bacteria.” The solution: replenishing and stabilizing levels of beneficial bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.

“Probiotics supplant pathogenic bacteria that cause various kinds of illnesses,” said Michael Shahani, director of operations, Nebraska Cultures. “They create enzymes to help with digestion. They create B vitamins and folic acid. They improve vaginal health in women, and fight fungal and yeast infections in everyone. They have been shown to help with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. And there is new research showing that probiotics can favorably modify immune response.”

Mike Bush, vice president of business development, Ganeden Biotech, said probiotics address a broad spectrum of health conditions ranging from immune, digestive and inflammatory benefits, and added, “Research is being performed looking at conditions as diverse as obesity and metabolic syndrome to autism and oral health.”

All these benefits are driving increased consumer usage. According to a survey by ConsumerLab.com of 6,012 consumers in February 2010, probiotics were used by 30.4 percent of respondents, up from 25 percent last year. One-third of women in the survey used a probiotic. Usage has translated into rising sales. Packaged Facts reported sales of probiotic/prebiotic foods and beverages topped $15 billion in 2008, a 13 percent increase over 2007, and projects the market for functional foods and beverages addressing digestive health will top $22 billion in 2013, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12 percent between 2004 and 2013.

The economy may also be a factor behind these increased sales. “As a growing number of consumers seek to counter rising health care costs with preventive measures and non-prescription treatments for digestive problems, probiotics are going mainstream,” said Mark Vieceli, director of sales, marketing and business development, Capsugel.

Source:
NaturalProductInsider.com
April 21, 2010

Probiotics - Helpful & Beneficial Bacteria

Probiotics or friendly bacteria are able to alter the intestinal microflora balance favorably. They inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria as well as promote good digestion and boost immune function and thus increase resistance to inflammation and infection.

Did you know that billions and billions of probiotics i.e. health-promoting, good bacteria populate your intestinal tract?

Yes, there is such a thing as good bacteria. These friendly bacteria or probiotics, form a protective barrier to keep bad bacteria out, maintaining a healthy intestinal tract.

If you are - under stress, taking antibiotics, traveling or simply want to promote your health, taking probiotics daily will maintain the health-promoting good bacteria in your intestinal tract. This is important because the intestines are the largest immune organ in the body and promoting their health strengthens your body's overall natural defenses.

Probiotics or 'friendly' beneficial bacteria are able to:

• change balance of the body's microflora i.e. friendly bacteria, favorably
• Probiotics promote good digestion, as well as
• boost immune function,
• aid in the breakdown of proteins and fats in food,
• help to absorb vitamins, minerals & amino acids and
• increase resistance to inflammation and infection by inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria.

People with flourishing intestinal colonies of beneficial bacteria are better equipped to fight the growth of disease-causing bacteria. Helpful bacteria only provide a protective effect when a proper balance is maintained among all the different bacteria that normally reside in your intestine.

If your normal bacteria become depleted or the balance of bacteria is disturbed, potentially harmful bacteria can overgrow, outnumber helpful bacteria and become established, causing digestive and other health problems. These harmful bacteria are known as pathogenic bacteria and they have the ability to cause gastro-intestinal problems such as diarrhea or abdominal pain if not kept in check by the beneficial bacteria.

When selecting a probiotic, it is important to select a high quality product that will survive the acidity of the stomach. Examples of high quality probiotics that are available on the web today are:

• OMX Probiotic 12 plus
• Primal Defense
• VSL#3
• Spectraprobiotics
• Culturelle
• Multi Acidophilus

Probiotics Company Releases Info for IBS Awareness Month

In honor of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Awareness Month, which is in April, the makers of a dietary supplement that treats IBS have released the following information for GI professionals to share with their patients.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. The condition, with symptoms including abdominal pain, constipation and/or diarrhea, affects up to one in five Americans and is second only to the common cold as a leading cause of workplace absenteeism in the United States.

Although IBS affects so many people, the causes of the condition are still unclear. There are many theories on what causes IBS, including an altered immune response or an imbalance of bacteria in the gut.

Dr. Lin Chang, professor of medicine in the Division of Digestive Diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,

and Co-Director of the UCLA Center for Neurobiology of Stress suggests the following for people who are experiencing recurring abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation:

Talk to a Professional. A medical professional can review symptoms, make a diagnosis and help establish a plan of action. There are prescription and over-the-counter therapies that can help minimize the symptoms of IBS.

Keep a Journal.For some people, certain foods, stress, infection, and hormonal changes can trigger IBS symptoms. Keeping a diary of foods and activities is a good way to track potential triggers, identify ways to avoid these triggers, or be able to better manage potential symptoms.

Do Research.There is a wealth of information on the internet about IBS, other people’s experiences and treatments. Stick to credible websites and well-known manufacturers when researching products. Bookstores and libraries can also be good resources.

Consider Probiotics. One area of growing interest in managing IBS is probiotics beneficial bacteria that aid digestion while strengthening the body’s natural defenses and supporting a balance of healthy bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Not all probiotic strains are the same. Strain, packaging, and manufacturing can all impact the effectiveness of a probiotic.

“It’s really important that people realize that they don’t just have to live with IBS. This condition can be effectively and successfully managed,” said Dr. Chang.

Source:
The information is from marketers of Bifantis, a probiotic made by Procter & Gamble.
04/07/2009

Probiotics Research Today

Professor Glenn Gibson of the University of Reading, UK is in Trinidad this month to do a series of lectures for Health Promotion Month on the benefits of Probiotics in Primary Health Care. The series includes live interviews with the public on national television as well as seminars hosted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Trinidad and Tobago (PSTT), and a medical meeting for members of the Medical Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MPATT) and the General Practitioners Association (GPATT).

“ There are trillions and trillions of bacteria that inhibit the human gut, which can impact on various health states such as colorectal cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, and gastroenteritis. There is new evidence that probiotics can help in all of these situations and many others.” says Professor Gibson:

Probiotics are a hot topic in health news right now. They are the natural helpful bacteria that colonise the intestines and help fight off the bad bacteria which cause the body to become prone to illnesses and infections. There are many population groups that can benefit from probiotics including:

- Irritable Bowel Syndrome sufferers
- Gastroenteritis patients
- Stress and Exhaustion sufferers
- Patients using antibiotics frequently
- People prone to yeast and bladder infections
- Frequent travellers
- People who lead hectic, busy lifestyles and tend to miss meals.

Professor Gibson will share information on new research from the University of Reading that shows clinical evidence to support the everyday use of Probiotics to protect the digestive system from harmful bacteria as well boost the body’s defences against colds and flus.

Probiotic is a general term used to describe the millions of different “friendly” bacteria that exist in our digestive system. These bacteria are essential to our health and well being and play an important role in our digestive and immune systems. Probiotics work with the body and should not to be confused with antibiotics, which work against the body.

