The Liver: Moderate vs. Heavy Alcohol Consumption

In smaller amounts of alcohol consumption, your body can naturally fight against liver damaging bacteria by producing bacteria on its own to eradicate anything that doesn’t belong there (much like how white blood cells with fight off a virus that’s loose in your system). Excessive drinking, however, produces far more “bad” bacteria than your body can handle, resulting in liver damage.

Probiotics and the Liver

Doctors in Russia at the Medical University Northern State along with doctors of the Louisville University of School of Medicine recently performed an experiment to see what (if any) effects probiotcs (dietary supplements and live microorganisms containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeasts) would have on heavy drinkers. Their findings were published in a recent issue of the Journal, Alcohol.

The Study

Sixty-six different adult Russian men with known alcoholic psychosis and abuse, and 24 healthy non-drinking men, were enrolled into the experiment. The men were chosen at random to receive five different days of concecutive treatment with the Bifidobacterium bifidum (one of the major bacteria found in gut flora which resides in the colon) and also with Lactobacillus plantarum (a lactic acid which breaks down and inhibits harmful bacterium). Some were also given the standard alcohol-induced liver therapy. After each form of treatment, stool samples and liver enzymes were collected and tested.

In the group which received the standard form of treatment, the alcoholic patients showed signs that they indeed did have a variety of alcohol-induced injuries to the liver. Compared to the set of healthy controls, such signs included lowered bifidobacteria and lactobacilli cells and raised problematic liver enzymes like aspartate aminotransferase (AST) alanine aminotransferase (ALT), along with gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT).

For those alcohol drinkers who were then treated for 5 days with a probiotic bacteria, they had an increase in both the numbers bifidobacteria and also the lactobacilli which appeared in their stools. They also showed either treated or completely ended , aspartate aminotransferase (AST) gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in their system.

After only five days of receiving the probiotics as treatment, the heavy drinking subjects had improved function in their liver along with an increased number of various beneficial gut bacteria. The subjects given the other therapy did not have these improvements.

The Future of Probiotics and Liver Disease

This evidence could lead to new forms of treatment against liver disease in the future, and may even lead to the development of “chasers” for people to take when they drink to cause less damage to their systems. More research on the matter is needed, especially to perfect such a treatment. But now that the groundwork has been laid, results should be expected to follow within the next few years.

This of course does not (or at least should not) advocate excessive drinking. The more alcohol consumed, the harder your liver needs to work to eradicate the “bad” bacteria, making it weaker and more prone to disease. As with any substance-related ailment, the best course of action to stay healthy is to moderate your use and never abuse.

Autism (Autism Sprectrum Disorder) is a disease characterized by a wide group of neurodevelopment disorders, with the most common being impaired social interaction. Based on this, many wonder how probiotics could play a part in the treatment of autism. However, autism consists of several physical symptoms in addition to the psychological and neurological symptoms. One major physical symptom found in many autism patients is stomach problems. This helps explain where probiotics come into play since probiotics are beneficial in the stomach and intestinal lining of the stomach.

Research has shown that children with autism have large amounts of bacterium clostridium in their body, which in certain levels can produce toxins that affect the brain. Although it has not been medically determined that bacterium clostridium is indeed the cause of autism symptoms, it appeared that patients that were give probiotics showed improvement.

Probiotics are group of live microorganisms including strains of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus as well as several types of yeast, which when ingested improves the balance of the gastrointestinal tract. In simpler terms, probiotics can help provide the stomach with enough good bacterial to prevent or minimize the stomach problems characteristic of autistic children such as bloating, stomach pains, constipation and other bowel problems.

Many parents of autistic children are finding that their children have fewer digestive problems when given a daily dose of probiotics. Is this coincidence or something worthy of more research? Scientists as well as parents definitely feel it’s worthy of more investigation and research because if probiotics can indeed help autistic children with digestive problems, this may help with other symptoms including positive psychological effects.

Yeast infections are another problem that affects many children with autism. But regular doses of probiotics seem to balance out the yeast. Keep in mind that our bodies normally consist of good and bad bacteria; however, our lifestyle tends to allow the bad bacteria to take over. Adding probiotics to the diet, whether in supplements or probiotic-based foods, will allow the good or healthy bacteria to take control.

