December 2008 - Probiotics restore bowel flora and improve liver enzymes in human alcohol-induced liver injury.
This pilot study carried out on 66 Russians with alcoholic psychosis and 24 healthy controls found that the alcoholic patients had significantly less Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli in their systems than the participants without alcohol-induced liver injury. The study concluded that supplementing the alcoholics’ diets with Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus plantarum restored the bowel microbiota, and improved the liver health to a greater extent than standard therapy on its own.
November 2008 – Exposed: Probiotic Supplements Vs. Probiotic Yogurt Drinks.
Dr Sarah Brewer delved into detail on the differences between probiotics in supplements and those in fermented dairy drinks. Yoghurt drinks contain live, fragile bacteria whose numbers fall whilst on the shelf, leaving sometimes only a few hundred thousand live bacteria by the time of consumption. Brewer highlighted the fact that yogurt drinks often provide high levels of sugar, with a significant calorie count. She stated that probiotic supplements deliver a guaranteed potency of live bacteria, ideally at least 1 to 5 billion per dose, and that they should not need to be refrigerated, and hence useful for travel. Brewer concluded by stating that yoghurt drinks are perhaps easier to include in the diet, advising that however one takes their probiotics, it is ideal to take them daily, to replenish those that are naturally flushed from the body. Source: Healthspan
10 November 2008 – Probiotic chewing gum counteracts bleeding gums.
A study by Professor Twetman at the University of Copenhagen found that a probiotic chewing gum containing a strain of Lactobacillus Reuteri reduced gingivitis, or inflamed gums. Of 42 participants with moderate gingivitis, subjects given the chewing gum with the probiotics experienced a reduction of 85% in the amount of bleeding sites, and a reduction of 43% - 53% in the amount of fluid in the teeth pockets.
01 November 2008 – Probiotics effective in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhoea.
A study at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine & published in American Family Physician found probiotic supplements to be useful in avoiding diarrhoea caused by antibiotics or by gastrointestinal viral or bacterial infections. Up to 1 in 5 people on antibiotics stop taking their full course of antibiotic therapy due to antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. Scientists reached this conclusion after reviewing seven high-quality, relevant studies. Dr Benjamin Kligler, medical professor at Einstein, stated that probiotics should really be prescribed with antibiotics, regretting that “the average doctor is not doing this, and patients often know more about probiotics than their physicians.”
22 September 2008 - Diversity of bacteria in the gut and eczema in early life.
A small clinical trial at Harvard by Forno et al (2008) found that infants suffering from eczema had less diversity in their microflora and microfauna than babies without eczema. The findings furthermore concluded that diversity of probiotic bacteria in the gut increased more significantly in infants without eczema.
To read the entire study, see http://www.clinicalmolecularallergy.com/content/6/1/11
22 September 2008 – Bacteria ‘can ward off diabetes’
US scientists believe that bacteria can help to protect against insulin-dependent type I diabetes, by stopping the rogue immune response that triggers the disease. Researchers studied diabetic mice that had been genetically engineered with their immune systems lacking a key protein which allowed them to kill off the bacteria. Mice raised in an environment free of germs developed type I diabetes in 80% of cases, yet mice given a mixture of bacteria normally resident in the mammalian gut developed diabetes in only 33% of cases. Roughly 300,000 people in Britain have type I diabetes, caused by an autoimmune response that destroys inulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Source: The Metro
10 September 2008 – A multistrain probiotic preparation significantly reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome in a double-blind placebo-controlled study.
A Clinical trial by Williams E, et al. that treated 52 adults with two types of Lactobacillus and two types of Bifidobacteria for a period of 8 weeks found that the probiotic supplements made significant reductions in the severity of IBS symptoms. Individuals on probiotics saw a reduction in days with pain, and reported substantially improved quality of life and satisfaction with bowel habits.
04 August 2008 – Evaluation of the functional efficacy of an antioxidative probiotic in healthy volunteers.
This Clinical trial by Songisepp et al noted a clear improvement of antioxidative defence system in healthy individuals who had consumed either Lactobacillus fermentum ME-3 goat milk or probiotic capsules with lactobacillus fermentum. This result was simultaneous with the increase of intestinal lactoflora. The study found excellent antioxidative potential of the food supplement containing this strain of lactobacillus fermentum.
07 July 2008 – Green Tea Extract beneficial for the heart.
A small study from Greece found that regular consumption of Green Tea Extract could improve the function of the endothelial cells (cells that line the walls of blood vessels), boosting cardiovascular health. The study indicated the possible role of green tea polyphenols, which have in the past been linked to protection against some cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. Source: Nutraingredients.com
06 June 2008 – Institut Rosell – Lallemand adds another probiotic strain to its range.
Rosell has developed a new strain, called Lactobacillus casei Rosell-215, chosen for its strong research to back its health benefits. The technology used by Rosell to provide resistance to heat and acid is called Probiocap, which has already been applied to Lactobacillus Rosell-52, Lactobacillus Rosell-11 and Bifidobacterium Rosell-175. According to Lallemand the new strain has demonstrated expression of B-galactosidase, a lactose-degrading enzyme, and therefore beneficial for those who are lactose intolerant. Lactobacillus casei Rosell-215 is also capable of degrading inulin and has shown some immunomodulatory potential. Source: Nutraingredients.com
23 May 2008 – Prebiotic health claims interest the Italians, and women.
Research by Leatherhead Food International and funded by French fibre specialist Syral looked at consumer responses to prebiotic health claims in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK. They found that the Dutch were the least interested, and also had the fewest products for gut health on the market, yet there was a high level of general interest in digestive health across Western Europe. The research looked at responses to health claims on Fructo-oligosachharides (FOS), asking roughly 4000 people across 5 countries to rank the impact of four health claims commonly used by the Actilight product. In 2007, the UK launched 53 products with digestive health claims, whereas France had 106 and Germany’s figure reached 100. Source: Nutraingredients.com
OptiBac says: – Look at For a flat stomach for this specific prebiotic by Actilight.