Here are some frequently asked questions about probiotics:

Is it safe for pregnant or nursing women to take Probiotics?

Yes it is safe. However it is recommended that they consult a doctor before making the decision to take any supplements.

Should children use Probiotics?

Yes. Probiotics are very beneficial to children. They help with maintaining a healthy digestive system which is important for a strong immune system.

Can the elderly take probiotics?

Yes. As we age our intestinal micro-flora gradually change and our immune system tends to go into decline. Probiotics may be able to counteract or slow down this process. It is also beneficial in the possible prevention of constipation while taking antibiotics.

Do Probiotics need to be refrigerated?

It depends on the particular probiotic. Some do but there are also Probiotic products produced to be shelf stable at room temperature.

Can Probiotics cause yeast infections?

No. Yeast infections are caused by the destruction of good bacteria within the digestive tract. There is no link between Probiotics and yeast apart from the fact that they are both microorganisms. The presence of Probiotics in the digestive system limits the development of microorganisms such as yeasts.

Can Probiotics relieve the feelings of bloated, swollen stomachs?

Yes. Gas and bloating is a sign that food is not being ingested correctly in the body. Some common causes of abdominal bloating are IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), lactose intolerance, overeating and constipation, etc.

Probiotics help relieve these symptoms by improving the digestion of food, enhancing the absorption of vitamins, increasing resistance to infection, and inhibiting the growth of harmful bacteria, etc.

Can you take Probiotics and antibiotics at the same time?

Yes. Antibiotics are meant to destroy harmful bacteria however during this process they also destroy the good bacteria in the body resulting in a weakened immune system and in many cases cause constipation.

Taking Probiotics in conjunction with antibiotics ensures the maintenance and restoration of good bacteria in the body.

How often should we use Probiotics?

Probiotics do not spend a very long time in the body and when they disappear the health benefits do also. Daily intake of these good bacteria is the best way to maintain these benefits.

Can Probiotics help the lactose intolerant?

Yes; they do help those who are lactose intolerant by helping to increase the tolerance levels. However consider consulting with your physician.

Is a Probiotics deficiency common?

Yes. Many lifestyle factors contribute to this deficiency such as stress, alcohol consumption, frequent travel, poor diet, prescription drugs, etc.

What are the symptoms of a Probiotic deficiency?

Symptoms of a Probiotic deficiency are as follows; frequent indigestion, stomach pain, diarrhea, constipation, gas, and urinary tract infections just to name a few.

Are there any side effects to be aware of?

There are no major adverse effects as a result of taking Probiotic products as directed; as with all supplements, some users may report minor gastrointestinal upsets such as bloating or a bout of nausea; such effects are usually transient; Probiotic bacteria settle and exert their benefits in the gut — mainly in the colon — so untoward gastrointestinal effects could, perhaps, be expected.

Are there any particular dosing instructions to follow?

It is recommended that all Probiotic supplements be taken with a cold drink to prevent the destruction of the bacteria before it gets to the intestines where they are most effective.

Is it best to use Probiotics before or after meals?

It is advisable to take a supplement with, or around the time of a meal.

The power of probiotics
newsday.co.tt
Tuesday, April 13 2010

Probiotics Strains could help Stress

For those who thought probiotics were just for your digestive health, we’ve got some news for you.

New research published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows that two particular strains of probiotics — Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacterium longum –have “beneficial psychological effects in humans” and may play a key role in reducing some people’s anxiety.

The research by French scientists found that “levels of psychological distress, including measures of depression, anger-hostility, anxiety, and problem solving, were significantly improved in the probiotic group, compared with placebo.”

These results provide further evidence that gut microflora play a role in stress, anxiety and depression, perhaps via the enteric nervous system as well as centrally. … Subject to the confirmation of these results, probiotics might offer a useful novel therapeutic approach to neuropathological disorders and/or as adjunct therapies in psychiatric disorders.

Research has shown probiotics to support immunity, as well as other important areas of one’s health.
Probiotics, tiny microorganisms that help maintain a healthy balance of essential bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, are becoming increasingly popular in today’s health & nutrition market.

It is important to understand, though, that while some products claim to provide large quantities of probiotics, the diversity of strains, total bacterial count and protection of the probiotics are key elements in a powerful product.

Source:
sotonixblog.marketamerica.com
November 3, 2010

Probiotics Study Shown to Curb Anxiety

New research from Canada found taking a daily supplement of probiotics reduced anxiety symptoms for chronic fatigue sufferers.

In the pilot study, 39 chronic fatigue patients were randomized to receive either the probiotic Lactobacillus casei Shirota or a placebo daily for two months. Results showed a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms among those taking the probiotic versus the placebo (p = 0.01).

They found 73 percent of subjects taking the probiotic experienced increased levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria in the gut, which corresponded with a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms. In the placebo group, only 37.5 percent showed an increase in Bifidobacteria, while only 43.8 per cent showed an increase in Lactobacillus bacteria.

The researchers found no statistically significant change in anxiety symptoms among this group. Researchers noted, “These results lend further support to the presence of a gut-brain interface, one that may be mediated by microbes that reside or pass through the intestinal tract.”

Many chronic fatigue syndrome patients suffer from anxiety and reduce intestinal microbial flora in the gut as well as fatigue, depression and insomnia.

Study: Probiotics Curb Anxiety
Gut Pathology
(Gut Pathog. 2009 Mar 19;1(1):6),
04/07/2009

Probiotics a Must for Infants

In an article published by Olmstead, Snodgrass, Meiss and Ralston, we learn that colonization of an infant's gastro-intestinal tract begins at birth. They tell us that acquisition and normal development of the neonatal microflora is vital for the healthy maturation of the immune system. It is through a process called 'micrometabolic imprinting' that intestinal microflora progression has profound effects on health.

An infant's gastro-intestinal microflora may be disrupted by many factors like cesarean section and formula feeding. Infants born by cesarean section are usually colonized by hospital microorganisms and are at increased risk for asthma, allergies, and gastroenteritis. Breastfed infants have a microflora dominated by Bifidobacterium species. On the other hand, it has been found that formula fed babies have low numbers of Bifidobacterium and a haphazard microflora.

For this reason, breastfeeding reduces the risk of allergies, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, diabetes mellitus, and childhood cancer. The gastrointestinal microbiota that are introduced by breastfeeding may be responsible in part for these benefits.

Neonatal probiotics can supply Lactobacillus species essential for normal immunological development and establish a Bifidobacterium dominance in babies born by cesarean section or formula fed. It is well documented that there is altered intestinal microflora in atopic eczema and other allergies in infancy and childhood.

