One of the complications caused by gastric bypass surgery is the change in the bacterial flora of the stomach – the natural bacteria that you need to stay healthy. Researchers studied 44 patients who had had the bypass and who were given either probiotics or a placebo.

The results showed that after 6 months, the patients who had taken the probiotics did better than those who didn’t. They also lost weight more quickly than the patients who didn’t take probiotics, but eventually, that group did catch up in weight loss.

The abstact of the study is available at the journal’s website .

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Image courtesy PhotoXpress.com

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Probiotics Help Gastric Bypass Surgery

I can’t find information on what bacteria they are using (would be good to know what they’re putting in your food, wouldn’t it?) and what this organic material shell is made of. If this material is so tough to withstand baking and other processing, as well as stomach acids, I wonder whether the bacteria are ever released into the gut at all. What good would it do in a tough casing like that?

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New on the Market: Pop Culture Probiotic Bars

Yo-Plus and is the only yogurt available that contains Optibalance™, a blend of special probiotic cultures and a natural fiber. Yo-Plus is a good source of calcium, fiber, Vitamin A and Vitamin D. When compared with Dannon™’s Activia™, only Yo-Plus has the added benefit of dietary fiber for added digestive health benefits, plus vitamins A and D.

Have you tried Yo-Plus yet? No? You can print some coupons for some discount.

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Discount Coupons for Yo-Plus Probiotic Yogurt with Fiber

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Yakult: Probiotics and Your Health (Video)

A recent small scale study involving 18 patients indicates that like other probiotic bacteria, the Lactobacillus strain Shirota found in Yakult may also be a safe and effective alternative for the management of irritable bowel syndrome.

After 6 week of treatment with 1 x 65 mL dose of Yakult daily, 9 of 14 patients (64%) completing the study had reversal of ERBHAL, with the median time of first rise increasing from 45 to 75 min (P = 0.03). Furthermore, symptoms improved in those in whom ERBHAL was corrected. The results indicate that Yakult(R) alters fermentation patterns suggesting a reduction in SIBO. ERBHAL can also indicate rapid small intestinal transit and therefore, in order to confirm the effect of Yakult(R) on SIBO, future studies will include monitoring of transit time in addition to placebo control.

ERBHAL stands for early rise in breath hydrogen with lactulose, a breath test that is used to indicate small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), which is a characteristic of IBS. One bottle of Yakult daily for six weeks was found to elicit reduced SIBO, associated with reduced symptoms. These results offer a promising probiotic alternative IBS treatment, but need to be confirmed with larger scale trials.

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Yakult and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Blood samples were taken before the grass pollen season, then again when it was at its peak (June), and 4 weeks after the end of season. There were no significant differences in levels of IgE in the blood between the two groups at the start of the study, but IgE levels were lower in the probiotic group both at the peak season and afterwards.

At the same times, levels of the antibody IgG were higher, a type of antibody that in contrast to IgE is thought to play a protective role against allergic reactions.

“The probiotic strain we tested changed the way the body’s immune cells respond to grass pollen, restoring a more balanced immune response”, says Dr Kamal Ivory, a senior member of the group.

All these data, as mentioned, still preliminary, though. A wider scale clinical study is being planned.

Do you have allergies? What natural remedies do you use, if any, to alleviate your allergies?

Photo Credit: LWY via Flickr

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Yakult for Your Pollen Allergies

What makes Yakult healthy? Yakult UK summarizes the health benefits of Yakult:

The good gut flora helps to neutralise some of the toxic by-products of digestion, reduce harmful substances (such as toxins and carcinogens), and discourage harmful bacteria and yeasts from setting up home within the gut. In addition, the products of its growth help the cells of the gut grow and stay healthy.

Basically, what Yakult does it to introduce good microorganisms in your gut (Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain) which can displace the harmful ones. If you’re keeping tabs on your sugar consumption, there’s also the Light version, which only contains 3.6g sugar (instead of 11.2g).

Have you tried Yakult?

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Yakult Probiotic Drink

Although I find this article to be a bit too negative on the use of antibiotics, it does explain well how probiotics can put our body microflora into balance, particularly after a long treatment regimen with antibiotics.

“It’s important to remember that the other half of the therapy is to replant the forest with the good bacteria,” Huffnagle says. And while scientists are still trying to determine exactly how the microflora in the digestive tract affect the immune system, he says, studies have shown that probiotics can be a powerful tool to help strengthen immune systems and reduce the effects of allergies.

Probiotics, found in foods like yogurt and aged cheeses, “are eventually eliminated after a couple of days,” he says. “But they straighten up the house while they’re there, making an effort to create a more normal flora and to get the ratios right by the time they’ve disappeared.”

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Probiotics May Reduce Allergies, Stengthen Immune System

Stomach or peptic ulcers are a small hole or erosion in the gastrointestinal tract. Most stomach cancers are caused by Helicobacter pylori bacteria.

The said study, investigated the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, (one of the most extensively studied strains of probiotics) on gastric ulcer induced in rats.

According to lead author Emily Lama from the University of Hong Kong:

“In this study, we demonstrate for the first time that a probiotic strain L. rhamnosus GG is capable of accelerating gastric ulcer healing.

It is important to note that L. rhamnosus GG supplementation did not result in any observable changes in the sham-operated groups regardless of the parameters measured.

This is particularly important that L. rhamnosus GG supplementation does not affect the physiological function of a normal gastric mucosa but normalize those with abnormal changes during ulceration.”

The findings, published in the European Journal of Pharmacology, if can be reproduced in humans, suggests that probiotics may also offer benefits for people already suffering from stomach ulcers.

Read the full report.

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Probiotics Against Stomach Ulcers

In a new study, scientists even reinforced this anti-allergy powers by http://”>genetically engineering Lactococcus lactis bacteria to secrete murine interleukin-10 (IL-10), and subsequently help treat food sensitivities and intolerances.

Writing in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Frossard reports that oral administration of this non-pathogenic strain effectively reduced food-induced anaphylaxis (severe allergic response) in mice and suppressed the production of an antibody capable of initiating the most powerful immune reactions.

The results of the animal trial is published online at the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2006.12.615.

[via: Allergizer, Photo: National Dairy Council]

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Genetically Engineered Probiotic Bacteria May Reduce Food Allergies