Beneficial Bacteria In a Probiotics Supplement

There can be no true health or recovery from disease unless you have colonies of over 100 trillion beneficial microorganisms flourishing throughout your intestinal tract, aiding in digestion and absorption, producing significant amounts of vitamins and enzymes, and working to crowd out all harmful bacteria. A good probiotic formula containing supplemental friendly bacteria is mandatory to raise your baseline of health. It is absolutely essential for long-term intestinal health and long-term parasite control. When choosing a probiotic supplement, look for the following characteristics:

• Not all strains of beneficial bacteria are created equal. For each type of bacteria, there are recognized super strains. Choose a formula that uses only recognized super strains of beneficial bacteria. They will be identified as such on the label or in the company literature.
   
• There are many beneficial bacteria that may be contained in a good probiotic, but two are preeminent. Lactobacillus acidophilus resides primarily in the small intestine and produces a number of powerful antimicrobial compounds in the gut (including acidolin, acidolphilin, lactocidin, and bacteriocin). These compounds can inhibit the growth and toxin-producing capabilities of some twenty-three pathogens (including Campylobacter, listeria, and staphylococci), as well as reduce tumor growth and effectively neutralize or inhibit carcinogenic substances. There are three recognized super strains of acidophilus: DDS, NAS, and BT1386. (It's also important to note that L. acidophilus is the primary beneficial bacteria in the vaginal tract. When the presence of the acidophilus is compromised, this allows the bad guys such as Gardnerella vaginalis, E. coli, or Chlamydia to take over. This is particularly important to women to help prevent a whole range of vaginal infections.)
  
  Many researchers believe that declining levels of Bifidobacteria in the large intestine actually mark the eventual onset of chronic degenerative disease. Bifidobacteria benefit the body in a number of ways. They consume old fecal matter. They also have the ability to remove cancer-forming elements, or the enzymes which lead to their formation. This can help protect against the formation of liver, colon, and mammary gland tumors. And in addition to all of that, Bifidobacteria are substantial producers of a range of important B vitamins.
   
• More is not always better. Too many beneficial bacteria in one formula may find the bacteria competing with each other before they can establish themselves in separate areas of the intestinal tract. On the other hand, there are several other bacteria that are extremely beneficial in any probiotics formula. L. salivarius helps digest foods in the intestinal tract and makes vital nutrients more assimilable. It also works to eat away encrusted fecal matter throughout the entire colon, helps repair the intestinal tract by providing needed enzymes and essential nutrients, and adheres to the intestinal wall, thereby forming a living matrix that helps protect the mucosal lining.
   
• L. rhamnosus is a powerful immune stimulator. It can increase the natural killing activity of spleen cells, which may help to prevent tumor formation. It boosts the ability of the body to destroy foreign invaders and other harmful matter by three times normal activity and has been shown to increase circulating antibody levels by six to eight times. L. plantarum has the ability to eliminate thousands of species of pathogenic bacteria. It also has extremely high adherence potential for epithelial tissue and seems to favor colonizing the same areas of the intestinal tract that E. coli prefers—in effect, serving to crowd E. coli out of the body. At one time, L. plantarum was a major part of our diets (found in sourdough bread, sauerkraut, etc.), but it is now virtually nowhere to be found. Other important friendly bacteria you might find in a good formula include Streptococcus thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, B. longum, and L. casei.
   
• Much has been written about the properties of the soil-based bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis, L. sporogenes, and B. laterosporus. For many people, they can produce a powerful boost to the immune system, but in certain circumstances they may become toxic. It's hard to argue with the great results that many people have had using formulations that contain these cultures. On the other hand, it's possible to get all of the same results using only the cultures that I've mentioned above.