IT'S AN ECOSYSTEM. YOU WERE BORN WITH IT. GET USED
TO IT
While the idea of trillions of microorganisms cohabiting with
us -- the average colon contains about four pounds of bacteria
-- may not be the most settling of thoughts, the reality is, we'd
be dead without them. Mothers pass on a load of these organisms
to their babies in the birth canal, and from that moment on, the
peaceful coexistence begins. And in a healthy, optimally functioning
human body, that's exactly what it is -- a peaceful coexistence.
The hundreds of species of bacteria work together in the digestive
tract to move the digestive process along.
Healthy microorganisms aid in digestion, absorption, and the production
of significant amounts of B vitamins and enzymes. They help maintain
a healthy immune system which, in turn, protects the body against
everything from food poisoning and stomach ulcers to cancer. Perhaps
most importantly, the healthy bacteria crowd out the harmful ones
that, unfortunately, like to live there, too. Environmental factors,
a poor diet, the overuse of antibiotics, and even age and stress
can upset that peaceful coexistence, giving the harmful bacteria
the upper hand.
INTESTINAL MICROFLORA: THE GOOD GUYS VS. THE BAD GUYS
The term "probiotic" -- literally meaning "for
life" -- was introduced in the early 20th century by a Russian
physician named Metchnikoff who believed long life and improved
health were related to decreased gastrointestinal toxicity.
Friendly intestinal bacteria play a number of important roles
in body functions. They promote healthy digestion. They enhance
the bioavailability of nutrients. And they promote detoxification
by inactivating and eliminating carcinogens, decreasing mutagenic
compounds, decreasing ammonia and levels of nitrates and nitrites,
and by enhancing liver function and cholesterol metabolism.
There are two main categories of friendly bacteria in the digestive
tract: lactobacilli (members of the lactic acid bacteria group),
and bifidobacteria. Bifidobacteria, which live primarily in the
colon, metabolize food by fermentation, creating a more acidic
environment in the intestine (which inhibits the growth of the
bad bacteria). Fermentation -- or pickling -- is actually an ancient
method of preserving food that uses microbiologic ecosystems to
promote beneficial organisms and suppress harmful organisms that
cause putrefaction and rotting.
However,
when this healthy balance of more good guys than bad guys is
disrupted, "dysbiosis" results. This dysbiosis,
or imbalance, can lead to dysfunction of the immune system and
food intolerance, allergies like eczema, chronic inflammatory disease
like arthritis, and even certain types of migraine. Why? Well,
it's a complex process, but one of the big culprits is the bad
bacteria that digest food by means of putrefaction or rotting.
This releases ammonia and other toxins into the body.
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PROBIOTICS: HELPING THE GOOD GUYS WIN
Probiosis is, quite literally, the reduction of dysbiosis. Today,
the term probiotic is used to describe a group of dietary supplements
whose aim is to help restore a healthy bacterial balance in the
digestive tract. Under optimal conditions, the body maintains this
healthy balance on its own, but conditions are not usually optimal.
There are many factors that negatively influence the healthy microflora
balance in the digestive tract, including age, stress, medicinal
antibiotics as well as the large amount of antibiotics in the meats
we eat, and radiation and chemotherapy. The chlorine found in most
American drinking water can wipe out entire strains of friendly
bacteria from our intestines. Even the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs like many common over-the-counter painkillers can have an
impact on this delicate balance.
Probiotic supplements contain mixtures of good bacteria. When
these are introduced into the body, the pH levels in the intestines
are reduced, and the activity of the bad, putrefactive bacteria
is inhibited.
Benefits of probiotics are self-evident. By helping the digestive
tract maintain a healthy ratio of good to bad bacteria, probiotics,
in effect, help the body help itself. Healthy balances of intestinal
microflora can prevent antibiotic-induced diarrhea, reduce the
rate of infection after intestinal surgery, and protect against
respiratory infections and eczema. Current studies are examining
the possible uses of probiotics in helping to lower blood pressure
and cholesterol, and in reducing the risks of cancer and kidney
stones.
THE MICROFLORA--IMMUNE SYSTEM CONNECTION
As beautifully evidenced in the amazing integration of our body
systems, all the parts work together. One body system does not
operate completely independent of another. They all rely on each
other to keep us healthy and functioning.
So it is also with the gastrointestinal and immune systems. The
intestinal flora produce immune stimulating and regulating chemicals,
vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants. They communicate with the
immune system through the lymphoid tissue (Peyer's patches) beneath
the intestinal mucosa. When the microflora balance tips toward
the bad, this communication can work against us. Here's where a
diet high in protein and animal saturated fatty acids really wreaks
havoc. This type of diet stimulates the activity of the harmful
organisms. When protein is metabolized by these harmful bacteria,
a bunch of nitrogen waste products are the result. Toxins like
ammonia, urea, phenols, nitrites, and nitrates are released into
the body. Normally, the liver can detoxify these, but when there
is a prolonged and heavy exposure (like the typical burger and
large fries American diet), the liver is overloaded and can't completely
cleanse them.
