Onderzoek naar de PROPATRIA-studie van het
Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht. In deze studie werd onderzocht in hoeverre
patiënten met een voorspeld ernstige acute alvleesklierontsteking baat hebben bij een
toediening van een probioticamengsel. Probiotica zijn levende bacteriën die wanneer
toegediend in adequate hoeveelheden de gezondheid van de gastheer bevorderen. De IGZ deed
het onderzoek samen met de Centrale Commissie Mensgebonden Onderzoek en de Voedsel en
Waren Autoriteit, omdat aan het einde van de studie bleek dat aanzienlijk meer
proefpersonen waren overleden na toediening van probiotica (24 van de 152 proefpersonen
vergeleken met 9 van de 144 in de placebogroep).
Donderdag 24 januari 2008 was de dag dat er
geen enkele Nederlandse krant te vinden was zonder de woorden 'probiotica' en 'acute
alvleesklierontsteking'. Deze dag veranderde voorgoed onze kijk op probiotica. Probiotica,
die tot die dag aangeduid werden als 'goede bacterien', werden voor het eerst in verband
gebracht met ernstige, negatieve effecten. Uit een landerlijk onderzoek bij patienten met
ernstige acute alvleesklierontsteking bleek dat er meer patienten waren overleden in de
probiotica groep dan in de groep patienten die een placebo kreeg.
Het UMC Utrecht heeft beloofd om uit te
zoeken hoe het toch kan dat 'goede bacterien' ineens 'slechte bacterien' werden. De eerste
resultaten van het toen gestarte onderzoek staan beschreven in dit proefschrift. Hieruit
blijkt dat de gebruikte bacterien werken als een soort vaccin: ze zijn eigenlijk een heel
klein beetje slecht (net zoals een vaccin een verzwakte ziekteverwekker is) en hebben
daardoor als effect dat het lichaam verdedigingssystemen harder laat werken en daardoor
sterker wordt.
Een mooi mechanisme in een (bijna) gezond
lichaam, maar niet geschikt voor patienten met ernstige acute alvleesklierontsteking. Op
basis van de resultaten, beschreven in dit proefschrift, zouden probiotica dus beter
preventief gebruikt kunnen worden om een ziekte te voorkomen.
Toediening probiotica voorkomt
eczeem bij kinderen
Geselecteerde probiotische bacteriën
kunnen het ontstaan van eczeem, voornamelijk op jonge leeftijd voorkomen. Het mogelijke
werkingsmechanisme berust op veranderingen van de darmflora door toediening van
probiotica. Dit zijn de belangrijkste resultaten van de Panda studie die Titia Niers
uitvoerde. Allergische aandoeningen zoals eczeem, voedsel allergie, astma en hooikoorts
komen veel en in toenemende mate voor op de kinderleeftijd en de ontwikkeling ervan is tot
op heden niet te voorkomen. De hygiënehypothese suggereert dat de toename van allergische
ziekten het gevolg zijn van een verminderde blootstelling aan micro-organismen waarin een
belangrijke rol is weggelegd voor de bacteriën van de darmflora op jonge leeftijd. Niers
voerde het onderzoek uit bij 156 moeders en hun kinderen, waarbij de moeders zes weken
voorafgaand aan de bevalling probiotica of placebo kregen net als de kinderen gedurende
het eerste levensjaar. Toediening van probiotica is een veelbelovende mogelijkheid, in
ieder geval ter voorkoming van eczeem. Het is echter nog te vroeg om toediening van
probiotica op grote schaal toe te gaan passen en voorzichtigheid blijft geboden.
Bacterie met grijparmpjes blokkeert
indringers
Bacteriën in drankjes als Vifit blokkeren
ziekteverwekkers door zich met grijparmpjes aan de darmwand te hechten. Dit ontdekte een
groep Finse, Belgische en Nederlandse onderzoekers, gecoördineerd door prof. dr. Willem
de Vos van het Laboratorium voor Microbiologie van Wageningen University. De resultaten
zijn eind vorige week gepubliceerd in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Is Water Kefir Good For An
Anti-Candida and Low Carb Diet?
