from Dr Mercola: Probiotics Found to Help Your Gut`s Immune System

[Guest guest]

found this on Dr Mercola's newsletter couldn't access the study

unfortunately, but very interesting still:

Probiotic bacteria, which are living microorganisms that have

beneficial effects on human health, have mostly been studied as

treatments for different gastrointestinal diseases and allergies.

However, not much is known about what kind of effects they have on

the immune system in healthy adults.

A new study shows that probiotics can modulate immune responses via

your gut's mucosal immune system.

It was found that probiotics have an anti-inflammatory potential.

They caused a decrease in serum CRP levels, and a reduction in the

bacteria-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines.

Sources:

Eurekalert June 11, 2008

World Journal of Gastroenterology April 7, 2008; 14(13): 2029-2036

(Free Full-Text Report)

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Most people, including many physicians, do not realize that 80

percent of your immune system is located in your digestive system,

making a healthy gut a major focal point if you want to maintain

optimal health. Remember, a robust immune system is your number one

defense system against ALL disease.

Although I do not recommend taking supplements on a regular basis (as

food is your best source of vital nutrients), a high quality

probiotic is one of my exceptions. In fact, it's the one supplement

recommended to all new patients in my clinic.

This is because the nutritional root of so many health concerns are

related to an imbalance of intestinal bacteria (the optimal balance

is about 85 percent " good bacteria " and 15 percent " bad " ).

Proper food choices will help shift the bacteria. But, just like your

lawn, sometimes you may need to " reseed " areas that have become

barren for whatever reason.

Normally, you don't need to take probiotics forever, but I have found

them to be incredibly helpful at certain times, such as when you

stray from the food program and consume excess grains or sugar, or if

you have to take antibiotics.

I also take them when traveling to foreign countries or when eating

at suspicious restaurants, and I've found that using a high-quality

probiotic every 30-60 days will typically help maintain a well-

functioning digestive system.

The Vital Functions of Probiotics

The friendly bacteria that reside in your gut have a number of very

important functions, including:

Digesting and absorbing certain carbohydrates. Without good gut

bacteria, your body cannot absorb certain undigested starches, fiber,

and sugars. The friendly bacteria in your digestive tract convert

these carbohydrates into primary sources of important energy and

nutrients.

Producing vitamins, absorbing minerals and eliminating toxins.

Probiotics help in the production of both vitamin K and B vitamins,

and promote mineral absorption. They also aid in metabolism and the

breakdown of toxins.

Keeping bad bacteria under control. A large part of the influence of

the " bad " bacteria is on your intestinal lining (mucousal barrier)

that is over 300 square meters, or about the size of a tennis court.

Simply stated, friendly bacteria compete with the bad guys for room

and board, but since beneficial bacteria are more at home there, they

win most of the battles for nutrition and attachment sites within

your colon.

The good bacteria tell your body how much nutrition they need and

your body responds by supplying just that much and no more - so that

any excess bad bacteria are starved out. The helpful bacteria also

produce a substance that kills harmful microbes.

Preventing allergies. Friendly bacteria train your immune system to

distinguish between pathogens and non-harmful antigens, and to

respond appropriately. This important function prevents your immune

system from overreacting to non-harmful antigens, which is the

genesis of allergies.

Providing vital support to your immune system. Beneficial bacteria

have a lifelong, powerful effect on your gut's immune system and your

systemic immune system as well. The bacteria play a crucial role in

the development and operation of the mucosal immune system in your

digestive tract. They also aid in the production of antibodies to

pathogens.

As you can see, probiotics perform a wide variety of functions, which

renders them useful and beneficial for a number of health concerns,

including the prevention or control of:

Food and skin allergies in children

Vaginitis

Premature labor in pregnant women

Inflammatory bowel disease

Recurrent ear and bladder infections

Chronic diarrhea

Probiotics Found Beneficial for Athletes as Well

Another recent study that confirms the use of probiotics to boost

your immune function was published in the British Journal of Sports

Medicine earlier this year

In that study, probiotic supplements were able to significantly

reduce the number and length of infections suffered by long-distance

runners.

Strenuous training can affect your immune system and make athletes

vulnerable to coughs and colds. But athletes in the study were able

to cut the number of days they showed symptoms in half, by taking

probiotic supplements.

Are All Probiotics the Same?

Not necessarily, which was also confirmed by this latest study in the

World Journal of Gastroenterology. Here the researchers looked at

three different kinds of probiotic bacteria:

Lactobacillus rhamnosus

Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. Lactis

Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii

They concluded that probiotics seem to have strain-specific anti-

inflammatory effects in healthy adults.

In this case, the CRP (a sensitive marker of inflammation) was lower

in the Lactobacillus and Propionibacterium groups, showing greater

effectiveness as anti-inflammatories, compared to the groups

receiving the Bifidobacterium or placebo.

In addition to checking out which bacterial strains are included,

other main features you should look for when purchasing a probiotic

supplement are:

No need for refrigeration

Long shelf life

Can survive stomach acid so that it reaches your small intestine

Stays resident in your digestive tract long enough to be effective

Even though I've come to the conclusion that no one solution works

for everyone, the Bacillus Coagulans strain has been proven highly

effective. It's the one I use personally, and the one we recommend in

my Natural Health Center. Its main benefits are that it is present in

spore form, and survives the acidic environment of your stomach --

making it to your small intestine where it does the most good. They

also survive high temperatures and do not need to be refrigerated,

which adds convenience.

What's Even Better Than a Probiotic Supplement?

Historically, people used cultured or fermented foods to support

their intestinal and overall health, way before the invention of the

probiotic supplement.

Cultured foods like yogurt, some cheeses, and sauerkraut are good

sources of natural, healthy bacteria. And fermented foods, such as

natto, can give your body the similar benefits of consuming a whole

bottle of good bacteria, at a fraction of the cost.

One of the best and least expensive ways to get healthy bacteria

through your diet is to obtain raw milk and convert it to kefir,

which is really easy to make at home. All you need is one half packet

of the kefir start granules in a quart of raw milk, which you leave

at room temperature over night. By the time you wake up in the

morning you will likely have kefir. If it hasn't obtained the

consistency of yogurt you might want to set it out a bit longer and

then store it in the fridge.

A quart of kefir has far more active bacteria than you can possibly

purchase in any probiotics supplement, and it is very economical as

you can reuse the kefir from the original quart of milk about ten

times before you need to start a new culture pack. Just one starter

package of kefir granules can convert about 50 gallons of milk to

kefir.

Don't even think of using pasteurized milk, however, as pasteurized

milk has its own set of negative health ramifications and should be

avoided at all cost.