The Digestion Wars: Probiotics VS Indigestion, Constipation and Heartburn

Louis Pasteur was the Mick Jaeger of nineteenth century science.

And rightly so. But rock star that he was, he made the word bacteria synonymous with disease, a misimpression that is still with us today.

Make no mistake, there definitely are bad bacteria. But in a healthy body, there are also trillions of good bacteria (yes, that’s a T) that provide many of the critical elements to good health and vitality. These microscopic mighty microbes are called probiotics (for life), and without them or without enough of them, the bad guys take over and life can get down-right miserable.

While Pasteur’s discovery of the germ theory of disease received great notoriety and acclaim, the discovery of the healthy side of the force has taken a great deal more time to permeate the public consciousness.

Oh, the years of needless heartburn.

Maybe it was because the discoverer of the life enhancing benefits of probiotics, a microbiologist and 1908 Nobel Prize Winner named Ellie Metchnikoff, was a Russian – not popular PR celebrities even then.

But, whatever the reason, Metchnikoff, curious as to what made some people live longer than others, studied the astonishing number of individuals in Bulgaria that were living to be over 100 years old. He traced the secret of their longevity to the probiotics that were contained in the fermented yogurt they ate.

Ellie, we love you, Man.

How, you might ask, could a bunch of bugs, microscopic bugs at that, help people live longer?

Let us count the ways:

Probiotics – beneficial microbes - break food down into its most basic elements allowing nutrients to absorb through the digestive system:

They strengthen the immune system, which enables the body to better fight disease;

They help relieve constipation;

They reduce the chance of infection from common pathogens (bad bugs);

They increase the bio-availabity of nutrients (which means they help the nutrients get into the cells with greater ease where they generate the physical energy of life);

They promote recovery from diarrhea;

They clean the intestines;

They help kill viruses and parasites;

They help prevent yeast and fungal infections;

They improve the digestion of vitamins;

They inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria;

They help make certain B vitamins.

Not bad for a bunch of bugs the size of a micron (there are one million microns in a meter – or, side by side, about 25,000 bacteria in an inch – we’re talkin’ very, very, small).

Your intestines should have about 85% good bacteria and 15% bad. But chlorinated water, the presence of antibiotics in the food we eat and as medical treatments we take, and other factors can wreck havoc in the gastrointestinal track, throwing your digestive system completely out of balance.

On days like that you’d rather be burned at the stake.

As noted, yogurt can be a good source of probiotics. But some years ago a revolutionary discovery was made using a unique combination of probiotics – a team of beneficial bacteria so coordinated, so in harmony, so dedicated to enhancing life that Vince Lombardi would have kissed their feet (if they’d had any.)

Pasteur, who discovered the effects of bad bacteria, was French. Metchnikoff, who discovered the benefits of good bacteria, was Russian. But it fell to a little known Japanese scientist named Teruo Higa to discover this combination of beneficial microorganisms that operate in a revolutionary relationship with each other and in so doing make human bodies hum like Lance Armstrong at the Tour De France.

Which means?

Stay with me here because this gets good.

The most extraordinary microbe in this serendipitous gathering of bacteria from the Far Side – the leader of the pack, so to speak– is the phototropic microbe. Fascinating creature, this bug has been here since before there was oxygen on the planet. In fact, it is anaerobic (hates oxygen).

How, you might wonder, does a living organism survive without oxygen?

In a simple act of adaptive Darwinian brilliance, it consumed what was in the environment: epicurean delights like carbon dioxide, ammonia, methane and hydrogen sulfide. And still does.

And in case the light-bulb didn’t go on as you read that, take note that these are all modern-day toxins. In other words, we have here a microbe that thrives on poisons and pollutants.

But that’s only half the fun: in a performance that confirms Mother Nature as the planet’s true environmental Magic Maker, these microbes excrete oxygen, amino acids, antioxidants and other substances that enhance life.

Green Peace loves you Baby!

Now watch this…

The other members of the group are aerobic (oxygen loving) bacteria. Check out this teamwork. The aerobic bacteria consume the oxygen generated by the phototropic bacteria. They in turn give off, that’s right…carbon dioxide, food for the phototropic bacteria - which they readily consume. And so you have this revolutionary relationship - this symbiotic union of beneficial bacteria – that, like an organic PacMan, goes charging through the environment in which it finds itself, devouring toxins and pollutants and giving off amino acids, vitamins, trace minerals, enzymes and antioxidants.

Think about a team of microbes that are: 1) thriving on toxins and polluting elements in your digestive track; 2) generating antioxidants and other healthy by-products while doing so and 3) overcoming pathogenic (bad) bugs all at the same time.

Who’d have thought…ancient, toxin-eating microorganisms and their organic by-products bringing life-enhancing benefits to people in the 21st century. Something kind of cool about that.

Note: Neither the statements in this story nor the products described have been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, but rather are dietary supplements intended solely for nutritional use.