Gut Health -- the Right Strain for the Job

Susan Blake, NTP, BS, CGP • April 17, 2018

A normal gut microbiome contains one hundred trillion microorganisms composed of about 1,000 different species!1 That is ten times more ‘bugs’ living within the gut than human cells that make up the whole body! We provide the house and fuel, and they, in turn, help us stay alive and healthy.

Eating healthy food helps maintain a healthy gastrointestinal (GI) tract and flora population. Correcting imbalance begins with a whole food diet rich in fiber and polyphenols from plant foods. These components not only help the GI enterocytes (absorptive cells) produce short-chain fatty acids that are used directly for energy production, but also feed the microorganisms living within.2 Unfortunately, diet alone is not always enough to correct an imbalance.

One of the reasons why altering and balancing the microbiome is so challenging is that different parts of the system harbor different types of microorganisms, all of which require different living conditions, like levels of pH.3 For example, the stomach is very acidic and contains only a few species including Helicobacter pylori; the small intestine is more basic and contains various species including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Enterococcus and Bacteroide; and the colon becomes slightly acidic again, containing exponentially more microbes from five major bacterial phyla – Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actionobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria.4

Did you notice that most of the species listed are not those commonly found in probiotic supplements? The reason is most of the species that inhabit our system can’t live outside of it. Probiotic supplements, preferably in food form, offer some transient benefits, such as aiding constipation5 and H. pylori eradication,6 helping support IBS,7 and decreasing abdominal fat.8 However, supplements won’t necessarily result in the permanent colonization of the GI tract.

Strains that have been clinically documented to provide long term health effects share a specific set of characteristics. They must be human strains, meaning they can naturally be found in the human GI tract. They must be able to survive the harsh environment of the stomach’s acid and bile, while at the same time being able to adhere to and colonize the GI tract, as well as being able to produce antimicrobial compounds.

It is important to remember that different strains have different actions.9 For example, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA5 is not the same as Lactobacillus acidophilus NCFM, and research showing benefits of one particular strain cannot be extrapolated and applied to other strains – even within the same family.

Therefore, when a supplement simply lists Lactobacillus acidophilus, it is uncertain which strain it is and what benefits may be derived. Evidence is showing that many strains fitting the above criteria are effective for very specific conditions and are recommended therapeutically rather than taking a general formula.

I encourage everyone to look within and bravely address the number one root-cause of most of the symptoms and conditions you might be experiencing – gut function. It doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong with your diet or lifestyle, it just means the right balance for you hasn’t been achieved yet. And if you can’t figure it out yourself –
get some help. It can be a fun and exciting journey to take!

Susan Blake, NTP, BS, CGP, helps her clients determine their ideal diets, heal their digestive systems, and learn about the interplay between physical and psychological health. Visit her website thewholebodyshop.net or reach out to her at hairandbodyshop@comcast.net or by calling 253.778.0684.

1) Neish, A. S. (2009). Microbes in gastrointestinal health and disease. Gastroenterology, 136 (1), 65-80. Retrieved from: http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(08)01978-1/fulltext
2) Tuohy, K. M., Conterno, L., Gasperotti, M., & Viola, R. (2012). Up-regulating the Human Intestinal Microbiome Using Whole Plant Foods, Polyphenols, and/or Fiber. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 60,
8776−8782. Retrieved from: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf2053959
3,4) Walter, J. & Ley, R. (2011). The human gut microbiome: Ecology and recent evolutionary changes. Annual Review of Microbiology, 65, 411-29. Retrieved from: http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-micro-090110-102830
5) Yang, Y. X., He, M., Hu, G., Wei, J., Pages, P., Yang, X., & Bourdu-Naturel, S. (2008). Effect of a fermented milk containing Bifidobacterium lactis DN173010 on Chinese constipated women. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 14(40), 6237-6243. Retrieved from: https://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v14/i40/6237.htm
6) Sachdeva, A. & Nagpal, J. (2009). Effect of fermented milk-based probiotic preparations on Helicobacter pylori eradication: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 21(1), 45-53. Retrieved from: https://journals.lww.com/eurojgh/Pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2009&issue=01000&article=0000...
7) Agrawal, A., Houghton, L. A., Morris, J., Reilly, B., Guyonnet, D., Feuillerat, N. G., … Whorwell, P. J. (2009). Clinical trial: the effects of a fermented milk product containing Bifidobacterium lactis DN-173 010 on abdominal distension and gastrointestinal transit in irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 29(1), 104-114. Retrieved from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2008.03853.x/full
8) Kadooka, Y., Sato, M., Imaizumi, K., Ogawa, A., Ikuyama, K., Akai, Y., …Tsuchida, T. (2010). Regulation of abdominal adiposity by probiotics (Lactobacillus gasseri SBT2055) in adults with obese tendencies in a
randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 64(6), 636643. Retrieved from: http://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn201019?message=remove
9) Hawrelak, J. 2006b. Probiotics. In: Pizzorno, J. & Murray, M. (eds.) Textbook of Natural Medicine. 3rd ed. St Louis: Churchill Livingstone

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Simple Fire Cider

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Easy Elderberry Syrup

By Frontier Co-Op • November 1, 2024
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Matcha Exfoliating Moisture Body Scrub with Pumpkin Spice

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Calendula Care-All Rub for Hands & Feet

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½ cup dried calendula flowers 3 Tbl cocoa butter 2 Tbl apricot or grapeseed oil ¼ cup castor oil Place calendula flowers in a glass jar. Set aside. Add cocoa butter and oils into a double boiler insert. Gently warm over low heat until cocoa butter is fully melted. Remove from heat and pour over calendula flowers. Cover and steep for 24 hours. Strain into a clean jar and cover. For hands: Massage liberal amount of blend into hands for a few minutes. Gently wipe excess from hands with a clean, soft cloth. For feet: Massage liberal amount into feet a few minutes before bed, then put on soft cotton socks for sleeping. Store in cool, dark place and use within six months.
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