First of all, what the heck is a 'probiotic' anything, much
less a probiotic supplement? What does it do and why would
you need to even consider adding it to a health regimen?
I'll try to give you an answer, but I need to explain a
couple of things about our bodies first.
THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM AND THE BACTERIA LIVING IN IT
Our bodies, including really healthy ones, have trillions
of friendly microorganisms living in them, with the vast
majority being found in the large intestine, or colon. In
fact, their actions in the colon are of prime importance to
our health. One of their most important jobs is helping to
keep other, less desirable organisms, under control. When
these other organisms go out of control, we can experience
all kinds of problems. These friendly microorganisms, by
the way, are often referred to as 'intestinal microflora'.
The digestive tract of a fetus is sterile. However, the
passage through the birth canal exposes the newborn to
bacteria, and, once in the world, this exposure will
continue for all the days of its life. Billions of
bacteria will colonize the oral cavity and billions more
will set up housekeeping in the small intestine. The
biggest lot, however, will form the largest concentration
in the large intestine, where as many as one hundred
trillion will settle down and raise their own families. It
has been estimated that the microorganisms in the colon
will number more than the cells in the body itself!
The life of these bacteria is a bit like a Clint Eastwood
movie, only here, they are "The Good, The Bad, And The
Indifferent". Oddly enough, even though there are 400 to
500 types of these bacteria living in our colons, most have
little or no effect on our overall health.
Like a spaghetti western, however, the bad guys can wreak
havoc if they get out of control. Their escapades can
cause illnesses, or set us up for takeover by other,
usually long-term and opportunistic, health problems. All
opportunistic means, by the way, is that a healthy body
might normally be able to fight off certain infections,
but, if the immune system has been in some way weakened by
the production of toxic substances in the colon, the
infection might be able to establish a beachhead in the
body.
I think I drifted into a John Wayne war movie metaphor with
the beachhead thing. Oh, well. Sorry, Clint.
THE FRIENDLY MICROORGANISMS
Among all these countless microorganisms, there are two
major players whose presence acts as the town marshal and
deputy (back to the western again) who keep the rowdies
under control and help the body stay healthy.
The two really important friendly microorganisms are the
lactobacilli, who tend to hang out at the "Small Intestine
Saloon", and the bifidobacteria who keep watch out on the
range in the large intestine, or colon. Large healthy
colonies of these two bacteria tend to protect us from the
invasion of the bad microorganism body-snatchers.
Oops! I drifted into a horror movie genre for a second
didn't I? I'll try to pay more attention.
Anyway, the interesting thing, at least to me, is that the
good guys beat the bad guys pretty much by outnumbering
them! They don't really get into brawls with one another,
it's just that if there are enough friendly microorganisms,
they just take over the territory and don't leave enough
room for the bad guys. Now, if you still want to think of
it as some kind of battle, here's what lactobacilli and
bifidobacteria do to win.
1. When there is a high enough concentration of
lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, they seem to enhance
immune system function and help boost the natural abilities
of the white blood cells, which are crucial to proper
immune system functioning.
2. Friendly microorganisms help maintain the naturally low
acid pH balance normally found in the healthy intestine.
The metabolic byproducts of friendly microflora, help
maintain this low acid pH balance and this discourages the
growth of other, less desirable, microflora.
3. When it comes to getting to nutrients, a healthy
population of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria can beat out
the bad guys at the lunch counter, if not in the saloon, in
effect starving the bad guys into submission.
DETOXIFICATION AND HEALTHY COLON SUPPORT
Toxins from foods and environmental pollutants are
processed in the liver, they are released into the small
intestine. However, they have been placed into 'jail
cells' made up of bile and exist as detoxified elements
which can no longer harm the intestinal community, and, by
extension, your body. The bad microflora, unfortunately,
have a habit of breaking these guys out of jail, allowing
them to shoot up the town...metaphorically speaking, of
course. A large enough dietary level of lactobacilli can
put a damper on these 'jail breaks'.
I'm going to skip a long, involved explanation about the
effects of 'short chain fatty acids', and cut to the chase
on the healthy colon thing. Let's just leave it that much
research indicates that lactobacilli and bifidobacteria,
can help maintain a healthy condition of the colon cells
and sustain the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal
system.
THE PROBLEM...OR PROBLEMS
A lot of attention these days is devoted to such
'unfriendly microorganisms' such as Candida albicans, which
currently the poster child for the bad things that can
happen when we neglect our 'friendly microorganisms'.
Candida albicans is one of those bad guys we have been
talking about which can take over the town when the marshal
and his deputy are weak and without the power to stop them.
Candida overgrowth, which occurs in such a situation, can
be the direct or indirect cause of all kinds of problems
ranging from gas and bloating to chronic fatigue. In the
presence of an overgrowth, the body may demand extra food,
usually in the form of carbs, or simply fall prey to a
myriad of 'opportunistic' infections mentioned earlier.
The really terrible part is that most people are walking
around with a mass of these problems either present or
waiting offstage and do not even know it. They just think
that the way they feel and the way their body behaves is
natural.
Several factors, some related to our modern lives, some
simply a part of life, can contribute to a reduction of the
friendly microorganisms, or impact their efficiency, thus
allowing the growth of Candida albicans and other
unfriendly microorganisms.
The three most important of these factors are:
*Antibiotics - These wonder drugs, which can be so
beneficial to health, usually don't know the bad guys from
the good guys. They are the Gatling Gun at the gunfight.
Everybody gets mowed down, including lactobacilli and
bifidobacteria. Even worse, many doctors will prescribe
antibiotics even when they are not needed 'just to be sure'.
*Age - Like so many other things, our two friends tend to
die off with age.
*Diet - Particularly in the western world, but also in
countries adopting the western diet, food tends to be high
in animal fat and low in fiber. Lactobacilli and
bifidobacteria feed on undigested dietary fiber, but suffer
when animal fat, sugar (very common), and alcohol are
introduced. The typical western diet, particularly when
ordered at the local fast food establishment, can deliver a
nearly lethal one-two punch.
THE SOLUTION
Fortunately, there ARE things that can be done to protect
and support the friendly microorganisms. The last item we
mentioned in the section on problems was 'diet' so let's
start with that.
*Diet - Simply change over to a diet low in fat and high in
fiber. Make sure you include plenty of fresh fruits,
vegetables, grains, and legumes.
*Exercise - Study after study has shown the link between
exercise and a broad range of benefits to the health of the
body. In addition to strengthening the immune system so
that it might not be so badly affected by Candida albicans
or other bad microorganisms, exercise seems to improve the
overall functioning of all the body's systems, including
the digestive system.
*The Probiotic Supplement - There are many good probiotic
supplements available from many sources today. The benefit
of the probiotic supplement rests in the fact that it
returns lactobacilli and bifidobacteria to the intestinal
tract, thus restoring the balance of power in the digestive
system.
----------------------------------------------------
Donovan Baldwin is a 62 years young freelance writer,
amateur bodybuilder, and mild-mannered health nut currently
residing in the wilds of central Texas. He is University
of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa, and is retired
from the U. S. Army. He and his wife are distributors of a
line of natural products for home and health. You may view
their website at http://www.shaklee.net/natural_health .
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