Selected probiotics such as Lactobacillus Rhamnosus and Bifidus lactis have been shown to reduce the risk of allergic eczema in infants and, when present, reduce its clinical severity. The authors suggest that probiotics selected for infants should ideally be dairy free and produce only the L(+) form of lactic acid. An optimal infant probiotic should contain age appropriate Bifidobacterium species, Lactobacillus species important for immune system maturation, and Lactobacillus species normally found in breast milk.

Humans live in beneficial symbiosis with the vast numbers of microorganisms colonizing the gastrointestinal tract. The intestinal microflora thrives in a nutrient-rich, sheltered, anaerobic environment. In return, a balanced microbial community protects against infection, promotes normal bowel function, provides energy and nutrition, and maintains normal immune function.

Sterile before birth, an infant's gastrointestinal tract is rapidly colonized in a progression that begins with delivery. This microbial colonization is vital for normal neonatal gastrointestinal and immune system development. Through a process of micro-metabolic imprinting, normal intestinal microflora progression has profound implications not only for well-being during infancy, but for long-term health.

Many factors may disrupt the infant acquiring and maintaining a healthy, balanced gastro-intestinal micro-community. These factors include maternal microflora, maternal diet and medications, the manner of birth delivery, breast-feeding versus formula-feeding, antibiotic use, and exposure to toxin. Disruption of the normal intestinal microflora, known as dysbiosis, leads to proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms and impaired immune system development.

Intestinal dysbiosis predisposes the infant to infections and allergies. Long-term consequences of neonatal intestinal dysbiosis is thought to include allergies, asthma, increased susceptibility to infections, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and colon cancer.

Giving probiotics during infancy and childhood offers a means of correcting intestinal microflora imbalances and favorably modulating immune and gastro-intestinal system maturation. Health benefits of comsuming probiotics during infancy and childhood has been established. It may support long-term well-being as well.

GUT MICROFLORA & IMMUNE SYSTEM MATURATION

Infants are born with an immature immune defense system. The gastrointestinal tract is the largest bodily surface to come in contact with the outside world. The gastrointestinal mucosal immune system must learn to distinguish foe from friend; combat pathogenic microorganisms and accept the multitude of commensal bacteria.
It must also recognize and defend against toxins and allergens while simultaneously becoming tolerant of the large number of ingested dietary antigens. The gastrointestinal mucosal immune system is linked to mucosal immune systems in the mouth, nasopharynx, lung, breast, and genitourinary tract in a common mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue.

Although the components of the mucosal immune system are in place after full gestation, bacterial colonization of the intestinal tract is important for stimulating full development and mediating maturation of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue i.e.GALT, the largest collection of lymphoid tissue in the human body. The acquisition of a normal, balanced gastro-intestinal microflora is essential for the success of GALT, and in fact, the entire common mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, in carrying out their vital immune functions.

Studies involving germ-free animals have shown that without an intestinal microbiota, intestinal lymphatic tissue develops poorly, shows fewer numbers of specialized ileal lymphoid follicles called Peyer's patches, and produces intra-epithelial lymphocytes with no lytic activity compared to normal colonized animals.

NORMAL NEONATAL INTESTINAL MICROFLORA ACQUISITION AFTER BIRTH

The gastrointestinal tract of the fetus is completely free of any microbes.
The infant aquires microflora, beginning during birth. The mother's intestinal and genital microflora, maternal diet and medications, manner of delivery, and birthing environment all influence its initial development.

The infant is exposed to microorganisms colonizing the mother's cervix, vagina, and perineum during the passage through the birth canal. It has been found that E- coli serotypes isolated from mothers' feces and infant mouths just after vaginal delivery are identical.

Also, bacterial cultures of gastric contents from 5-10 minute old newborns are similar to the maternal cervical microflora. The nasopharynx of most vaginally delivered newborns contain bacteria similar to those of the mother's vagina immediately before delivery.

However, the maternal vaginal microflora does not usually colonize the baby's digestive tract. The maternal gastrointestinal microbiota is the normal source of the neonatal intestinal microflora development.
E- coli and streptococci are the microbes most frequently cultured from the upper digestive tract immediately after birth. Within hours of delivery, enterococci, staphylococci, steptococci, and enterobacteria are present in the gastrointestinal tract of newborns.

By the second day of life, all infants are usually colonized with E- coli. The early colonizing aerobic microorganisms consume intestinal luminal oxygen and lower intestinal pH and redox potential creating conditions that are favorable for the colonization of anaerobic microbes.

Bifidobacteria may be found in low numbers on the first day after delivery, but generally Bifidobacterium and other anaerobic species, such as Lactobacillus and Bacteroides, do not appear in the infant intestines until several days after birth when a favorable microenvironment has been created.

It is well established that probiotics consumed by pregnant women will colonize the newborn gastrointestinal tract following birth.

Consumption of Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain by pregnant moms and continued by the infants up to 6 months has been shown to decrease the risk of eczema by about 50% in the children at 2 and 4 years of age.
It has been noted that maternal vaginal dysbiosis (bacterial vaginosis), in which normal vaginal lactobacilli have been replaced with pathogens, not only has significant implications for pregnancy and delivery but is also associated with premature rupture of the membranes, preterm delivery, and low infant birth weight.

Oral probiotics have been shown to re-establish and support a normal vaginal microflora.

CESAREAN DELIVERY AND NEONATAL INTESTINAL MICROFLORA ACQUISITION

Cesarean delivery significantly alters aquisition of neonatal microflora. The infant does not pass into the world through the birth canal and is thus deprived of the initial exposure to maternal vaginal and fecal microflora. Infants born by cesarean section are not usually colonized by maternal microorganisms, but rather by microbes from the hospital environment.

Prophylactic antibiotics administered to mothers prior to cesarean section may further compromise the acquisition of a normal neonatal intestinal microflora.

In a study of neonatal E. coli colonization when first maternal-infant contact after delivery ranged from 8 to 72 hours, only 14% of hospitalized infants shared E. coli or other Enterobacteriaceae strains with their mothers. Normal mothers and infants share identical E. coli strains. Hospital strains were the majority of acquired E. coli including a strain carrying the Kl capsular antigen virulence factor that led to hospital acquired urinary tract infections in two babies.

In another report, at 7 years of age, children delivered by cesarean section had fewer gastrointestinal Clostridium species than did children delivered vaginally.This was associated with an increased incidence of asthma. Children born by cesarean section, especially a repeat cesarean section, are well-established to have an increased risk of asthma, allergic rhino-conjunctivitis, allergies, and gastroenteritis requiring hospitalization from 1 year of age up to age 10.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the neonatal period of intestinal microflora acquisition represents a time of vulnerability.

Disruptions of microbial colonization and the associated micro-metabolic imprinting carry long-term health consequences.

Probiotics have been clearly shown to decrease allergic inflammation in infants and to favorably modulate extra-intestinal immune responses resulting in a reduced allergic symptoms.