I have been struggling to try to comprehend
if Sugar Water Kefir is beneficial on a Low Carb and Anti-Candida Diet. Considering the
high sugar content you would think that it goes against common sense to consume it when
you are trying to avoid sugars. But water kefir is extremely high in probiotics that work
in symbiosis. Good probiotic supplements that work are really hard to come by. You would
have to pay over $40 for a potent probiotic supplement (ie Bio-Kult). Good Gut health is
associated with better blood glucose control as well as beneficial for weight loss. So is
the fructose in water kefir really bad? Do the probiotic microbes neutralize the side
effects of the fructose?
Probiotics affect metabolism, says
new study
Probiotics, such as yoghurt drinks containing live bacteria, have a tangible effect on the
metabolism, according to the results of a new study published today (Tuesday 15 January)
in the journal Molecular Systems Biology. The research is the first to look in detail at
how probiotics change the biochemistry of bugs known as gut microbes, which live in the
gut and which play an important part in a person’s metabolic makeup. Different people
have different types of gut microbes inside them and abnormalities in some types have
recently been linked to diseases such as diabetes and obesity.
Einstein Researchers Find
Convincing Evidence That Probiotics are Effective
Up to one in five people on antibiotics stop taking their full course of antibiotic
therapy due to diarrhea. Physicians could help patients avoid this problem by prescribing
probiotics, according to a study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of
Yeshiva University published in American Family Physician. Antibiotics target
"bad" bacteria but may also kill the "good" bacteria in the large
intestine, leading to diarrhea. Diarrhea can also result from bacterial and viral
infections. Probiotics?cultures of "good" microorganisms similar to those
normally found in the gut ? have been promoted as restoring the microbial balance
disrupted by antibiotics and infections. Probiotic bacterial strains are added to certain
yogurts and brands of miso and other fermented foods, and are also available as powders
and pills sold in health food stores. The Einstein scientists reviewed the medical
literature and found seven, high-quality studies in which probiotics were administered to
people. The researchers concluded that the studies support the use of probiotics for
avoiding diarrhea resulting from antibiotic use or from gastrointestinal viral or
bacterial infections. In addition, the probiotics used in these studies were found to
rarely cause adverse effects, even in children.
Probiotic intervention has
strain-specific anti-inflammatory effects in healthy adults
In the present study, we also found that B. animalis ssp. lactis Bb-12 decreased the T
lymphocyte growth factor IL-2 in the influenza-virus-stimulated PBMC, indicating an
anti-inflammatory effect, which is consistent with our previous findings in human
leukocyte cell culture[17]. Our finding is a new one since, in healthy adults, a
combination of B. animalis ssp. lactis Bb-12 and L. paracasei ssp. paracasei CRL-431 had
no effect in in vitro-stimulated blood cytokine production[7]. IL-2 is a very important
cytokine in viral infections and inflammatory responses since it activates NK cells and
induces activation and proliferation of T lymphocytes. Therefore, IL-2 production might be
an important factor for a probiotic fighting against respiratory tract infections. Based
on our present results, the Bifidobacterium strain might not be the most optimal strain
against respiratory infections. Indeed, it is mainly probiotic strains from Lactobacillus
genera-L. rhamnosus GG[34], L. casei DN-114001[35], a combination of L. gasseri PA 16/8,
B. longum SP 07/3 and B. bifidum MF 20/5[5-6], and L. reuteri[36]-that have reduced the
incidence or symptoms of common cold or respiratory tract infections. However, the
immunomodulatory effects underlying the results observed in these studies have not been
fully elucidated.
