D-lactate was Re: Anti-inflammatory (Pentasa)

[Guest guest]

" He has a D-lactate condition and cannot take l. acidophilus. "

This is part of a post from Ilene Bulscholz that was posted on the

Elaine's Children list on Lyris.

__________________

The area of D-lactic acidosis is an interesting one and it is easy for

everyone to get confused about this problem. What is important to know

is that supplementing with lactic acid producing friendly flora does

NOT cause d-lactic acidosis. Understanding how d-lactic acidosis

occurs will give some insight into understanding its pathophysiology

and this may help dispel concerns that this condition results from

ingesting lactic acid producing probiotics.

The use of lactic acid bacteria in supporting intestinal health has

had decades of clear safety and efficacy. Hundreds of billions of

colony forming units of lactic acid producing friendly flora have been

ingested in fermented milk products without adverse health

consequences. In fact there is mounting evidence in the medical

literature demonstrating the safe application of lactic acid producing

probiotics in treating some of the most severe intestinal conditions.

So instead of causing major health problems probiotics have a

potential application in restoring intestinal health.

One way to address this problem is proposed by Elaine Gotshall in the

SCD,in which disaccharide sugars and carbohydrates are avoided

altogether, ultimately altering the intestinal milieu, which does not

favor the growth of pathogenic yeast and bacteria, decreases

inflammation and supports healing of the intestinal membrane.

One comment that I thought I would address stemming from the e-mail

that you sent, relates to the comment that Lactobacillus strains are

the only ones that can lead to d-lactic acidosis and not the

bifidobacterium. This is not entirely true. The Lactobacillus and the

Bifidobacterium organisms are all included in the larger family of

" lactic acid producing organisms " . The lactobacillus family (including

L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. rhamnosus, L. salivarius, L. plantarum,

L. helveticus, etc.) primarily set up residence in the 20 plus feet of

the small intestine. The Bifidobacterium (including B. bifidum, B.

longum, B. brevis, B. infantis, etc.) are also lactic acid producing

organisms who set up residence primarily in the last four feet of the

large intestine/colon. The two transient organisms Lactobacillus

bugaricus and S. thermophilus (recognized as the yogurt cultures),

although they do not set up residence on the intestinal membrane they

do exert powerful health-promoting benefits as they travel through the

GI tract. It is of interest that ALL these Lactobacillus,

Bifidobacterium and S. thermophilus probiotic strains are lactic acid

producers. Each species serves different but complementary

functions/activities in the intestinal tract and all are pivotal for

intestinal health and thus are best supplemented in combination with

one another.

There are so many exciting things about probiotics and their role in

supporting intestinal health. I wouldn't want anyone to avoid their

use because they felt that these friendly flora would cause any

problems, especially d-lactic acidosis.

With regards,

Ilene

____________

Jody

mom to -7 and -9

Malabsorption/GI Issues

SCD 1/03