BREASTFEEDING AND THE TRANSFER OF MATERNAL INTERNAL MICROFLORA

Neonatal intestinal microflora development is profoundly influenced by the infant's diet. There are significant differences in the composition of microflora depending on whether a baby is breastfed or formula fed.
Besides unparalleled nourishment, breast milk provides the newborn with factors that protect against disease as the neonatal immune system begins to mature.

These factors include large amounts of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), white cells, antimicrobial enzymes, lactoferrin, immune-enhancing nucleotides, and oligosaccharides that impart immunologic and antimicrobial protection to the infant.

Lesser known, but equally important components of breast milk are commensal bacteria from the maternal gut microflora Maternal commensal bacteria in breast milk are important for infant immune system development.

Among the lactic acid bacteria normally found in breast milk are probiotic species Lactobacillus gasseri, Lactobacillus fermentum, and Enterococcus faecium.

BREASTFEEDING AND NEONATAL INTESTINAL MICROFLORA DEVELOPMENT

Within the first week after vaginal birth, breastfed infants develop a gastro-intestinal microflora dominated by bifidobacteria. This is mainly due to prebiotic factors like galacto-oligosaccharides in breast milk that stimulate bifidobacterial growth. A smaller number of species found in a nursing infant's gut include Bacteroides, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus.

During this same period, formula-fed infants have no predominant gut microbial population. Instead, they possess a more haphazard microbiota that includes Bacteroides, staphylococci, E. coli, clostridia, and bifidobacteria.

The intestinal bifidobacteria population in formula-fed infants is approximately one-tenth that of breastfed infants. The stools of breastfed infants have a significantly lower pH than formula-fed infants.42

One month after birth, breastfed babies show a stable flora clearly dominated by bifidobacteria.
Populations of enterococci, enterobacteria, clostridia, and Bacteroides are suppressed and can only be isolated in relatively low numbers.

After 3 months there is a slight reduction in bifidobacterial populations.
At 1 and 3 months of age, no microorganism predominates in the formula-fed infant intestine. Also, formula-fed infants have higher numbers of facultative and obligate anaerobic bacteria compared to breastfed infants.

BREASTFEEDING HEALTH BENEFITS AND THE INFANT INTESTINAL MICROFLORA

Breastfeeding is associated with numerous benefits for the infant.
Perhaps the most widely appreciated benefit is protection against infection:
Breastfeeding not only protects against gastro-intestinal infections and diarrheal diseases, but has been clearly shown to reduce the incidence of extra-intestinal infections such as otitis media, acute lower respiratory diseases, urinary tract infections, and septicemia.
The protective effects persist for months and even years after weaning.

Breastfeeding provides many other health benefits beyond protection from infection:
- reduction in the risks of allergies and atopic diseases, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease,and diabetes mellitus.
- reduction in the risk of childhood cancers.

PROBIOTICS AND INFANCY

When the normal neonatal microflora does not develop properly or an infant's microflora is disrupted by antibiotics or other toxin exposures, probiotics become important tools to restore intestinal microbial balance.

Probiotic supplements containing bifidobacteria may increase gastrointestinal bifidobacteria populations and reduce anaerobic bacteria in formula-fed infants, creating a microflora more similar to healthy breastfed infants.

Probiotics can also supply essential Lactobacillus species such as L. casei, critical for proper dendritic cell differentiation, and L. rhamnosus, shown to enhance bifidobacteria diversity in infants and increase populations of Bifidobacterium breve.

The use of probiotics in infancy to address a disorder associated with altered intestinal microflora has been best studied in children with allergies and atopic eczema. Atopic eczema is often the first appearance of allergies in infants. The incidence of atopic eczema, as well as other allergic diseases, has been increasing dramatically in industrialized countries over the past forty years.

Probiotic formulations have also been shown to be effective in treating viral diarrhea and antibiotic-associated diarrhea in infancy as well as in reducing the risk of necrotizing entero-colitis in premature and low birth weight infants.

PROBIOTIC SELECTION FOR INFANTS

Probiotic selection for infants should be premised on data that support efficacy at creating an intestinal microflora similar to that of a healthy, vaginally delivered, breastfed baby. It is disruptions of this normal neonatal microbiota that lead to acute, short-term disorders such as diarrhea and allergies and may well be a significant causative factor in long-term chronic diseases such as obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and diabetes.

Many of the Lactobacillus species normally found in breastfed babies cannot be cultured without the use of dairy products which may limit probiotic options in dairy sensitive infants.

Fortunately, the important Bifidobacterium species B. breve, B. infantis, B. lactis, and B. longum can be cultured dairy-free as can the highly important L. casei and L. rhamnosus.

Probiotic dosing is important.

Low doses may be ineffective as illustrated by two studies of probiotics for the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis.

One study, which used a dose of 60 million CFU of L. rhamnosus GG, failed to find a benefit while the second study, which used a formulation containing 10 billion CFU per capsule administered with breast milk, found that the probiotic formulation significantly reduced the incidence and severity of necrotizing entero-colitis.

The L. rhamnosus may not have been beneficial in the first study because too low of a dose was used.

Underdosing is a recurrent problem in probiotic research design. In terms of how much probiotic can be safely tolerated by infants, one study that assessed the efficacy of B. lactis to restore microbial balance in infants with atopic eczema established that doses up to 110 billion CFU per kilogram of body weight were safely tolerated by the babies.

A rational probiotic formulation for infants would include the age-appropriate bifidobacteria, lactobacilli important for antigen processing and dendritic cell differentiation, and lactobacilli normally found in the healthy infant intestines.

CONCLUSION

Sterile before birth, an infant's gastro-intestinal tract begins to be colonized during passage through the birth canal.
The normal populations of enteric microflora are acquired primarily from contact with the mother and during breastfeeding. An infant should have a microflora characterized by a predominance of particular Bifidobacterium species, the presence of specific lactobacilli, and low numbers of Bacteroides, clostridia, staphylococci, and enterobacteria.

The normal microbial population patterns in infants appear to be crucial to the healthy maturation of the gastro-intestinal and immune systems.

The composition of the infant's microflora is so important that mothers have specific immunological mechanisms to ensure the transfer of their own enteric bacteria to their babies through breast milk. Breast milk also contains numerous factors such as prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides that stimulate the growth of bifidobacteria.

Because of the micro-metabolic imprinting of the normal infant microflora on the immune system, disruptions of the microbiota during infancy may relate to the risk of chronic diseases in later childhood and adulthood.

Select probiotics have been shown to restore balance in the infant microflora.

This restoration appears to effectively reduce the incidence of viral and antibiotic-associated diarrhea and to prevent and treat atopic diseases in infancy.

Probiotics have been shown to be safe and well tolerated by infants.

A basis for probiotic formulations for infants provides species that restore the intestinal microflora of a healthy, vaginally delivered, breast fed baby.