Probiotics prevent IgE-associated
allergy until age 5 in cesarean-delivered children but not in total cohort
According to a recent study from the University and the University Central Hospital of
Helsinki, Finland, no allergy-preventive effect is extended to age 5 years by perinatal
supplementation with probiotics in babies at risk for developing allergies; protection is
conferred only to Cesarean section babies Childhood allergies have increased significantly
in industrialized countries during the past few decades. Researchers theorize that this
rising incidence is the result of a lowered exposure to bacteria in early childhood. This
exposure to microbes appears to be essential in jump-starting the immune system to develop
healthy pathways that do not result in allergic conditions. Additionally, it’s been
observed that infants who develop allergies have intestinal bacteria that are distinctly
different from those of non-allergic infants, suggesting that the type of intestinal
microflora is an important factor in forming allergic conditions. In a study published in
the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (online January 2009) researchers from the
University and University Central Hospital of Helsinki conducted a clinical trial of more
than 1200 mothers whose infants would be at high risk to develop allergies. During the
last month of their pregnancies, the mothers took daily doses of a probiotic mixture or a
placebo, and their infants were given the same probiotic mixture plus a prebiotic or a
placebo for the first 6 months of their lives. The children were followed for 5 years and
evaluated for incidence of allergic diseases. The authors found that the frequencies of
allergic and IgE-associated allergic disease and sensitization were similar in the
children who had received probiotic and those who’d gotten placebo. Although there
appeared to be a preventive effect at age 2, there was none noted at age 5. Interestingly,
in babies born by cesarean section, the researchers found less IgE-associated allergic
disease in those who had received the probiotic.
Infants with poor intestinal flora
often develop eczema
In a healthy intestinal system there is a great variety of natural bacteria. Today many
people have an imbalanced flora of intestinal bacteria. Now a new study, from Lund
University in Sweden, shows that children with only a limited variety of bacteria in their
feces one week after birth more often developed atopical eczema by the age of 18 months.
In the study, published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, feces were examined
from children in Göteborg, London, and Rome. “A diversified intestinal flora seems
to be better at stimulating the immune defense," says Göran Molin, professor of food
hygiene at the Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, who co-directed the study with Siv
Ahrné, also a professor of food hygiene. The composition of a child’s bacterial
flora is dependent on the mother’s microflora, since she is the primary source for
the child’s bacteria at the outset. “A healthy vagina is totally dominated by
lactobacilli, or lactic acid bacteria. With a vaginal delivery the child will come into
close contact with the mother’s bacteria. If the mother has a good flora of bacteria,
the contact is an important help for the child to be able to be colonized by bacteria in
the proper way. It can be assumed that certain hygiene measures, such as antibiotics given
in some countries in connection with deliveries, in normal cases may have a deleterious
effect, since the mother then is at risk to get a skewed bacteria flora, which she passes
on to the child," Göran Molin reasons. Foods that promote the existence of
lactobacilli are soured vegetables, such as sauerkraut, marinated olives, capers, and
salted pickles, as well as cheese. The industry has discovered that certain living
microorganisms are good and therefore add them to certain products under the umbrella term
of probiotica.
Experts continue to cite Bifantis
as promising probiotic treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Two new review articles that cover therapeutic approaches to irritable bowel syndrome in
the July issue of Nutrition in Clinical Practice, cite growing evidence that probiotics,
and specifically Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 (Bifantis), are effective in helping
manage IBS. Both articles point to data that suggest Bifantis (available in the US only in
supplement form, marketed as Align) -- has anti-inflammatory properties that help
normalize gut function at a cellular level.
EU project finds synbiotics good
for diet and health
An EU-funded project has demonstrated that both the composition and activity of gut
microflora, which plays an important role in preserving health, can be improved through
the addition of prebiotics and probiotics to an individual's diet. Whilst probiotic
bacteria are already known to have positive effects on human gastrointestinal health, the
mechanisms of these effects are still not fully understood. The EU Microfunction project
sought to determine the efficacy of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics (a combination
of probiotics and prebiotics that supports the growth of probiotics).
A probiotic treatment for pregnant women and their infants was successful in improving the
immune function of the newborns, in a study conducted by researchers from Helsinki
University Central Hospital in Finland and published in the journal Pediatrics. "Our
results support the idea that probiotics and prebiotics may enhance immune maturation and
protect infants against respiratory pathogens," the researchers wrote.
