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January 2008 Life | YOUR HEALTH Embracing bacteria? As probiotics prove, bacteria aren’t always bad. Bacteria have earned a bad reputation among dental hygienists. Because of their association with oral disease, we go to great lengths to decrease their quantity and growth. But, truth is, we can’t live without bacteria in our lives. We do know that not all bacteria are pathologic. Of the over 600 species of bacteria that reside in the oral cavity, only a very small percentage are harmful and many oral bacteria actively produce toxins that kill the pathogens. This is also true for the more than 400 different types of bacteria that reside in our digestive tract. Most are beneficial bacteria, helping to maintain a healthy intestinal flora necessary for proper digestion, absorption and elimination of food as well as fighting illness and disease. Research shows that the proper balance between good and bad bacteria plays a crucial role in the health of the intestinal tract and the individual as a whole. Many people are taking daily supplements, called probiotics, which contain these healthy bacteria and help to ease digestive disorders of flatulence, irregular bowel movements, imbalance due to antibiotic use and traveler’s diarrhea. What are probiotics? In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defined probiotics as, “live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.” Probiotics are not new; people have been consuming them for centuries through fermented foods and cultured milk products. The Russian Nobel Prize winner and father of modern immunology, Elie Metchnikoff, first conceptualized the health benefits of probiotics at the beginning of the 20th century. He suggested that Bulgarian peasants lived longer because of their consumption of fermented milk products (such as sour milk, keifer and yogurt) that contained viable bacteria and even identified some of the lactic acid-producing microorganisms responsible. Commercial products today usually contain one or more of these three bacterial groups, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium spp. and Streptococcus thermophilus. How do they work? Research has demonstrated that probiotics enhance the body’s immune response through competitive exclusion of intrinsic pathogens. In healthy individuals, the immune system exists in harmony with the intestinal flora. Probiotics are thought to counteract disturbances in the normal microflora of the gut by increasing the number of anti-inflammatory bacteria and thereby reducing the risk of colonization by pathogenic bacteria. In addition, probiotics will increase colonization resistance and proliferation of pathogenic bacteria through their ability to associate with and bind to the intestinal tissue. They can also reduce plasma levels of bacterial endotoxin concentrations and produce antimicrobial, metabolites and antitoxins. Most research has concentrated on the health benefits associated with the intestinal and genitourinary systems, including irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, pouchitis, infectious diarrhea and antibiotic-associated diarrhea, bladder and colon cancer and vaginal infections. Other research is emerging that demonstrates positive effects on other disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, atopic eczema, food allergies, hyperlipidemia, and immuno-compromising conditions, such as HIV. it is important to know that each probiotic strain is unique and needs to be assessed in a case-by-case manner as to its effects on human health. Most positive clinical studies conducted in humans have used probiotics at high levels, around 109-13 viable cells per day. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
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