NOTE:
If you are interested in purchasing Klaire Lab Infant Probiotic Formula, please contact sales@crohns.net or call 877 240-7528 m-f 10-4 PST.

Source:
Micrometabolic Imprinting in Infancy:
Microflora, Probiotics & Chronic Disease
Stephen Olmstead, MD, Ryan Snodgrass, MS, Dennis Meiss, PhD, and Janet Ralston, BS

Probiotics and fermented foods

Dr Dae explains that dysbiosis is an imbalance of the digestive flora that causes pain and discomfort in the digestive area. She recommendsd probiotics as one part of the solution.

She tells us that probiotic is a generic term used to describe the beneficial micro-organisms that live in our digestive tract. She clarifies that the term includes several different species that live and populate our colon. Traditionally these micro organisms, or beneficial flora, would continually be repopulated by the foods that we ate as part of our normal diet.

The beneficial flora is obtained readily through eating fermented foods. Interestingly enought, most cultures have daily foods that are fermented. e.g. Italians eat antipasto, Japanese eat miso or tempeh, eastern Europeans eat kiefer or yogurt, Koreans eat kymchee, Germans eat sauerkraut.

Eating these foods as part of a balanced diet helped to maintain the normal digestive process for these cultures for centuries. Unfortunately the Standard American Diet (SAD) does not have any elements of a fermented foods as a staple part of it’s foundation.

She comments that our highly processed, highly refined diet actually tends to create an ideal environment for harmful micro-organisms to flourish.

Yogurt commercials explain the benefits of probiotics. They only mention one of the beneficial strains called Lactobacillus Bifidus. There are other strains like Lactobacillus acidolphilus, L. fermentum, L. casea, L. salivores, L. brevis and L. plantarum. All of these in combination are important to have the good flora in the digestive tract.

Dr. Dae tells us that probiotics are an important part of a healthy digestive and immune system so it is worth investigating how balanced your digestive tract is.

Daemon "Dr. Dae" (pronounced Dr. Day) Jones is a Naturopathic Physician who completed her training at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine.

Source: DrDae.com
August 25th, 2009

Probiotics help Gastric-Bypass patients Lose Weight More Quickly

New research from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford Hospital & Clinics suggests that the use of a dietary supplement after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery can help obese patients to more quickly lose weight and to avoid deficiency of a critical B vitamin.

In a study published in the July issue of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, John Morton, MD, associate professor of surgery at the medical school, showed that patients who take probiotics after the gastric-bypass procedure tend to shed more pounds than those who don’t take the supplements.

Probiotics are the so-called “good” bacteria found in yogurt as well as in over-the-counter dietary supplements that help in the digestion of food.

“Surprisingly, the probiotic group attained a significantly greater percent of excess weight loss than that of control group,” said Morton, who wrote the paper with lead author Gavitt Woodard, a third-year medical student, and five other medical students at the Surgery Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation in Stanford’s Department of Surgery. John Morton has performed more than 1,000 of these bypasses at Stanford Hospital & Clinics.

The researchers followed 44 patients on whom Morton had performed the procedure from 2006 to 2007. Patients were randomized into either a probiotic or a control group. Both groups received the same bariatric medical care and nutritional counseling, as well as the support of weight-loss study groups. Both groups also were allowed to consume yogurt, a natural source of probiotics. In addition, the probiotic group consumed one pill per day of Puritan’s Pride, a probiotic supplement that is available online and in many stores. Morton has no financial ties to the company that makes the supplement.

The study also found that levels of vitamin B-12 were higher in the patients taking probiotics—a significant finding because patients often are deficient in B-12 after gastric-bypass surgery. The probiotics group had B-12 levels of 1,214 picograms per milliliter at three months, compared with the control group’s levels of 811 pg/mL.

John Morton said he now recommends probiotic supplements to his patients, and he plans to continue to look for ways to enhance the outcomes from the procedure.

Roughly 15 million Americans are morbidly obese, and bypass surgery is becoming an increasingly common treatment for the problem. Some 150,000 Americans who have a body mass index of more than 40—who are typically at least 100 pounds overweight—have the procedure each year.

Morton said the study was prompted by the fact that some patients have problems eating after gastric-bypass surgery. “For some reason, the food doesn’t go down right,” he said. When no anatomical reasons could be found for blockages, he hypothesized that a build-up of bacteria in the intestine—bacterial overgrowth—might be the culprit.

“Bacterial overgrowth can be bad in that it changes your motility, how you empty,” Morton said. “A lot of people aren’t aware that we all carry about a lot of bacteria in our intestines and that they’re extremely helpful in aiding digestion. And I thought, ‘Well, if we give these patients probiotics, then maybe we can improve these symptoms.’

“Part of the obesity puzzle may be due to the kind of bacteria you have in your intestine,” he said.

Note: There was no outside funding for the study.

Source:
Stanford University
July 13, 2009

Probiotics now added to Food

According to Jess Halliday, Freedonia Marketing Grp has identified Probiotics in dairy products as being an additive sub-category likely to post above-average growth, since the beneficial bacteria are being used more and more in yogurts and other products.

She also mentions that there is also some evidence of probiotics breaking out of the traditional yogurt delivery category and into foods like cheese, chocolate, and coatings for breakfast cereals.

She continues to say that last year Barry Callebaut launched Acticoa, claimed to be the first probiotic-containing chocolate on the consumer market, which uses encapsulation to protect the live bacteria.

Danisco is also known to have been involved in developing probiotic cheese.

Halliday concludes by adding, ... "nor is it just probiotics that are extending beyond traditional uses, Freedonia says that other nutraceuticals like vitamins and minerals and herbal extracts are being fouond in waters, soft drinks, fruit juices, desserts and candy."

Reference.
Source: www.foodnavigator.com, Posted March 7, 2008
Author: Jess Halliday
Article Name: Innovation still driving force for additives

Probiotics produce Cytokine Reaction

Finnish researchers have found single strains of probiotic bacteria have a greater effect on cytokine production than those used in combination.

According to Shane Starling, of the 11 strains tested from six bacterial genera, Streptococcus (in particular Streptococcus thermophilus) and Leuconostoc - were found to be the most potent inducers of cytokine activity, exceeding that of the more commonly utilized Lactobacillus.

Other bacteria were from the Bifidobacterium, Lactococcus, and Propionibacterium genera. All 11 strains induced a cytokine reaction when used in isolation but in combination were found to have little or no effect on cytokine production.

Shane Starling also mention that probiotics are bacterial strains that benefit gut health and immunity while cytokines are proteins that play an important role as signaling agents in assisting the body to maintain immune system function.

Potentialities

The researchers from Finland's National Public Health Institute, the University of Helsinki and Finnish dairy giant Valio's Research Centre (a Lactobacillus-using pioneer) called for further research, noting that "the ways in which probiotic bacteria elicit their health effects are not fully understood."

