Probiotics and Your Health

By Michelle Larson

"The science and art of fermentation is...the basis of human culture: without culturing, there is no culture." (S.E. Katz, in Wild Fermentation)

Have you noticed more yogurt ads and articles promoting "beneficial bacteria" or "probiotics" lately? Humans have consumed probiotics (beneficial bacteria) through food and drink from the very beginning; we've long infused our diet with beneficial bacteria via wine or preserved vegetables and milk. However, as processed, preservative-laden foods usurped the Western diet, the ingestion of friendly bacteria fell by the wayside. Not only do we ingest fewer beneficial bacteria, our carbohydrate- and sugar-heavy diets fuel the growth of harmful bacteria and yeasts.

Billions of probiotic bacteria live in our mouths and small intestines, and hundreds of trillions more live in our large intestines. The word probiotic means "for life," as opposed to antibiotic, which means "against life." Antibiotics kill, wiping out harmful and beneficial bacteria alike, while probiotics encourage life. Antibiotics can be essential occasionally, but health-promoting probiotics are useful all the time.

The balance between good and bad bacteria is delicate and necessary. Beneficial bacteria produce lactic acid, which slows the growth of harmful bacteria by lowering the pH of the gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics increase immune function by preventing harmful microbes from escaping the intestinal tract to enter the bloodstream. They improve digestion and relieve digestive maladies. They also manufacture some B vitamins, short-chain fatty acids, antioxidants, amino acids, and vitamin K. Probiotic bacteria produce enzymes that help us digest food and absorb nutrients. In fact, nutrients in fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso and tempeh are more readily absorbed than the nutrients in non-fermented milk, cabbage and soybeans.

Only living bacteria can provide these health benefits. However, they have a short life span, so eating fermented foods or ingesting supplemental probiotics on regular basis is necessary to maintain their population. Additionally, a diet high in whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables provides probiotics with their favorite food: fructooligosaccharides (FOS). Antibiotics, antacids, synthetic estrogens, stress and disease have a negative influence on beneficial intestinal bacteria.

Whether you choose to incorporate fermented foods into your diet or to use probiotic supplements, it is important to consider quality. Fermented foods or supplements should state that they are live, active, unpasteurized, raw, or cultured—this insures delivery of live, active bacteria to your body. Read product labels carefully and call the food company directly if you are unsure if the bacteria are still active.

The quality of probiotics in the supplemental form versus the whole food form is complicated. Each supplement company uses different bacterial species and strains that vary in quantities, delivery systems, and manufacturing processes. Ask the staff members at the Health and Body Care desk for help navigating the array of supplemental probiotics available.

The conventional food industry is recognizing the revenue potential of probiotic products. At least one company has put a trademark on specific species! One brand states, by way of celebrity spokesperson, that their yogurt "can help regulate your digestive system by helping reduce long intestinal transit time." The bacteria in true natural yogurts, most notably L. acidophilus, have decades worth of scientific studies, not to mention thousands of years of traditional use, showing this same effect- relief from constipation and improved digestion with regular consumption. The tricky part of the marketing of this "new" yogurt is that it uses research that compares the yogurt's benefits to those of yogurt with dead or absent bacteria. The studies do not compare the trademarked bacteria with traditional active-culture yogurt. Most natural yogurt companies don't feel the need to trademark a species and sell it as a new food.

As people discover the benefits of probiotic bacteria, they often wish to incorporate them into their diets. See the sidebar for a list of some of the great probiotic natural foods available at the Wedge. As S.E. Katz says in Wild Fermentation, "How ironic that the road to culture in our germophobic technological society requires, first and foremost, that we enter into an alchemical relationship with bacteria and fungi, and that we bring to our tables foods and beverages prepared by the magicians, not machines."

Sources for this article:

Trenev, N., Probiotics: Nature's Internal Healers. New York: Avery Publishing, 1998.

de Vrese, M., Schrezenmeir, J., "Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Synbiotics." Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology (2008)

Katz, SE., Wild Fermentation. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2003.

Lipski, E., Ph.D., C.C.N., Digestive Wellness for Children. California: Basic Health Publications, Inc., 2006.

Salminen, S., Isolauri, E., Onnela, T., " Gut Flora in Normal and Disordered States." Chemotherapy. 41 Suppl 1 (1995): 5-15.

Bouvier, M., et al., "Effects of consumption of a milk fermented by the probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010 on colonic transit time in healthy humans." Bioscience and Microflora, 20(2) (2001): 43-48.

Marteau, P., et al., "Bifidobacterium animalis, strain DN-173 010 shortens the colonic transit time in healthy women. A double-blind randomised controlled study." Aliment Pharmacol Ther., 16 (2002): 587-593.

"Scientific Summary for Health Care Professionals." Activia by Dannon. 2008. Dannon. 26 May 2008.

Shopping Tips

Just some of the many delicious options at the Wedge:

Yogurt - I love the deliciously creamy yogurt from cultural revolution (local, organic), seven stars Farms (Biodynamic, organic), the greek gods and Brown cow

Sauerkraut and kimchi - powerkraut (local, organic, Biodynamic, hand-cut), rejuvenative Foods (organic) and Bubbies

Kombucha beverages - the staff favorites are from g & t's (organic)—especially the ginger and grape flavors

Miso - my favorites are from south river (organic), especially the azuki bean and millet varieties