Other recent studies on autistic children included the role that probiotics plays on behavior and mood. A group of autistic children was brought together and half of them received probiotics while the other half received “fake” probiotics (the parents were not told which one their child was getting).  The result of this test was that the parents whose children were getting the real thing saw remarkable behavioral improvements in their children. They possessed better attention span, better focus and exhibited a better mood in general.

Researchers weren’t sure if the improved mood and disposition was because of the positive psychological effects from the probiotics or if the children behaved better because they simply felt better physically. So, improved psychological effects or improved physical effects? Many feel it doesn’t matter as long as they’re showing improvement when using probiotics.

Details of the Study

The study was comprised of 256 women divided into three different groups. One group was given probiotics and dietary counseling. The second group was given the same dietary counseling with a placebo. The third group was given a placebo with no dietary counseling. The women continued taking the capsules containing the placebo or probiotics until six months after they gave birth.

The results of the study concluded that the women who took the probiotics had the lowest level of obesity one year after giving birth as well as the lowest amount of body fat. The study found that 25 percent of the women who received probiotics with dietary counseling had excess belly fat one year after pregnancy, as compared with 43 percent who only received dietary advice. Belly fat is considered to be especially harmful as it surrounds the internal organs and also increases risk for heart disease and other health problems. The findings of the study indicate that using probiotics, which have been used for years to treat intestinal illnesses, may also be able to manipulate bacteria in the gut to help fight obesity.

Probiotics are the “good” bacteria used to reduce the growth of harmful bacteria that can often overgrow in the digestive system. Probiotics can control inflammation in the digestive tract and are used to help people who have digestive disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Recently, researchers have questioned whether bacteria in the gut could make people fat. Just as an imbalance of bacteria in the digestive system can make people have digestive disorders, an imbalance of bacteria in the gut may cause obesity, according to theories tested by this research.

The women in the study group began taking the probiotics in the first trimester of pregnancy. The average body fat percentage for the women in the group that received the probiotics was 28 percent. The women who received diet counseling as well as the placebo had a higher average of body fat at 29 percent. The women who did not receive probiotics or counseling averaged 30 percent body fat. The study was limited because it could not control the weight of the mothers prior to pregnancy.

The study plans to continue to follow the women and their children to see if there is a difference in the outcomes of the health of the children due to weight. The effects of obesity in a pregnant woman can have a significant impact on the child. The advantages of this study, according to researchers, were not only to see the impact of probiotics on obesity in pregnant women, but also the impact of obesity of their children as well.

The conclusion of the study is that those gastric bypass patients who took probiotics post-surgery tended to successfully lose more weight than those who did not take probiotics. Probiotics are simply “good” bacteria that may be found in food products such as kefir, and over-the-counter dietary supplements like the popular Bacteral.

Details of the Study

The study documented the progress of 44 subjects for whom Dr. Morton had performed gastric bypass from 2006-2007. Subjects were randomly placed into either the control or probiotic group; both groups received the same medical care, nutritional counseling and support of weight loss groups. Both the control and the probiotic groups were allowed to consume a natural source of probiotics: yogurt. However, the probiotic group consumed one probiotic supplement per day whereas the control group did not. After three months, the probiotics group showed a 47.6 percent weight loss in comparison to 38.5 percent loss in the control group.

Vitamin B-12 levels were significantly higher in the probiotic group; at three months the levels in the probiotic group were 1,214 picograms per milliliter and 811 picograms per milliliter in the control group. This is a significant finding since bypass patients are often found to be deficient in B-12 post surgery.

Morbid obesity is a very real problem in America and bypass surgery is becoming increasingly the popular treatment option. Approximately 150,000 American’s opt for gastric bypass surgery every year. Dr. Morton has performed over 1,000 bypass surgeries and due to post surgery problems he observed, specifically patients with post surgical eating problems, he designed this study. He observed many patients with problems eating after surgery but when he could not find any anatomical reasons for the problems he realized that perhaps the problem was with bacterial overgrowth in the intestine. This study was designed to prove or disprove his hypothesis that bacterial overgrowth could be the causative agent for blockage and the resultant eating problems in post surgery patients. The results seem highly indicative that probiotics have a very positive effect on these symptoms.

Dr. Morton states that now he recommends that his bypass patients use probiotic supplements post surgery. He is planning to look for other ways to further enhance results of the bypass procedure.