But they stated that probiotic bacteria had the potential to direct immune responses in a "bacterial genera-specific manner" and noted application potential from their findings in "designing probiotics for specific preventative or therapeutic purposes."

"At present there is only a limited amount of comparative data available on the ability of different probiotic strains to induce cytokine responses within the same experimental system," they said. "Also, the effect of probiotic bacterial combinations on cytokine production in vitro is not well documented although bacterial combinations have been used in many clinical trials."

The peer-reviewed study, published in the february 28 issue of the weekly World Journal of Gastroenterology, was conducted in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in order to identify potential "enhancing or synergistic effects."

One of these could be the ability to induce and regulate innate and adaptive immune responses.

Method
The researchers looked for cytokine production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after stimulation with the "potentially probiotic" bacterial strains. Production and mRNA expression of TNF-a, IL-12, IFN-g and IL-10 were determined by ELISA and Northern blotting, respectively.

"Stimulation of PBMC with any bacterial combinations did not result in enhanced cytokine production suggesting that different bacteria whether gram-positive or gram-negative compete with each other during host cell interactions," they noted.

Some probiotic bacteria genera have grown rather quickly as companies develop, and sometimes patent, individual strains.

There are about a dozen variants of the Lactobacillus family alone including L. acidophilus, L. brevis, L. casei, L. delbrueckii, L. helveticus, L. reuteri and L. sanfranciscensis.

Reference:
Source: News Headlines, March 19, 2008
Author: Shane Starling

Probiotics show potential against common cold

According to new research from probiotic researchers from Swedens Probi AB, daily supplements with probiotic Lactobacillus strains may reduce the incidence of acquiring the common cold by 12%

The results published in the European Journal of Nutrition of a randomised, parallel, double-blind placebo-controlled study with 272, subjects showed that daily consumption of Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL 9 (DSM 15312) and Lactobacillus paracasei 8700:2 (DSM 13434) reduced the incidence of one or more episodes of the common cold from 67% in the placebo group to 55%,

Also, the number of days of symptoms for the cold was significantly reduced in people taking the probiotic supplements, from an average of 8.6 to 6.2, compared with placebo.

“Intake of the probiotic strains Lactobacillus plantarum HEAL 9 (DSM 15312) and Lactobacillus paracasei 8700:2 (DSM 13434) reduces the risk of acquiring common cold infections,” state the researchers, led by Anna Berggren from Sweden’s Probi AB.

Probiotics, alone or in combination with prebiotics, have been reported to potentially reduce the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections.
Earlier this year Croatian researchers reported that Lactobacillus GG may decrease the risk of upper respiratory tract infections including rhinitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis, and the common cold in children attending day care centres.

Study details

Berggren and her co-workers tested the effects of L. plantarum HEAL 9 (DSM 15312) and L. paracasei 8700:2 (DSM 13434) on the incidence of the
common cold in 272 healthy subjects. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the daily probiotic supplements (one billion colony forming units) or a control for 12 weeks.

Results showed that, in addition to a reduction in the incidence of getting the common cold and the number of days with symptoms, a reduction in the severity of symptoms was also recorded. According to the EJN report, “the total symptom score was reduced during the study period from a mean of 44.4 for the control group to 33.6 for the probiotic group”.

Source:
European Journal of Nutrition
21-Sep-2010

Probiotics: The Ultimate Solution For Bad Breath

In 2001, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, in a Joint Expert Consultation, defined "probiotics" as "Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host." For the most part, these microorganisms are bacteria.

The origin of the term "probiotic" is credited to German researcher Werner Kollath ("Probiotika"), who used it in a 1953 publication entitled "Nutrition and the tooth system." Kollath's usage was to describe organic and inorganic supplements necessary to restore health to patients suffering a form of malnutrition resulting from eating too much highly refined food.

The following year, another German scientist, Ferdinand Vergin, turned the focus more toward microorganisms, in his article entitled "Anti- und Probiotika."

It is more important to perceive that antibiotics affect our indigenous microorganisms living together with us in a biotic community or even in a symbiosis and thus deplete us of essential probiotics. Werner Kollath proposed the term probiotics. Consequently, probiotics are the opposite of antibiotics.

Notably, the art of preparing fermented milk products such as yogurt goes back thousands of years, and some traditions claim that the Genesis patriarch Abraham owed his longevity to the consumption of cultured milk.

Even conservative medical authorities acknowledge that probiotics may be beneficial in:
-Treating diarrhea, especially following treatment with various antibiotics
-Preventing and treating vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections
-Treating irritable bowel syndrome
-Reducing the recurrence of bladder cancer
-Shortening the duration of intestinal infections
-Preventing and treating inflammation following colon surgery
-Preventing eczema in children

In 2005 a Swedish study by Tubelius et al. found that a group of employees at the company TetraPak who were given the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri missed less work due to respiratory or gastrointestinal illness than did a control group which was not given the supplement.

What about bad breath?

It is well established that a primary cause of bad breath is the formation of so-called volatile sulfur compounds—the by-products of bacterial metabolic degradation. This process occurs on oral surfaces, in periodontal pockets, and especially on the dorsal surface of the tongue. Researchers have identified the species of bacteria most associated with odor production, along with a species most prevalent in those subjects without bad breath.

In fact, the good species, Streptococcus salivarius, is essentially absent in bad breath sufferers, but is the most prevalent species on the back of the tongue in people without bad breath.

In the 1990s, Professor John Tagg of the University of Otago in New Zealand was tracking the incidence of certain childhood diseases, and came upon a particular child who seemed free from sore throats for several years. From this child, he isolated a specific strain of Streptococcus salivarius he called K12. Tagg's research interest has long been finding helpful bacteria that might be harnessed to fight disease-causing bacteria.

Subsequent studies showed that children without K12-like S. salivarius are twice as likely to acquire Streptococcus pyogenes (strep throat) infection than those with K12-like S. salivarius. K12 strains uniquely produce two antimicrobial agents called Salivaricin A and Salivaricin B.

Additional investigations determined that about 9% of the population carries S. salivarius strains that produce either salivaricin A or B, and only two percent carry K12-like S. salivarius strains that produce both salivaricin A and B.

Tagg and his associates developed probiotic products to address throat and oral health problems. Similar preparations were given to subjects of a study published in 2006 that looked at how K12 would fare with bad breath symptoms. The results were excellent, but then, we already knew that S. salivarius people (especially those with K12-like strains) don't get bad breath!

The products have been commercialized by BLIS Technologies Ltd. of New Zealand - http://www.blis.co.nz - and are sold outside Australia and New Zealand by an American, Dr Harold Katz's company.

