Re: Role of Bifidobacterium in human health.

This is what I've found on the fórum, Dvjorge do you think it is good to take lactulose in the beggining of the treatment? Should I take it oral your via enema?


"The title of this group is Candidiasis, but many people who have been here a while, and done some research of their own, will probably agree with me that the condition is perhaps better described as dysbiosis. Candida is a major pathogen in dysbiosis, but it is not alone. There are many species of gram negative bacteria that are pathogenic. These gram negative bacteria create endotoxins which can cause symptoms not unlike candida. There are also nasty protozoa. Although starving and killing Candida may temporarily relieve some symptoms, in most cases it is unlikely to totally resolve the situation because it is not addressing the underlying problem.

The underlying problem is a lack of good bacteria. The most common cause of lack of good bacteria is Antibiotics . You see good bacteria are not just good because of the benefits they provide to the body in terms of nutrients, but they also keep the bad bacteria and yeast under control. How they do this is not fully understood, but some ways are by creating lactic acid, acetic acid and butyric acid, which the yeast and gram negative bacteria don’t like. Antibiotics wipe out whole species of good bacteria, and the balance of bowel flora changes in favour of the bad guys (including Candida), and we have the condition of dysbiosis.

Now there are lots of species of good bacteria (not to mention all the strains within each species), but I believe that generally speaking, the main good guys are Bifidobacterium, hence the topic of this essay.

Why do I think Bifidobacterium in particular are so important? Well, most of the scientific research seems to point in that direction. Let me give you some examples.

Bifidobacterium inhibit colonization by pathogens.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16167966


Bifidobacterium reduces endotoxaemia
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17823788


Bifidobacterium help prevent candida growth and leaky bowel
http://www.medbc.com/annals/review/vol_10/num_1/text/vol10n1p45.htm


Bifidobacterium inhibits gram negative bacteria
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=17887259


Bifidobacterium linked to reduction in anxiety
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19338686


Bifidobacterium reduces Depression in rats
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18456279


Same good general info on Bifidobacterium
http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Bifidobacterium


I hope by now you are thinking “How do I increase my Bifidobacteria?”. One way is with prebiotics such as FOS and Inulin.
http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/fos-prebiotic-and-probiotic-fo...


Which is better, Inulin or FOS? There is some debate on this. FOS seems to stimulate more species of Bifidobacteria, but it may also feed more species of bacteria in general (not just Bifidobacteria).
http://aem.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/71/10/6150

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14129981


How much FOS or Inulin do I need to eat? Well the downside of FOS and Inulin is that it produces gas (flatulence). The good news is that you don’t need to take much. In fact studies seem to indicate high intake of inulin is not necessary to raise Bifidobacterium levels. 2.5g twice a day may be a tolerable and beneficial dose for most people.
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/129/7/1442S

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=19005590


Now you may well see the limitation of simply taking FOS/Inulin to increase your Bifidobacteria. It will only increase the numbers of species of Bifidobacteria that already exist in your bowel. It cannot increase numbers of species that are extinct, due to Antibiotics ! This is where probiotics can play a role. Commercial probiotics do not take up permanent residence in the bowel, but do hang around and multiply for a week or two, so if you keep taking a good source of Bifidobacteria, and you feed them with FOS/Inulin, you should improve things.

How can you permanently restore healthy levels of many different species and strains of Bifidobacteria (and other good bacteria)? The only way I know this can be done is with Fecal Bacteriotherapy, or Human Probiotic Infusion (HPI). If you are thinking yuk, then you are on the right track!
http://www.probiotictherapy.com.au/patients/hpi.html

http://www.cdd.com.au/pdf/toyingmotions.pdf


Hope this has provided some food for thought. I’m not saying other treatments have no benefits, just that I think increasing Bifidobacteria levels may be the most productive for long term bowel health." Tweet