Gastro Intestinal Tract Health
Pre and Pro Biotics
Whenever we eat food, we are feeding the bacteria in our intestines. They then multiply and often produce gas. In people with an overgrowth of bad bacteria and or yeast in the small intestine (just below the stomach) this can result in bloating and gastric reflux as the gas blows the stomach contents back up the oesophagus. It also leads to damage of the intestinal wall, producing Leaky Gut Syndrome. This in turn can lead to food sensitivities and autoimmune diseases as large food molecules and bacteria translocate into the blood and lymph system and elicit an antibody response from the immune system.
If you have symptoms that respond to a great Probiotic product (which is most people with too many bad bacteria), then increasing the amount of Probiotic consumed is likely to help even more. The best case scenario is to take Probiotic at the end of every meal so that the bad bacteria and yeast don’t have a chance to multiply. However, if you don’t want to take it with every meal then try increasing the amount that you take with one meal a day.
Many people have advanced gut damage from overgrowths of undesirable bacteria or protozoan parasites that has led to food intolerances and autoimmune diseases and it may take time to navigate your way back to good health because of your body’s reactions.
If you have significant food sensitivities, then you may experience a healing crisis in which case reduce the dosage and build up gradually. This may also apply to taking anti-oxidant supplements.
Remember that it is okay to experiment. Probiotic is a food, not a drug: You can’t overdose, and the long-term health of your intestine is critical to overall well-being.
The health of your digestive system relies on maintaining the right balance of beneficial bacteria. Around 1.5 to 2 kg of your body weight is made up of 100 trillion or so micro organisms. They play a vital role in keeping your body healthy, breaking down food and extracting nutrients and energy.
The Process of Digestion
Step 1: When you chew food in your mouth, the digestion process begins as saliva enzymes begin breaking down your food.
Step 2: When you swallow after chewing, the food passes into your oesophagus, which transports it to your stomach.
Step 3: When your food reaches the stomach, digestive enzymes and gastric acid go to work, breaking it down even more.
Step 4: Your pancreas, liver and gallbladder also produce digestive juices. These get to work in your small intestine. The lining of your small intestine begins to absorb nutrients from the broken down food, passing them into the bloodstream.
Step 5: In your colon a whole network of beneficial bacteria and other micro organisms exists, called your gut flora or microbiome. They start digesting the food that wasn’t previously broken down by your body’s other systems. A lot of energy and nutrients are extracted by healthy gut flora.
Step 6: The bacteria continue breaking down undigested food, even after it enters the large intestine. Then the body excretes anything that’s left over.
Digestive discomfort
Digestive discomfort is a catch-all term for many symptoms that result from a distressed GIT system. The good news is that probiotics can provide real health benefits that help with many digestive problems.
Discomfort and bowel trouble
Digestive discomfort comes in many different forms. The most common symptoms are feeling bloated or heavy, flatulence or constipation. IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is also quite common.
About half the world’s population suffers with digestive discomfort at one time or another. Almost half of people affected don’t know that it’s not normal, so they don’t try to do anything about it.
Quite simply, everyday digestive discomfort comes about as a result of an imbalance in the beneficial bacteria and the bad bacteria in your system. Maintaining a good bacterial balance in your gut is key to good digestive health and your general wellness, too.
Imbalances in your gut bacteria can be caused by stress, eating lots of spicy or fatty food, overeating and not drinking enough. Another main cause of problem is taking anti-biotics (the name says it all). Anti-biotics can dramatically alter the gut microflora balance. That is not to say you should not take anti-biotics in the event of certain illnesses because anti-biotics can be hugely beneficial. However it would be sensible after a course of anti-biotics to regain intestinal balance by taking a course of Probiotics.
Better Digestion
Adding a teaspoon of Probiotic to a glass of water, juice or a smoothie once a day will keep your good bacteria topped up and benefit your digestive health. Also, you might like to try the following general advice…
- Chew your food well and don’t eat too fast.
- Drink at least 1-2 litres of water per day.
- Try to avoid greasy, fried food.
- Cut down on caffeine, alcohol and sugary drinks.
- Try and get your “five a day” of fruit and vegetables.
- Add more fibre into your diet.
- Choose lean meat at the supermarket.
- Exercise regularly.
Advanced Probiotics
Better results can be obtained by using the best possible Probiotic cultures.
Research into probiotics has identified specific strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis as effective probiotic strains. Other improved strains have also been accessed, offering enhanced performance and improved shelf-life.
The Super Synbiotic
The combination of Inulin or fructooligosaccharide, which are fast-fermenting dietary fibres, and arabinogalactan, which is a slow-fermenting dietary fibre, help improve Probiotic action. This occurs by resisting digestion and multiplying the probiotic cultures in the entire length of the intestinal tract as much as 50 times.
Together, such a combination creates a product which can be called a Super Synbiotic.
The combination is delivered in powder form. This enables the rehydration of the cultures in water before consumption, allowing many more cells to survive passage through the gastric juices to be delivered directly into the gut. In this way, such a powder outperforms capsules. Unfortunately capsules suck in damaging stomach acid or bile in order to rehydrate and this significantly reduces the number of useful culture cells reaching the gut.
Lactobacillus Acidophilus LAFTI Strain L10- More than just a Probiotic
Can you Increase Your Resistance to Coronavirus Attack?
There are already four coronaviruses circulating in the human population, and together, the four are responsible for an estimated one-quarter of all "colds".
Lactobacillus helveticus (aka acidophilus) strain LAFTI L10, has been shown to reduce the severity and duration of the common cold. See https://lallemand-health-solutions.com/en/sports/
The study showed that L. helveticus Lafti® L10 supplementation:
- Significantly shortened by 3.4 days the average duration of URTI-like episodes (7.25 days with the probiotic vs. 10.64 with placebo, P<0.05) (Fig. 2).
- Significantly decreased the number of URTI-like symptoms by around 29% (4.92 symptoms with the probiotic vs. 6.91 with placebo, P<0.05). URTI severity also tended to decrease (P=0.078).
- Increased the self-rated sense of vigour and tended to reduce the proportion of athletes reporting impaired training.
A recent scientific paper produced by independent researchers, has shown that the physical benefits provided by LAFTI strain L10 go far beyond simply improving gut health and digestion. The study demonstrated a reversal of chronic fatigue caused by Glandular Fever (Epstein-Barr virus) by the LAFTI L10 strain.
The strain also reduces symptoms of hay fever, asthma and eczema. The paper linked below clearly demonstrates its effect on the immune system. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2577537/
Storing Probiotics:
Storing extra jars in the freezer is an excellent way of ensuring that efficacy of Probiotic is maintained at the highest level. Just transfer the jar to the fridge once it is being used.
Probiotic cultures hate air and moisture so replace the lid after use and return the jar to the fridge.