Source:
www.HealthNewsDigest.com

Probiotics:100 years (1907-2007) after Elie Metchnikoff

The scientific rationale for the use of live microbes in the prevention and treatment of infections came to lime-light most transparently at the beginning of the 20th century when Elie Metchnikoff in 1907 hypothesized that replacing or diminishing the number of ‘putrefactive’ bacteria in the gut with lactic acid bacteria could normalize bowel health and prolong life.

After more than half a century the term probiotics was coined to reflect Metchnikoff’s idea. It is now defined as ‘live microorganism, which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’.

In the last 10 years, scientific research in probiotic microbiology has progressed considerably and significant advances have been made in the selection and characterization of specific probiotic cultures and substantiation of health claims relating to their use. Molecular and genetic studies have helped to uncover the mechanistic basis for the beneficial activities of probiotics.

It has taken one hundred years, but there are signs that Metchnikoff’s hypothesis is now truly being brought to life and many health attributes will indeed be conferred by use of probiotics.

Brief history of Elie Metchnikoff

Born on May 16, 1845 in Ukraine, Elie Metchnikoff studied natural sciences at the University of Kharkoff and pioneered research in immunology leading to the discovery of intercellular digestion in a flatworm.

In 1904, he became the deputy director at the Pasteur Institute laboratory in Paris from where he discovered the process of phagocytosis which demonstrated how specific white blood cells can break down harmful bacteria in the body. For this work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1908.

Although there is reference to sour milk or fermented cultures as far back as the Bible, Elie Metchnikoff is regarded as the grand father of modern probiotics. He made a landmark observation that the regular consumption of lactic acid bacteria in fermented dairy products, such as yogurt, was associated with enhanced health and longevity in Bulgarian peasant populations.

He linked this to the ‘Bulgarian bacillus’ which was discovered by a 27-year old Bulgarian physician Stamen Grigorov, and he later demonstrated how healthy bacteria in yogurt helped digestion and improved the immune system. The scientific rationale for the health benefit of lactic acid bacteria was provided in his book “The prolongation of life” published in 1907.

He asserted that some of the bacterial organisms present in the large intestine were a source of ‘toxicants’, toxic substances that contributed to illness and aging. He suggested that "The dependence of the intestinal microbes on the food makes it possible to adopt measures to modify the flora in our bodies and to replace the harmful microbes by useful microbes" [1].

To test the hypothesis on the health benefit of consuming lactic acid bacteria, Metchnikoff drank sour milk every day until his demise at the ripe age of 71 years in 1916.

Historical development of Probiotics.
At the time of Metchnikoff’s scientific demonstration of lactic acid bacteria benefits, Henry Tissier, a French paediatrician, working independently observed that children with diarrhea had in their stools a low number of bacteria characterized by a peculiar, Y shaped morphology.

These “bifid” bacteria were, on the contrary, abundant in healthy children [2]. He suggested that these bacteria could be administered to patients with diarrhoea to help restore a healthy gut flora.

The pre and post-world war discovery of antibiotics may have triggered abandoning Metchnikoff’s concept, as apart from the launch of Yakult in Japan in the 1930s, and ongoing studies in the Soviet Union, there is little evidence to indicate that Metchnikoff’s concept was taken seriously, at least from a commercial standpoint. Indeed, between 1908 and 1964, little or nothing was heard of microbial therapy in Western countries.

In 1965, the term ‘probiotics’ was first used by Lilly and Stillwell [3] in a different context to represent ‘substances secreted by one organism which stimulate the growth of another’. After nine years, Parker [4] described probiotics as “organisms and substances which contribute to intestinal microbial balance”.Fifteen years later, Fuller [5] proposed that probiotics were ‘live microbial supplements which beneficially affects the host animal by improving its microbial balance.

This was followed by Salminen et al., [6] who defined probiotics as ‘foods containing live bacteria which are beneficial to health’. As research in probiotics become more visible and in confirming the validity of evidence on probiotics, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) in 2001, sponsored an Expert Consultation following a request from the Argentinian government. During the consultation which was chaired by Dr. Gregor Reid, the Director of the Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics, a consensus definition of probiotics was adopted as “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host” [7].

This is now the widely used and accepted definition as it embraces all applications of live microbes, not just those for intestinal benefits. Probiotics beyond fermented dairy products Many microbial types are used around the world to ferment milk, plant food, meat and other products.

Two of the most widely known and characterized are Lactobacillus delbreuckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. They were reported to positively influence the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract, thereby decreasing toxic microbial metabolic activities [8]. However, much progress has been made since in terms of the fermentation of dairy products. In this regard most probiotics fall into categories of lactic acid-producing bacterial organisms, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, but also non-lactic acid organisms.

Probiotics are most often incorporated in yogurt and fermented milk, but other food lines are now available and numerous products are sold in tablet, capsule, and powder forms. The dairy version require refrigeration in the distribution channels, outlets and homes (unless the products are eaten within a day of purchase), and these may not always be available.

Some dried formulations, can survive without refrigeration, as long as they are retained in proper vials with appropriate desiccants, and kept in a cool, dry location suitable for the developing countries with tropical temperatures [9].

EXCERPTS FROM Paper by: Kingsley C. Anukam 1,2∗ PhD, MHPM and Gregor Reid 1,2,3 PhD, MBA, ARM, CCM

1 Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics, Lawson Health Research Institute, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, Ontario, N6A 4V2, Canada.
2 Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Western Ontario, Canada. 3 3 Department of Surgery, University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Posted: Feb 3 2011

 

Study finds, Probiotics are Good For Oral Health

Probiotics (live micro-organisms) are beneficial to the stomach, and in a new study, out of Spain finds they are also good for your teeth.

Researchers at the International University in Barcelona, Spain, looked at the effects of probiotics on gingivitis, bad breath & cavity development. Researchers found that some of the probiotics taken alone or as part of a formula improved oral health.

Denise Cole, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic, who did not take part in the study, said people who took probiotic milk over a seven month period showed a decrease in cavities as well as a decrease in periodontal disease when probiotics were administered straight to the gum.

Probiotics can increase resistance to infectious diseases, help balance upset stomach & improve allergy symptoms. Probiotic milks & yogurts are a good source of probiotics,and there are also a wide variety of supplements.

Source:
Foxnews.com
16 December 2011

The Benefit of Probiotics

Overview
Your body is full of bacteria and microorganisms. A balance of these bacteria and microorganisms is important to your overall health and well-being. Intestinal balance is disturbed when you take antibiotics or when disease-causing microorganisms make their way into your system. A natural way of restoring balance is the use of probiotic products. In order to experience the full benefit of probiotics it is best to match the strain(s) recommended for treating your specific condition.

What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are good bacteria that help to maintain intestinal health. These bacteria are naturally found in your gut and are available in dietary supplements and foods including yogurt, miso, tempeh, fermented milk, and some juice and soy beverages.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, probiotic bacteria come from two groups: Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. The groups encompass different species and different strains. Different strains produce varying benefits, and may treat one condition effectively and not another.

