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Friendly Bacteria
The concept of a symbiotic organism living
within our digestive tract seems strange at
first. However, when we explore the beneficial
functions performed by the intestinal
microflora, such as Lactobacillus and
Bifidobacteria, there are many reasons to
encourage and protect this symbiosis. Not all
bacteria are helpful, and many are considered
pathogens that create illness in the host by
attaching to the walls of the internal organs
and overpopulating in that environment. E coli,
staph, and some forms of streptococcus are
examples of bacteria which can exploit the human
immune system when they overpopulate, causing a
variety of diseases and infections. However,
many scientific studies have supported the idea
that a supplement of beneficial bacteria, also
known as a "probiotic," can boost the diversity
of positive microflora in the intestines and
colon, where their presence serves many
health-supporting functions.
Scientists first discovered the metabolic
abilities of helpful bacteria in the 1960's.
More recent studies have diagrammed the genes
and enzymes that allow these tiny powerhouses to
convert various sugars into useful acids, while
also serving as toxin-blockers. It appears that
different probiotic species have unique
preferences in the type of fuel that they prefer
to break down. Some probiotics make their homes
in the lower intestines, and others are
typically found in the colon. Some bacteria,
such as Bulgaricus, appear to change their
environment in a manner that prepares the locale
for other probiotics. Bulgaricus is a species
used widely in the dairy industry to create the
unique flavor of Swiss cheese. It is also used
as a "starter culture" in yogurt, where its
function includes preparing a fermented medium
so that other bacteria will begin to replicate.
In order to reach the sites in the lower GI
tract where a probiotic can exert the most
influence, it must be formulated to withstand
the high acid content of the stomach. The next
stage after the stomach is the duodenum, where
bile salts further attack and break down most
food and dietary supplements. However, if a
probiotic supplement is formulated so that at
least a few thousand microbes reach their goal--
preferably more -- then the building-up of
helpful microflora populations in the intestine
and colon is possible. With this boosting of
helpful bacteria, a variety of positive health
results have been demonstrated.
According to a 2005 British study of helpful
bacteria, conducted by Gibson, McCartney and
Rastall, there are several mechanisms by which
probiotics appear to benefit their host:
a) They compete with harmful bacteria for
nutrients.
b) Most microflora provide end products-- after
digesting other bacteria and food remnants
--that enhance the pH balance within the human
colon and intestines. Their helpful end products
include acids, lactase, B vitamins, and
substances with natural antibiotic properties.
c) Certain micro-organisms provide a defensive
barrier between pathogens and the intestinal
mucosa, or the layer of mucous which lines the
intestines.
d) They conduct anti-adhesion strategies which
effectively mislead pathogens into being
digested by bacteria, rather than allowing them
to flourish. By acting as decoys to draw toxins
away from adhesion sites, helpful microflora in
the colon and intestines function as a sorting
and disposal mechanism that benefits the host.
e) When functioning at top efficiency, they
enhance the metabolism of the host by helping to
break down a variety of sugar-related molecules.
Otherwise, waste products would build up in the
gastro-intestinal (GI) tract.
Using the mechanisms cited above, probiotic
bacteria have been found useful in combating a
variety of illnesses, sometimes as a treatment,
and other times as a preventative or
prophylactic measure (Reinert, 2002.) When
patients are prescribed oral antibiotics which
have the effect of killing good and bad
intestinal microflora, many doctors advise that
a probiotic and/or yogurt product with live
cultures be eaten as a way to restore the
balance within the internal microflora.
Probiotic bacteria are used to prevent and cure
diarrhea, reduce allergic symptoms, ease the
symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (Isselbacher,
2005), prevent yeast infections caused by
candida, address methycillin-resistant staph or
MRSA infections, cure constipation or
irregularity, and even inhibit the progression
of some forms of cancer. Certain species of
bacteria have been found to exhibit anti-tumor
effects (Baricault, 1995), and many studies are
underway to ascertain if these anti-tumor
mechanisms can be better controlled and directed
toward specific medical outcomes.
There exists a promising and growing potential
for helpful bacteria and probiotic supplements
to be used in a variety of medical fields. The
idea of preventing or curing diseases through
the use of supplements that boost our symbiosis
with bacteria may end up challenging many
current medical assumptions. Whereas general
antibiotics have an invasive and destructive
aspect, a more delicate approach may be
available by employing specific characteristics
of helpful bacteria. In the not-too-distant
future, bacterial strains that have been shown
to combat or prevent certain weaknesses of the
immune system may be used as an alternative to
traditional wide-spectrum antibiotics. With
recent improvements in gene-mapping technology,
thousands of new discoveries each year are
generated on the topic of enzymes and chemical
signals that allow microflora to communicate at
the molecular level with our internal organs.
These discoveries represent a source of great
hope in the ever-productive partnership between
humans and our symbiotic bacteria.
SOURCES:
- Baricault, L. "Inhibitory effects of
freeze-dried milk fermented by selected
Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains on carcinogesis
induced by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine in rats and by
diethylnitrosamine in hamsters." Cancer Letters,
147(1-2): 125-37. 1995.
- G.R. Gibson, A.L. McCartney and R.A. Rastall.
"Prebiotics and resistance to gastrointestinal
infections." The British Journal of Nutrition,
Vol. 93 Suppl 1, April 2005, pp. 531-4.
- Isselbacher, Kurt J. "Irritable bowel
syndrome: the possible benefits of probiotics."
Post Graduate Medicine, Vol. 117, No. 5. 2005.
- J.S. Lee, D.S.Cha and H.J. park. "Agricultural
Food Chemistry." Graduate School of
Biotechnology, Korea Universtiy, Seoul, and
Dept. of Packaging Science, Clemson University,
Clemson, South Carolina. November 2004, pp
7300-7305.
- Reinert, Birgit. "Friendly tenants in the
human gut: The genome of B. Longum." 2002.
Genome News Network.
************************************
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Probiotics - Protection Against Infection: Using
Nature's Tiny Warriors To Stem Infection,
copyright 2009.
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