Most of us are unaware of the importance of bacteria in our intestines. Bacteria are critical for proper digestion but when you have too much “bad” bacteria it alters how your digestive tract empties and causes changes in your motility. Probiotics, whether found in natural foods or in supplements like Bacteral, help promote a bacterial balance. Dr. Morton feels that a portion of the puzzle of obesity may be related to the type of bacteria contained in the intestine.

The use of probiotics, according to the study performed in Taiwan, states that it can decrease the incidents of bacterial infection, not just in the digestive tract, but elsewhere in the body. There are also benefits to the immune system, allergies, cholesterol, respiratory infections, colic in infants and those suffering from diarrhea. Many who use probiotics claim that they help them stay healthier for longer as they tend to stave off infections all over the body.

The Taiwan study tested 1062 children under the age of five. The study found that there was a decrease of bacterial infections as well as viral infections in the children who took commercial probiotics. The children in the group who took a probiotic supplement had fewer instances of childhood illnesses than those who did not take the supplement.

In addition, a study performed in Japan regarding probiotics indicated that the supplement can actually help you sleep. This study was conducted on healthy, elderly people and was divided into two groups. One group took a placebo while the other group took probiotics. According to the study, performed at Osaka University, there was a significant difference between those who took the probiotic supplement for the study trial when it came to improved sleep over those who took the placebo.

Another study performed by researchers from the Northern State Medical University in Russia and the University of Louisville School of Medicine in the United States was performed on 18 heavy drinkers. The results of this study concluded that probiotics improved the liver function for those who drank heavily and took the supplement. The results of this study were published in a recent issue of Alcohol.

Studies performed in Finland indicated that probiotics can also improve the glucose management in people who have glucose disorders, including diabetes. A Swedish study indicated that probiotics can help prevent critically ill people in the hospital from getting pneumonia.

Evidently, there are a lot more to probiotics than just an aid to digestive problems. Continued research is being performed on probiotics, which have been mostly used to treat bacterial problems associated with the digestive tract. Judging from results of studies such as these, in addition to helping with the gut probiotic supplements can also help children stay healthier, help people sleep better, help liver function and glucose function and can also provide a boost to the immune system.

An increasing number of doctors are telling their patients to take probiotics for their health. Doctors are recommending probiotics just as they recommend taking vitamins. This is in itself unusual as doctors are often reluctant to prescribe supplements to patients. More studies are underway to discover all of the health benefits of probiotic supplements.

Dannon, the giant yogurt company, was just one of the companies targeted by attorneys in a recent class action lawsuit regarding the company’s effort to mislead the public about what their probiotic yogurts can actually do.

Attorneys filed a consumer fraud lawsuit against Dannon and asked that consumers who purchased the products DanActive, Activia or Activia Lite get their money back. Dannon was accused of implying that their products act in the same manner as probiotic supplements and regulate the digestive system, all in an effort to boost sales.

The lawsuit has since been settled, and Dannon has agreed to pay up to $35 million to eaters of Activia and DanActive yogurts. They also agreed to make changes to the labeling and advertising of Activia and DanActive, and remove the word “immunity” from the DanActive products.

According to a spokesman for the company, the “probiotic” products make up 40 percent of the sales for Dannon products. Previous to this lawsuit, packaging on the Activia products stated that the product helped to “regulate the digestive system naturally.”

The lawsuit against Dannon was the first one to target a company that is proactively advertising the benefits of probiotic yogurt. Other smaller companies have done this as well, although Dannon is the largest manufacturer of these products in the United States.

What are the Benefits of Probiotics?

Probiotics are good bacteria that help combat the imbalance of bad bacteria in the digestive tract. They have widely been used to regulate the digestive system, but new studies reveal that the health benefits are above and beyond that of just good digestive health. Many people today are using probiotics in an effort to maintain overall good health.

Even doctors are recommending probiotics to their patients, especially those who have digestive system problems. Those who have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), for example, find relief in using probiotics. Not only that, but doctors are realizing more and more that the base of overall good health begins in the digestive system and that probiotics have a large role in promoting better overall health.

To get the most benefits of probiotics it is recommended that you take an actual supplement, rather than relying on food products such as the Dannon yogurts.

Probiotic: Bacteral on Extra TV.

“Is a capsule filled with bacteria the key to good health? Lifechanger and internist Dr. Derrick DeSilva says taking proboitics can reduce your odds of getting sick.”