Research
More research is both needed and encouraged. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that evidence supports the use of probiotics for diarrhea caused by the rotavirus, for urinary or female genital tract infections, for irritable bowel syndrome or ibs, to reduce the recurrence of bladder cancer, to shorten the duration of infections caused by Clostridium difficile, to prevent and treat pouchitis, and to prevent and manage eczema.

Match Strains to Conditions
It is highly recommended that you match your condition or symptoms to the recommended probiotic strain. Matching the most effective probiotic strain to your condition increases efficacy of the treatment. Based on recognized uses, CNN Health recommends the following probiotic strain-to-condition matches.

If you have stomach upset and diarrhea while using antibiotics, seek products containing S. cerevisiae boulardii, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bacillus coagulans GBI-30. For urinary and vaginal tract infections, products containing L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14 should provide relief.

To boost your immunity, seek products containing L. casei DN-114001, L. rhamnosus GG and L. acidophilus NCFM. When suffering from irritable bowel syndrome, products containing Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 and L. plantarum DSM9843 will ease symptoms and regulate intestinal health.

For eczema, products containing L. rhamnosus HN001 or L. rhamnosus GG will be the most effective. When you suffer from traveler's diarrhea, products containing S. cerevisiae boulardii will provide the most help.

Immune System
Until you are born, the gut does not contain microorganisms. Outside the womb, your body is inundated with good and bad bacteria, which help stimulate and form your immune system. If you continually add good bacteria to your diet, they help the body decrease the number of bad microbes in the intestines, leading to better health and a stronger immune system.

Considerations
The benefit of probiotics is primarily supported by research to impact the immune system and intestinal health. The foundation for intestinal health is influenced from birth, and the addition of good bacteria encourages well-being. Keep in mind that strain and dosing amounts are important. Contact your health care practitioner for further recommendations.

Source:
Novella Thompson
LivingStrong
05/29/10

VSL#3 Probiotic Induces Remission in Active Ulcerative Colitis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS:
Intestinal bacteria have been implicated in the initiation and perpetuation of IBD; in contrast, "probiotic bacteria" have properties possibly effective in treating and preventing relapse of IBD. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of VSL#3 and the components, and the composition of the biopsy-associated microbiota in patients with active mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC).

METHODS:

Thirty-four ambulatory patients with active UC received open label VSL#3, 3,600 billion bacteria daily in two divided doses for 6 wk. The presence of biopsy-associated bacteria was detected using a nucleic acid-based method and the presence of VSL#3 species confirmed by DNA sequencing of 16S rRNA.

RESULTS:
Thirty-two patients completed 6 wk of VSL#3 treatment and 2 patients did not have the final endoscopic assessment. Intent to treat analysis demonstrated remission (UCDAI 2) in 53% (n = 18); response (decrease in UCDAI 3, but final score 3) in 24% (n = 8); no response in 9% (n = 3); worsening in 9% (n = 3); and failure to complete the final sigmoidoscopy assessment in 5% (n = 2). There were no biochemical or clinical adverse events related to VSL#3. Two of the components of VSL#3 were detected by PCR/DGGE in biopsies collected from 3 patients in remission.

CONCLUSION:
Treatment of patients with mild to moderate UC, not responding to conventional therapy, with VSL#3 resulted in a combined induction of remission/response rate of 77% with no adverse events. At least some of the bacterial species incorporated in the probiotic product reached the target site in amounts that could be detected.

Source:
The American Journal of Gastroenterology (2005) 100, 1539–1546; doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2005.41794.x
Rodrigo Bibiloni PhD1, Richard N Fedorak MD2, Gerald W Tannock PhD1, Karen L Madsen PhD2, Paolo Gionchetti MD3, Massimo Campieri MD3, Claudio De Simone PhD4 and R Balfour Sartor MD5

Worm & Microbe Infection Research

Micro-organisms in the intestine live in symbiosis with humans but can cause illness or even death.

Together with an international team, Nicola Harris, Professor at the Institute of Integrative Biology of ETH Zurich, and specialist in the area of intestinal diseases caused by microbes, researched the factors that make a person immune to worm infections. The knowledge can now be used to develop vaccines.

The intestinal mucosa forms the largest surface area of the human body. Unfolded, it would occupy approximately the area of a tennis court. It represents an interface between the body and the environment, and is therefore vulnerable to pathogens and worm infections.

Harris explains that “As a result of the flimsy barrier between the intestine and the environment, the intestinal mucosa is constantly exposed to foreign substances and must be able to trigger a robust immune response to them.”

At the same time, the mucosa must recognise whether harmless so-called commensal germs are involved, which live in symbiosis with humans, or dangerous or even lethal pathogens.

Harris adds, “The intestinal mucosa’s immune system is therefore faced with an enormous challenge. It must constantly decide when it must mount a counter-attack against an inflammation that keeps the pathogenic germs in check by means of an activated defence response or when it needs to maintain the status quo in which humans and “useful” probiotic bacteria live in symbiosis.” She says that the commonest intestinal microbes in mammalian evolution are symbiotic bacteria and worm infections.

This is why Harris and her team research the different aspects of the immune defence in the intestine to understand the interaction between humans, commensal bacteria and worm infections.

In her latest research study, she studied how humans build up an immune defense against infections by the worm Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Hp) which, although it leads to a chronic illness, limits the parasite’s infestation and spread, and how active immunisation occurs. From the knowledge gained, the researchers hope to be able to develop a vaccine against this parasite.

Multiple infections yield protective immunity. Working on mice, the scientists successfully tracked how an immune response arises in the body as a result of the infection.

It became apparent that a mixture of what are known as polyclonal antibodies, i.e. non-specific antibodies, is formed after infection with the parasites. Specific antibodies – comparatively few of them – form only after multiple infections. In their experiments, the researchers were able to show that the polyclonal antibodies reduced the fertility of the adult worms and thus their egg production.

From this, the scientists can conclude that the polyclonal antibodies play two roles:

- On the one hand, the parasites are allowed to become chronic and practically to live in symbiosis with humans, but, on the other,

- the parasite infestation and its extent are limited

However, they also suspect that the formation of non-specific antibodies is responsible for the delayed formation of parasite-specific antibodies and thus ensures that the worms survive for a certain period of time. According to the researchers, both types of antibody play a key role: the non-specific antibodies limit the worms’ fertility whilst the specific ones yield immune protection against new infections.

Harris says, “This study yielded a solid scientific foundation and gave us optimism in our search for an effective vaccine against worm infections in the intestine.”

The fact that the non-specific formation of antibodies allows the parasite to fool the immune system shows that conventional immunization strategies will be ineffective in this case.

Reference:
Research Conducted by: Nicola Harris, Professor at the Institute of Integrative Biology of ETH Zurich.
Reported: ScienceDaily (Jan. 5, 2009)