Probiotics are not a new concept.
In the early 20th century Elie Metchnikoff, a Nobel Prize recipient, was very interested in the ageing process and expressed his fascinating view of ‘intestinal auto intoxication’: the large bowel is a source of toxic substances such as ammonia and amines that are absorbed from the gut and circulate in the blood, damaging the nervous and vascular systems.
The putrefactive or proteolytic bacteria inside the large intestine were to blame since these bad boys produce toxic substances from the digestion of protein.
Metchnikoff proposed a solution to this toxic predicament: encouraging the correct balance of microbial types in the large bowel.
Metchnikoff observed that milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria seemed to inhibit the proteolytic bacteria and have longevity effects. And the term probiotic was born.
Probiotics are now defined as ‘Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’ (FAO/WHO, 2002).
A slightly older definition:
“Probiotics are microbial cell preparations or components of microbial cells that have a beneficial effect on the health and well-being of the host” (Salminen et al.,1999).
Science and research has come a long way from those early and brilliant roots into understanding the gut microbiome aka gut microbiota and the role it plays in health and disease and thus further demonstrating the power of probiotics.
The human gut microbiome is home to approximately 100 trillion bacteria cells that weigh +/- 4 pounds. This enormous number of bacteria forms a community of SMART bugs that make collective decisions.
Researchers state that the gut microbiome “constitutes a complex and metabolically active ecosystem that is now well recognized for its impact on human health and disease.”
Gut microbiota co evolves and changes with you, the host. Changes in this population can have beneficial or harmful consequences. Detrimental changes in the microbiota community may lead to a bacterial imbalance in the gut known as dysbiosis.
Why is this important?
Current research shows that dysbiosis is related to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), Obesity, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Cardiovascular Disease, and IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease). (2)
Other studies find that the gut microbiota and their metabolic products influence “intestinal permeability and immune function, activity in the enteric nervous system, the HPA axis, pain modulation systems and the brain” (3).
Researchers in Sweden found that the gut microbiota responds to several factors one of which is probiotics.
Thus…..
This time fermented for 3 years, dairy free, gluten free, soy free, and NON GMO…More on this gem in a bit…If you want to skip ahead and learn about the probiotic I love, click here.
In Probiotics and Prebiotics Current Research and Future Trends 2015, the authors further explain:
“Excellent recent reviews have appeared before on the beneficial effects of probiotics on, for example….
Probiotics and prebiotics have also shown great promise in gut-brain conditions, skin health, cardiovascular health, and recently obesity.
“Since it became clear that the gut microbiota plays a role in obesity, numerous studies have looked into this. However, it now appears that numerous mechanisms may be involved (Delzenne et al., 2011; Geurts et al., 2014). These include gut barrier function and low grade systemic inflammation (due to LPS leakage into the system), modulation of gut hormones such as GLP-1 and PYY….Microorganisms that have been implicated to play a role are for instance bifidobacteria (Geurts et al., 2014), and Akkermansia muciniphila (Everard et al., 2013) ….if you take these studies together there does not seem to be a common microorganism that can be implicated. Obesity seems to be correlated with reduced microbial gene richness (Cotillard et al., 2013; Le Chatelier et al., 2013).”
Probiotics are powerful and a wonderful addition to your health and wellness regime.
Probiotic quality is important. Temperature differences and oxidation can degrade strains especially during transportation.
The probiotic I recommend is different. It DOES NOT have to be refrigerated since it’s fermented at room temperature and encapsulated in a soft gel that avoids oxidation and promotes stability. It is backed by decades of research.
This Probiotic is:
This probiotic is fermented for 3 years to Bach music playing in the background in 80+ wild fruits, herbs, mushrooms, seaweeds, creating an elegant prebiotic and probiotic mixture.
It is made of lactic acid, formic acid, and citric acid, producing 12 strains of live bacteria:
The 12 live strains of bacteria in this probiotic are known as Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) as their major fermentation product is lactic acid. These bacteria include Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus, Lactococcus, Bifidobacterium and Leuconostoc are distributed throughout the intestinal tract and are regarded as safe as a result of their long history of use for food fermentation. (29)
Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli have similar metabolic properties and a longstanding association with health. (18) And lack of these friendly bacteria can lead to serious health struggles.
For example, lower total number of bifidobacteria in early childhood is associated with being overweight later in life (Kalliomaki et al., 2008). (52)
The brain and the gut are powerfully connected and share a bidirectional communication channel. Understanding this interconnectivity is essential for optimizing brain and gut health.
A few powerful brain-gut interdependence examples...
What does digestion have to do with weight loss? Everything.
If you do not digest your food properly (which most people cannot do well), any chemical toxins present in the food you eat are absorbed from the small intestine through the hepatoportal artery and intoxicate the liver. The liver sends this trash out in adipose tissue aka fat. And the body will keep building out fat as more and more chemical toxins are consumed. The result: weight gain...
Adequate stomach acid aka hydrochloric acid. Hydrochloric acid is the holy grail of digestion because of its many functions. HCL helps: absorb protein, calcium, vitamin B12, and iron, avoid gas, bloating, and acid reflux (because you are digesting instead of fermenting food), suppress growth of ingested bacteria and candida, and evade brain-gut mood imbalances....
Emily Pobratyn
Author