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BALANCED PROBIOTIC
The specific
goal of probiotic supplements is to introduce new microflora
into the GI tract. However, each person’s microflora
environment is unique. Since the healthy bacteria work together
in a synergistic fashion (complementing and strengthening each
other), it is always a toss-up of sorts as to how the microflora
in the probiotic supplement will interact with the body’s
existing microflora.
Or with
each other, for that matter. Most probiotics are a sort of “cake mix” of
dormant species of bacteria, each of which has been cultured
separately without regard to compatibility.
Again, it is a toss-up as to whether or not they will interact
positively with each other. AlliPRO introduces a new concept in
probiotic supplementation: Balanced Probiotic. The beauty of the
Balanced Probiotic is that it is created through a process that
involves the culturing of many bacteria together. This allows them
to balance themselves out as they grow into their own ecosystem,
so they enter the intestinal environment as an already healthy
and balanced interdependent ecosystem, rather than as independent
organisms.
This situation
promotes processes of fermentation or pickling, which were found
long ago to preserve foods and promote health.
The colony in Balanced Probiotic works much like an optimally functioning
microflora colony in the body itself. It’s balanced in a
way that suppresses the growth of harmful bacteria, mold, and other
bad types of organisms that lead to rotting and putrefaction.
This is a concept known as competitive exclusion. A good analogy
would be a well organized SWAT team cleaning up violent criminals
that had taken over a neighborhood. Most probiotics are more like
several groups of police recruits trained at different institutions,
then suddenly thrown together to try to control the bad guys. Their
effectiveness is greatly diminished because of the lack of common
training.
AlliSURE®
It’s no secret to anyone who has ever looked into or used
dietary supplements that garlic is an amazing little plant. Garlic
has natural antibiotic properties and is a good source of selenium,
which helps maintain healthy immune response in the body. Researchers
have zeroed in on the key component of garlic's effectiveness in
so many body functions and dysfunctions -- allicin, the sulfide
that gives garlic its distinctive odor. Allicin has the ability
to fight infections, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and
even help in the fight against cancer. It also helps lower blood
sugar levels and keeps plaque from building up on artery walls.
Allicin can act as a prebiotic – by reducing the presence
of harmful organisms it creates an environment in which beneficial
organisms can flourish. That makes AlliPRO, which contains AlliSURE® and
Balanced Probiotic, a prebiotic/probiotic supplement.
Allicin comes from the odorless, sulfur-containing compound alliin
found in the garlic bulb. This alliin is converted by the garlic
enzyme allinase into allicin whenever the bulb is cut or processed
in any way. Chemically, allicin contains sulfur-sulfur bonds that
are responsible for most of the beneficial properties associated
with it. In fact, this chemical structure is remarkably similar
to that of penicillin. Long before pharmaceutical antibiotics were
used, crushed garlic extracts were used to combat a wide range
of infectious diseases, from dysentery and typhus to cholera, smallpox,
and tuberculosis. At the level it is provided in AlliPRO, allicin
selectively kills pathogenic organisms and leaves the beneficial
ones intact. It also selectively inhibits enzymes that pathogens
use to damage tissues.
While the potential health benefits of garlic extracts are significant,
they are hard to realize in practice for a number of reasons. Allicin
molecules are very reactive and have a short half-life, since they
react with vigorously with surrounding proteins, including the
enzyme allinase. This drastically reduces the ability of allinase
to continue reacting with alliin and thus produce more allicin.
To make matters worse, allinase is destroyed by stomach acid, which
means it is not available to produce the beneficial allicin. One
or more of these factors severely limits the benefits of garlic
supplements.
Until now.
AlliSURE® provides a 100% yield of allicin because
it is allicin – it doesn’t require activation by allinase,
so its effectiveness is not limited by the presence of stomach
acid. And the allicin of AlliSURE® is stabilized by a patented
process, resulting in real activity that is available for prolonged
periods of time.
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IT’S
A JUNGLE IN THERE
With trillions of microorganisms calling our bodies home, it certainly
behooves us to try to keep the beneficial ones happy. A diet high
in fiber and low in saturated animal fats, avoiding overuse of
antibiotics, and the use of good prebiotic and probiotic supplements
will all support a healthy balance of intestinal microflora.
The benefits of a healthy gastrointestinal tract are many. Among
them are enhanced immunity, inhibition of cancer, improved bowel
function, protection against food poisoning and stomach ulcers,
and lower cholesterol.
CAUTIONS
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product
is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease,
but rather is a dietary supplement intended solely for nutritional
support.
SOURCES
Guarner F. and Malagelada JR. Gut flora in health and disease.
Lancet. 2003 Feb 8; 361 (9356), 512-9.
Yen PK. Probiotics and prebiotics for bowel health. Geriatric
Nursing. 2003 May-Jun; vol. 24 (3) 192-3.
Mercenier A, Pavan S, and Pot B. Probiotics as biotherapeutic
agents: present knowledge and future prospects. Current Pharmaceutical
Design. 2003; 9 (2); 175-91.