Probiotics, such as yoghurt drinks containing live bacteria, have a tangible effect on the
metabolism, according to the results of a new study published today. The research is the
first to look in detail at how probiotics change the biochemistry of bugs known as gut
microbes, which live in the gut and which play an important part in a person's metabolic
makeup.
Development of the Human Infant
Intestinal Microbiota
Almost immediately after a human being is born, so too is a new microbial ecosystem, one
that resides in that person's gastrointestinal tract. Although it is a universal and
integral part of human biology, the temporal progression of this process, the sources of
the microbes that make up the ecosystem, how and why it varies from one infant to another,
and how the composition of this ecosystem influences human physiology, development, and
disease are still poorly understood. As a step toward systematically investigating these
questions, we designed a microarray to detect and quantitate the small subunit ribosomal
RNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequences of most currently recognized species and taxonomic groups of
bacteria. We used this microarray, along with sequencing of cloned libraries of
PCR-amplified SSU rDNA, to profile the microbial communities in an average of 26 stool
samples each from 14 healthy, full-term human infants, including a pair of dizygotic
twins, beginning with the first stool after birth and continuing at defined intervals
throughout the first year of life. To investigate possible origins of the infant
microbiota, we also profiled vaginal and milk samples from most of the mothers, and stool
samples from all of the mothers, most of the fathers, and two siblings. The composition
and temporal patterns of the microbial communities varied widely from baby to baby.
Despite considerable temporal variation, the distinct features of each baby's microbial
community were recognizable for intervals of weeks to months. The strikingly parallel
temporal patterns of the twins suggested that incidental environmental exposures play a
major role in determining the distinctive characteristics of the microbial community in
each baby. By the end of the first year of life, the idiosyncratic microbial ecosystems in
each baby, although still distinct, had converged toward a profile characteristic of the
adult gastrointestinal tract.
New data on the probiotic strain
Bifantis shows anti-inflammatory properties
The biotechnology company Alimentary Health today announced results from two studies that
demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity of a natural probiotic bacterial strain of
human origin, Bifantis (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), in models of arthritis and
Salmonella infection. Data from these studies were presented this week at the 38th annual
Digestive Disease Week conference taking place in Washington D.C.
About Half Of US Adults Have Never Heard
Of Probiotics, But Many Indicate A Willingness To Try Them
Probiotic supplements have been used around the world for at least half a century, but
almost half (49 percent) of Americans indicate that they have never heard of them,
according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive® for Florastor®, the
world's top-selling probiotic, now being launched widely in the United States.
Probiotic drinks can help reduce
diarrhoea associated with antibiotics
Drinks containing probiotic bacteria can help reduce diarrhoea among older people, which
may reduce length of stay in hospital and save the NHS money, say Imperial College
researchers at Hammersmith Hospital in a study published online.
Therapy with viable probiotics stimulates the function of the immune system in critically
ill patients in intensive care, Canadian researchers report. [Ben Licher]
Newly Released 'Consumer's Guide to
Probiotics' is the Definitive Book on the Roots of Digestion
Dr. Dash is a nutritionist, microbiologist and founder and President of UAS Laboratories.
He is an internationally known probiotic pioneer and a leader in the field of integrative
medicine. Dr. Dash's book focuses on research on probiotics ("good bugs"), which
he says can greatly benefit humans. Since the good bugs are "sticky," they are
able to thoroughly coat a digestive tract by adhering "shoulder-to-shoulder,"
making it virtually impossible for pathogens, allergens or other inflammatory undigested
food particles to enter the bloodstream. "Here's something most people don't know:
Not only do our lives depend on 'friendly' bugs, there are more bug cells in us - when we
are healthy - than there are human cells!" Dr. Dash said. "In ancient times, the
human diet was rich in new friendly bugs from fermented foods like kefir, yogurt,
sauerkraut, wine, beer and other foods from a raw, earthy, natural diet. But now, the
intake has diminished exponentially."
Probiotic supplementation during pregnancy and then for the infants after birth could
reduce the incidence of eczema, suggests a new clinical trial from Sweden.
