Did you know that there are 500 different species of bacteria living in your intestines? Don't worry, the vast majority of these unseen guests are benign and helpful, and they routinely keep harmful invaders in check. In fact many doctors are now recommending that we take supplements of live bacteria.

Not nutrients themselves, probiotics blur the conventional distinctions between live food, dietary supplement, and prescription drugs. They can resist digestive acids, adhere to intestinal walls, and restore balance to the vital ecosystem in your gastrointestinal tract, particularly after taking prescription antibiotics. Probiotics have been used to cure diarrhea, colitis, and vaginal infections, and new research shows encouraging results against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's disease, food allergies, including Lactose intolerance, and skin diseases such as eczema. In one study, improved immunity in infants was obtained through the breast milk of mothers taking probiotics.

"Probiotics are receiving a lot of attention now with the publication of
positive findings in well designed clinical trials," says Gary W. Elmer, Ph.D., Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Washington. He calls probiotics "living drugs," and reports that clinical use is increasing.

The most well known probiotics are lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB), but at least one yeast also fits the definition. One common LAB, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, turns milk into cheese, and is found in fermented dairy foods such as yogurt and kefir. A century ago, the Russian Nobel Laureate and pioneer researcher Elie Metchnikoff credited this class of microbes for the unusually long life spans of Bulgarian peasants.

Normally these "helpful germs" reside in sufficient abundance in the gastrointestinal tract to act as a living barrier to harmful infectious varieties. But this natural balance can be disrupted by our modern lifestyle. Due to improved hygiene, vaccination, and changes in food preparation (from fresh, whole foods, natural fermentation and drying, to sterile processing), our diet now contains several thousand times less bacteria than it used to. Consequently, reports the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, "host defense mechanisms in the gut have decreased in Western societies during the past decades". Even stress can cause probiotic deficiencies. Our vital micro-floral environment is further compromised by the germ-killing effects of modern immunosuppressive therapies, irradiation, and, most of all, the widespread use (some say abuse) of antibiotics.

Fifty years ago antibiotics were universally hailed as miracle drugs, as they effectively wiped out such dreaded infectious diseases as tuberculosis, malaria, typhoid, and gonorrhea. But today, these same diseases are on the rise, because resistant "super bug" strains have survived and thrived . And because antibiotics indiscriminately destroy the beneficial microbes in our system along with the target pathogens, they bring their own unwanted side effects. The most common, and potentially dangerous is chronic diarrhea. High-risk groups include infants, travelers, the elderly, and hospital patients. Up to 22 percent of hospital patients on antibiotics get diarrhea, which can progress to colitis, toxic colon, and even death.

Reintroducing natural probiotics can often eliminate these largely man-made problems, along with a range of inflammatory bowel diseases, vaginal and urinary tract infections, and food allergies. Also known as "functional foods," they work by competing with pathogens for space, suppressing their growth with acidic secretions, enhancing the protective mucosal intestinal barriers , and activating the body's own germ-fighting antibodies. With these multiple mechanisms of action, probiotic supplements can be therapeutic or prophylactic (preventive).

The probiotic S. boulardii has been used to successfully prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD), and reduce its duration and the length of hospital stays. The most dramatic results of this "biotherapy" approach are with acute infantile diarrhea, caused by the rotavirus. In one trial, "31 percent of infants given a control formula developed diarrhea, while only 7 percent given the formula supplemented with Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus did so." Since diarrhea is also commonly contracted by travelers, some researchers recommend taking probiotics preventively, before exposure to foreign microorganisms.

Ulcerative Colitis, a chronic inflammatory disease of the rectum and colon, also responds well to probiotics . The condition has no other reliable treatment, can be exacerbated by anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, and is a high risk factor for colorectal cancer. Researchers now consider the introduction of probiotics the most promising therapeutic approach to mild-to-moderate colitis."

Like the intestines, the vaginal canal is also an inviting home for microorganisms, both friendly (such as Lactobacilli), and not so friendly (such as Candida). One of the most common causes of vaginal infection, Candida affects ten percent of U.S. women, and recurrence after treatment with antibiotics is common. But a significant reduction in vaginal colonization with Candida species can be achieved with oral administration of L acidophilus, and similar results have resulted with a 7-day course of vaginal suppositories of LGG." In one study of women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) using vaginal tablets containing L. acidophilus, the cure rate in the treatment group was 77 percent, versus 25 percent in the placebo group. This approach also shows promise for treating urinary tract infections (UTI): In another recent study, the recurrence rate in patients receiving lactobacillus vaginal suppositories was 21 percent, compared to 47 percent in patients receiving placebo.

