Probiotics

CAN BACTERIA BE YOUR BEST FRIEND?

It’s the latest craze to hit supermarkets and health food shops and products containing so called ‘friendly bacteria’ or probiotics are everywhere. More and more of us are buying them but what are they and do we really need them?
De Faye’s chemists pharmacist Richard Lyness explains…

We all know about the ‘bad’ bacteria that can cause infection but did you know that inside our bodies there are twenty times more bacteria than living cells and having the right bacteria is vital for healthy digestion, keeping your immune system strong and for fighting infection.

These bacteria commonly live on our skin and in our mouths but one of the most important groups reside in the gut.
Your gut should contain a kilogram of probiotic bacteria- that’s billions of protective bugs which are essential to help process the 100 tonnes of food that can pass along your digestive tract over a lifetime.

However, our  modern lifestyles of poor diet, stress, alcohol, junk food and unnecessary overuse of antibiotics is destroying and depleting our levels of these organisms  which is why supplements have become so popular.

SO WHY ARE PROBIOTICS SO IMPORTANT

Probiotics are principally 2 families of bacteria, namely Lactobacillus and Bifodobacteria. What you eat and the supplements you take can make a big difference to the balance of bacteria inside you and consequently your health.

FIGHTING INFECTIONS NATURALLY

Probiotics keep harmful bugs at bay both by consuming nutrients that the bad guys need to survive and also by blocking receptor sites that these harmful bacteria have to latch on to cause an infection. The beneficial bugs also produce 2 substances, lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide, which work together to stop harmful bacteria multiplying. A 3 month study in Germany showed that those taking probiotics had better resistance to colds and flu resulting in milder symptoms and a faster recovery time. Another Swedish study showed that taking daily probiotics resulted in factory workers being 2.5 times less likely to be off sick with colds, stomach bugs or other illnesses.

IMPROVING DIGESTION

Digestive problems are, unfortunately, the norm for most people with one survey of 22,000 people showing that 71% had below standard digestion. One in four experienced flatulence or bloating and four in five didn’t have a bowel movement every day. These are classic signs that all is not quite as it should be and the knock on effects of this are often low energy, poor skin, headaches, foggy thinking and food allergies. Probiotics, however, are your digestive tracts best friend! They help to break down and digest your food and are particularly helpful in people who are lactose intolerant (lactose is the sugar found in milk). They also improve the absorption of calcium and other minerals and help make certain vitamins. Sufferers of inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease and IBS have reported beneficial effects when they supplemented their diet with probiotics. Indeed it has been estimated that about half of all people with IBS have an abnormal bacteria balance in their gut.

The most proven benefit of probiotics is in cases of diarrhoea especially that brought on by bacterial infections; in most cases taking a probiotic can help you recover twice as fast as normal.

Probiotics have also been shown to reduce the inflammatory reactions in the gut that can be brought on by food allergies.

OTHER BENEFITS OF PROBIOTICS

Probiotics can help lower cholesterol levels, regulate hormones, relieve symptoms of thrush and other fungal infections (especially recurrent cases) and can reduce the risk of certain cancers. One Japanese study showed that those eating miso soup – a source of friendly bacteria- were a third less likely to get stomach cancer.
Another study where pregnant women with a family history of allergies were given probiotics in the last weeks of pregnancy and the first 6 months of breast feeding showed that babies getting probiotics had only half the incidence of eczema.

WHEN YOU MOST NEED PROBIOTICS

Supplementation is recommended during an infection (especially sore throats, yeast or bladder infections), during a bout of food poisoning, travellers diarrhoea or a flare up of IBS. Constipation or any digestive disturbance, including indigestion, will also improve as a result of taking probiotics.
Taking antibiotics will wipe out both good and bad bacteria in your body so take probiotics if you have recently finished a course of antibiotics or if you have undergone surgery. You should also consider a supplement at times of prolonged stress. All of this advice is particularly relevant to the elderly as the amount of naturally occurring friendly bacteria in the body decreases with age.

WHAT ARE THE BEST SOURCES OF PROBIOTICS?

The consumption of fermented dairy products has increased in the past decades and two of the best sources are yogurt and fermented milk drinks.

Most commercial yogurts are made from pasteurised milk, inoculated with beneficial bacteria such as L. Acidophilus. But many are pasteurised again, especially those with long sell-by dates, which kills the good bacteria. Live yogurt is better as it preserves the probiotic bacteria and organic live yogurt is better still as it doesn’t contain any additives.

Yakult, one of the most popular fermented milk drinks, was invented 70 years ago in Japan and contains a bacteria that survives stomach acid and lives lower down where it prevents bowel problems and boosts natural immunity.

Another may to boost the healthy bacteria inside you is to eat food rich in substances known as prebiotics. These are the essential food that the friendly probiotic bacteria need in order to thrive. They are a special type of carbohydrate and good sources include oats, bananas, apples, pears, leeks and onions.

WHAT PROBIOTIC SUPPLEMENTS CAN I BUY?

Most supermarkets, health food stores and pharmacies will stock a range of probiotic supplements but they don’t always contain enough of the right bacteria.

Even if you supplement the right probiotics, in food or in capsule form, the next question is to what extent they make it through your stomach to the intestines. About 100 trillion bacteria live in the gut but stomach acid will kill off a lot that you ingest.

To help more get through to where it is needed you need to take a supplement with at least 100 million bacteria, contains probiotics and is in a form that is designed not to be released in the stomach. They should also not be taken with food.
Richard recommends using a high quality brand such as the Quest range which is stocked in the Health Centre Pharmacy. You can choose from Acidophilus Plus, which contains 2 billion bacteria, or Bifido Plus containing 2.5 billion bacteria.

A new product, Lp299v, has just been launched and is generating a lot of interest. This particular form of probiotic found in this supplement has been extensively researched for its use in digestive conditions and in particular Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Studies have shown that Lp299v could decrease the frequency and severity of up to 90% of symptoms experienced by those who suffer from IBS. Beneficial effects have also been seen in conditions such as diarrhoea and heart disease and as a boost to the immune system.

For further information on probiotics and how to maintain a healthy digestive tract (including a digestion friendly diet) or for details of the products outlined above please contact Richard at the De Faye’s chemists or call 01534 724701.