Probiotic lactobacilli: to correct the malabsorption syndrome of vegetarians

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I found this interesting: " probiotic lactobacilli... are an

important source of the enzyme phytase which... hydrolyses the

complexes formed by phytate and metal ions or other cations,

rendering them more soluble, ultimately improving and facilitating

their intestinal absorption. " Of course, only a diet rich in fiber

(vegetation) will feed/promote the growth of probiotics.

Med Hypotheses. 2005;65(6):1132-5. Epub 2005 Aug 10.

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Probiotic lactobacilli: an innovative tool to correct the

malabsorption syndrome of vegetarians?

Famularo G, De Simone C, Pandey V, Sahu AR, Minisola G.

Department of Internal Medicine, San Camillo Hospital,

Circonvallazione Gianicolense, 00152 Rome, Italy.

gfamularo@...

Vegetarians may have subtle nutritional deficiencies which have been

related to the occurrence of an unrecognized malabsorption syndrome.

The excess phytate content in cereals, nuts, legumes and oilseeds

which represent the mainstay of their food intake, seems to play a

central role in the pathogenesis of this malabsorption syndrome as an

inverse relationship has been shown to link the phytate content of

the diet with the intestinal absorption of trace minerals and

proteins. We postulate that manipulating the endogenous digestive

microflora of subjects on a vegetarian diet through administering

probiotic lactic bacteria would represent an innovative tool to

counteract the occurrence of the malabsorption syndrome dependent on

the high phytate content of their diet. Even though there are no data

about the composition of endogenous digestive microflora in subjects

on a vegetarian diet, we expect that probiotic lactobacilli can

interact with or affect distinct yet interrelated components within

the intestinal milieu, such as epithelial cells, enteric flora,

and/or mucosal immune cells. This would ultimately translate into the

correction of the unregulated mechanisms implicated in the altered

intestinal absorption of trace metals and proteins commonly seen in

vegetarians. Clinical experience with probiotic therapy of patients

with inflammatory bowel disease fully agrees with this view. One

additional point of interest is that probiotic lactobacilli, and

other species of the endogenous digestive microflora as well, are an

important source of the enzyme phytase which catalyses the release of

phosphate from phytate and hydrolyses the complexes formed by phytate

and metal ions or other cations, rendering them more soluble

ultimately improving and facilitating their intestinal absorption.

The regular intake of probiotic preparation, may represent a cheap

and safe tool in order to convert a diet with a low potential for

bioavailability of trace minerals and proteins, such as the

vegetarian diet, into a diet with a high bioavailability potential.

The benefit of such an approach would not be restricted to

vegetarians.