20 May 2008 - Oral probiotic and prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.
This randomized, double blind pilot study in intensive care unit patients found significant delays in the recurrence of P.aeruginosa respiratory colonization and/or infection in patients who were orally administered with probiotics as opposed to those given placebo capsules. This pilot study was conducted by Forestier et al.
To read the entire study, see http://ccforum.com/content/12/3/R69
25 April 2008 - Lifelong prebiotic supplementation may extend lifespan by over 30%.
A French animal study at the Université Henri Poincare Nancy I that fed rats the prebiotics inulin and oligofructose (FOS) showed not only increased survival rates in the prebiotic group, but also lower body weight, cholesterol and plasma triacylglycerolaemia in rats given prebiotics compared to those in the control group. The news of potential benefits in weight loss could have significance in the battle against human obesity. In terms of the survival in the groups of male rats, at 18 months of age all animals on prebiotics were still alive, compared to 76% of the rats in the control group.
Source: British Journal of Nutrition Published online ahead of print, 11 Apr 2008, doi: 10.1017/S0007114508975607, "Effects of lifelong intervention with an oligofructose-enriched inulin in rats on general health and lifespan" Authors: P. Rozan, A. Nejdi, S. Hidalgo, J.-F. Bisson, D. Desor, M. Messaoudi
15 April 2008 – Probiotic supplements may help alcoholics.
A small study at the University College London which gave Lactobacillus casei to patients with alcoholic cirrhosis found probiotics to restore neutrophil (white blood cell) function in people with alcoholic cirrhosis. At the end of the experiment the neutrophil phagocyte capacity was 25% lower in the people with alcoholic cirrhosis who were not receiving probiotics compared to the healthy controls, as expected. However, this capacity was in fact normalized in the cirrhosis patients receiving probiotics. Patients in the control group saw no improvements.
Source: Journal of Hepatology (Elsevier) "Effect of probiotic treatment on deranged neutrophil function and cytokine responses in patients with compensated alcoholic cirrhosis" Authors: V. Stadlbauer, R.P. Mookerjee, S. Hodges, G.A.K. Wright, N.A. Davies, R. Jalan
19 February 2008 – Effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus probiotic supernatants on body weight and leptin expression in rats.
A study by Sousa et al at the University of Georgia, Athens, found that rats that had been given the probiotic acidophilus showed weight loss when compared to rats that had not been administered with the friendly bacteria. Administration of Lactobacillus acidophilus supernatant into the rats’ central nervous systems led to an increase in the expression of leptin, a protein hormone found to decrease the appetite and increase the metabolism.
To read the entire study, see http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/8/5
04 February 2008 – Probiotics may alleviate gut problems amongst people with HIV and AIDS.
In the first, small study on benefits of probiotics on the quality of life for people with HIV/AIDS, Canadian and Nigerian researchers found that occurrence of diarrhoea, flatulence and nausea was resolved in all participants receiving probiotic yoghurt, compared to only 2 participants in the normal or control yoghurt group.
Source: “Yoghurt Containing Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L.reuteri RC-14 Helps Resolve Moderate Diarrhea and Increases CD4 Count in HIV/AIDS Patients” Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology.
18 January 2008 – Can probiotics ease stress-related gut problems.
A double-blind study by leading probiotic firm, Institut Rosell Lallemand, randomly assigned either probiotics or placebos to 75 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 60. The group receiving the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus Rosell-52 and Bifidobacterium longum Rosell-175 reported a significant reduction in abdominal pain and nausea or vomiting compared to those in the control group. Authors of the study commented that this probiotic supplement could act on the intestinal microflora, the epithelial barrier, and the immune system in order to improve gastrointestinal problems induced by stress.
Source: Nutrition Research (Elsevier) Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2008, Pages 1-5 "Probiotic food supplement reduces stress-induced gastrointestinal symptoms in volunteers: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial" Authors: L. Diop, S. Guillou, H. Durand
10 January 2008 – Digestion products set to overtake products for heart health.
An article in New Nutrition Business predicted that probiotics and antioxidants will see healthy new growth this year, but that the market for heart health has been and gone. Julian Mellentin described heart health as “one of the most over-hyped and over-forecast growth areas of the last 10 years”, stating that in reality few customers are attracted to products for their heart health benefits in particular. Stressing that probiotic dairy products account for an enormous share of functional food sales, the article stated that digestive health is a more widely appealing question of “wellness” as opposed to one of “death and disease”. Source: Nutraingredients.com
09 January 2008 – Probiotic and prebiotic combination can improve anti-oxidative activity.
A mixture of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium probiotics as well as oligofructose prebiotics was associated with a reduction in the oxidation of LDL, linked to the hardening of the arteries. Results from this EU and MicroFunction Project found that the total antioxidant activity of the participants taking synbiotic supplements was higher than the placebo subjects.
Source: Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2007, Volume 66, Page 101A "Effects of a synbiotic on biomarkers of oxidative stress and faecal microbiota in healthy adults: results of a cross-over double-blind placebo-controlled trial