In addition, LAB probiotics have demonstrated anti-cancer actions in both animal and human studies. They increased natural killer (NK) cell activity in colorectal cancer patients, and limited the recurrence of superficial tumors in bladder cancer patients.

Researchers point out that the intestine is actually the largest immunological organ in the body, and probiotic supplementation enhances secretion of natural antibodies. It particularly counteracts age-related decline of immune functions in the 70+ age groups. In one trail, probiotics mediated the adverse reactions to flu shots in elderly patients . In another, adults treated with Lactobacillus GG had a better antibody response to typhoid vaccine than a placebo group.

All the positive reports on probiotics notwithstanding, more comprehensive clinical research and trials are needed before live culture biotherapy becomes commonplace. Different microbial strains have different effects, and standards of dosage and timing have not been established, while commercial products vary widely in content and quality.

"Many over-the-counter probiotics available in health food stores are neither reliable nor effective as remedies," reports the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Independent laboratory analysis revealed that many of the cultures used in dairy products lack the appropriate species designation, do not contain a listed species, contain extra species, or vary in concentration of microorganisms. Owing to improper manufacturing or storage, some "natural" probiotic products have been shown to contain only dead bacteria.

"The best studied probiotic products available in the USA," says Dr. Elmer, "are Florastor (Saccharomyces boulardii yeast in capsules from Biocodex, Inc), Culturelle (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, from CAG Functional Foods, Omaha, NE) and Probiotica
(Lactobacillus reuteri, from McNeil Consumer Healthcare). These have been found to be beneficial in controlled studies." Look for them in health food stores.

If you want to include probiotics in your nutritional program, here are some guidelines from the experts:

• Of the thousands of subjects studied using probiotics in clinical trials, no apparent adverse effects were noted, but they should probably be avoided in patients at high risk for septicemia (blood poisoning).
• "Generally it is better to use a multistrain preparation i.e. one that contains several different species of microorganisms," says probiotic research director Dr. Gabriela Perdigon. "Of those currently available, Protexin (Probiotics International Ltd., UK) is one that has seven different bacteria.."
• Products that specify live, active microorganisms are better than freeze-dried, although they have a shorter shelf life.
• If you are buying tablets or capsules, get those that are individually sealed in blister packs. Protect probiotics from heat, light, and humidity.
• Follow instructions on the labels. Some probiotics need to be refrigerated, while others store at room temperature.
• The well-known holistic MD, Dr. Andrew Weil recommends taking probiotics with meals, to buffer the stomach acids that otherwise might kill some of the organisms.
• Healthful microbes exist in such traditional fermented foods as live yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, unpasturized cheese, and soy miso and tempeh. The specific actions of all the varieties is not known, but eating such cultured foods generally benefits intestinal micro-ecology.

Over two thousand years ago, Hippocrates wrote "Death sits in the bowels; bad digestion is the root of all evil." Today, probiotics represent a safe, non-invasive, inexpensive, well tolerated dietary intervention for restoring gastrointestinal health. Some medical scientists are encouraged enough to predict that probiotics may serve as prototypes for better antibiotics, new vaccines, and more disease-specific "living drugs."

One research team concludes: "The probiotic approach is attractive because it is a reconstitution of the natural condition; it is a means of repairing a deficiency rather than the addition of foreign chemicals to the body which may have toxic consequences or, as in the case of antibiotics, induce resistance and compromise subsequent therapy."

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Lonny J. Brown is the author of "Self-Actuated Healing" (Naturegraph, Publ.), and “Enlightenment In Our Time,” (BookLocker.com/LonnyBrown). His writings on holistic health have appeared on AOL’s Alternative Medicine Forum and in Alternative Health Practitioner, Yoga Journal, and many other progressive publications. Brown teaches holistic health, mind/body healing, and stress reduction courses at hospitals, schools and businesses throughout the US. His Web site also features essays, tapes, books, and links to a variety of integrative health sources. www.holistic.com/lonny This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

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