Probiotic pills could hold the key to ending malnutrition across the globe within the next two decades, according to the billionaire Bill Gates in his article in The Daily Telegraph recently
What is the definition of a Probiotic?
“A live microbial supplement which beneficially affects the host by improving its intestinal microbial balance”
300 Species: The health of your your gut is a very good marker of your overall health. The human gut should contain over 300 species of healthy bacteria, yet poor diet, antibiotics and over-use of medications is causing the destruction of our microbiome, especially amongst the younger community with research indicating as few as 30 species being detected in some people.
How Important Is A Healthy Gut?
For starters, there are 10 times more bacteria in the gut than there are cells in the human body
Research has shown that optimum levels of beneficial probiotic bacteria help improve our resistance to digestive imbalances including:
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Reducing acidity
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Constipation
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Diarrhoea
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Lowering Cholesterol levels
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Gastroenteritis
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Urinary Tract Infections
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Helps to prevent and treat Allergies
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Helps to prevent infection from Influenza Viruses
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Optimum levels have also been shown to help reduce obesity
Alzheimers:
Dr. David Pelmutter is at the forefront of probiotic research for Alzheimer’s sufferers: “We know, for example, that Alzheimer’s is an inflammatory condition. As well, we know that changes in gut bacteria enhance inflammation. So it seemed quite reasonable to assume that damage to, and loss of diversity in, gut bacteria could hasten brain degeneration so characteristic of Alzheimer’s”
“The message here is that inflammation is directly determined by the health and diversity of our gut bacteria, and this has major implications in terms of brain health, function, and disease resistance. Recognizing that inflammation is the mechanism underlying not just Alzheimer’s disease, but Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and even cancer means that the findings in this report may have wide implications”
Back To Bill Gates:
He argues that better scientific understanding of the human microbiome will enable the development of “smartly engineered” probiotic pills to enable us to retain more nutrients from what we eat.
Mental and Physical “Stunting” A lack of nutrients in early life is responsible for the mental and physical “stunting” of an estimated 155 million children globally. Equally, it’s role in developed countries will improve the incidence of malnutrition and obesity, as well as other diseases like asthma, allergies and auto-immune diseases.
How Often Should You Take A Course Of Probiotic? That depends on a few factors:
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Have you had antibiotics recently? Antibiotics damage the microbiome, so take a course of Probiotic E505 as soon as you have finished your prescription
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Do you suffer from a digestive disorder? It might be appropriate for you to take a teaspoonful of Probiotic every day if you have a digestive condition that causes you discomfort
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Are you at risk of malnutrition? For people with particularly restricted diets, at least the gut can operate at “full efficiency” with the help of a good Probiotic to extract whatever nutrients exist in the diet
Are all Probiotics The Same?
No: The key factor to a good Probiotic is it’s ability to survive the transit through the acids and bile in the stomach to reach the gut where it needs to be active. The law only requires manufacturers to list the “active” bacteria when it is in the bottle/capsule/sachet. Our Probiotic E505 contains 8 healthy probiotic bacteria plus 1 strain of Pre-biotic, which prepares the gut to receive the probiotic. It is clinically proven to reach the gut in an active form so that it can do its work effectively
Conclusion: As our population increases and further strain is put on our farm soils, we need all the help we can get to extract the nutrients from our food. The importance of a healthy gut is becoming increasingly apparent in terms of our ability to fight disease, improve the immune system and avoid digestive disorders.