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Probiotics

October 17, 2011 By Staley Sednaoui, Nutrional Counselor

This Fall I have had several clients working on digestive issues and looking for more information on probiotics.

The term probiotics has been used a lot in the media recently. In fact, if we believe the ads on TV, eating lots of yogurt in little green containers would solve any digestive problems we might have. So what are probiotics? Do we need them? Should we be spooning down yogurt?

The word probiotic comes from the Greek, meaning "for life." Traditional cultures long ago recognized the digestive benefits of fermented foods and incorporated these foods into their everyday diets. The Romans ate sauerkraut, the ancient Indians drank a fermented yogurt drink called lassi, while ancient Asian cultures ate pickled cabbage and cucumbers, such as Korean Kim Chee. The Ukrainians consumed buttermilk and raw yogurt. These foods have faded away in popularity and most American children in today's culture have never even had a bite of sauerkraut.

Consider that 80% of our immune system is located in our gut. If stretched out flat, our gut's surface area would cover a tennis court! Our gut, or GI tract, is filled with good and bad bacteria. Good health and a strong immune system depend upon a healthy balance of the two bacteria. In our modern world of overprescribed antibiotics, overuse of antibacterial soap and antibacterial hand sanitizer, combined with the consumption of chlorinated water, and eating over-sterilized and over-processed food, our "good" bacteria can easily decline as our "bad" bacteria grows, upsetting this important balance. In extreme cases, we can develop a condition called "leaky gut," in which tiny gaps develop in the membrane lining of our intestinal wall, thereby allowing toxins (bad bacteria, yeast, undigested food, and waste products) to leak into our blood stream, causing all kind of problems. Many doctors are now making the connection between poor gut health in children and the rise of learning disabilities and autism in children. (If anyone wants to explore this further, please Google Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride of Cambridge, England who has named "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" ("GAPS") and has developed a "GAPS" diet protocol to help autistic and learning disabled children.)

An interesting fact is that children are born with a sterile gut system and, as they descend the birth canal, they get their first gut flora from their mother. If the mother's gut flora is healthy, then the child picks up its first dose of healthy bacteria to build its own GI flora. Contrarily, if the mother's flora is not in healthy balance, the baby starts it's own gut flora out of balance. Many nutrition-oriented doctors believe that colic is an indication of the beginnings of a gut flora imbalance.

Should we all start eating yogurt? Well, it depends. Most commercially produced yogurt has been pasteurized and, therefore, the beneficial bacteria have been mostly cooked away. Even certified organic yogurt has to been pasteurized (the FDA requires it) and most of the beneficial bacteria are gone. Frozen yogurt contains absolutely no live bacterial cultures at all. Dannon yogurt (Activia) adds its cultures after pasteurization, so there are live cultures in that yogurt. However, a serving of Dannon yogurt contains a few hundred million active cultures, which is good but not really enough. (It is recommended that supplements contain at least 2 billion active cultures per dose.) So you'd have to eat a lot of Dannon yogurt a day to consume a beneficial amount of live cultures. If you were willing to eat raw yogurt, then the live culture consumption would be very beneficial. It's illegal to sell raw dairy products in New Jersey, but if you want to explore this option, travel to Birchwood Farms in Newtown, PA and enjoy their raw yogurt, as well as raw milk, grass fed beef, and organic eggs. Birchwood Farms is owned by a veterinarian and the cows are tested for harmful bacteria every day before milking. I have been buying and consuming their products for the last two years with nary a problem, and it's a beautiful drive to the farm. https://www.birchwoodfarmdairy.com/

What about supplements?

Probiotics can improve overall immune system health by helping to balance the bacteria environment in our GI tract. Probiotics can help with digestion as well as help with the synthesis of vitamin D and the absorption of calcium. In women, probiotics can also help maintain vaginal health.

So supplements are a logic option if you are not going to take up sauerkraut and raw yogurt. However, not all supplements are created equal and the industry is unregulated, so there are a few things you should know.

Find a supplement that contains Lactobacillus Acidophilus, is stable at room temperature, is non-dairy, non-soy, non GMO, non-wheat and non-gluten, and has at least 5 billion live bacteria per serving

If you really want to check product authenticity, you can consult with www.consumerlab.com (or any other independent testing source) to verify that the products you buy are what they say they are. Here are some common probiotic brands that passed all testing at Consumer Labs:

GNC Natural Brand Super Acidophilus Probiotic Complex

GNC Ultra Probiotic Complex

Jarrow Formulas Enhanced Probiotic System

Kashi Vive Probiotic Digestive Wellness Cereal

Nature Made Acidophilus Probiotic

Solgar Advanced Acidophilus Plus

Lastly

Take probiotics on an empty stomach about 15 minutes before breakfast with a glass of water. Avoid taking probiotics within 3 hours of taking any antibiotics.

Dr. Mercola

Dr Mark Hyman

Consumer Labs