You can find them pretty much everywhere…
On supermarket shelves, filling pharmacy aisles, even on TV with actress Jamie Lee Curtis pushing their benefits.
I’m talking about probiotics.
They’ve become a mainstream staple — and today manufacturers are putting them in everything from cereal and juice to cookies and candy bars!
The idea that the bacteria in our gut, called our gut microbiome, affects our health has become mainstream. And Big Food is racing to profit from it.
But their products are nothing more than processed junk foods with a “probiotic label” slapped on them.
And you aren’t getting any benefit from them.
Don’t get me wrong. The beneficial bacteria you find in certain kinds of foods — like fermented cabbage and active yogurt cultures — are one of the best things you can do for your health.
And you can benefit if you’re getting the right kind of probiotic. The kind that will help balance your gut bacteria the way our Primal ancestors got from their foods.
In fact, new evidence shows that each different kind of beneficial bacteria can prevent a variety of factors that cause chronic disease. For example:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus reduces DNA damage that causes cancer1
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus helps you lose weight and reduce fat2
- Lactobacillus paracasei eliminates inflammation3
- Bifidobacterium lactis lowers glucose and insulin levels4
- Bifidobacterium longum treats constipation, soothes bowel inflammation and reduces risk of colon cancer5
But the biggest benefit of probiotics is that they improve and strengthen your overall immune system.6
You see, 70% of the human immune system lives in your gut.
And your gut’s immune system produces more antibody cells than the rest of your body — combined. These antibodies, otherwise known as immunoglobulin, destroy and kill anything your body recognizes as a foreign invader.
But as good as probiotic bacteria are, there’s a big problem with most of the ones you find on your supermarket shelves.
Most of them simply don’t work.
ConsumerLab.com — an independent testing laboratory — analyzed the quality of a variety of probiotic products. Out of 13 probiotics they tested, only two provided the number of good bacteria they promised.
In fact, the study showed that at the time a probiotic is purchased, it may contain as little as 10% of the amount listed on its label.
I recommend finding a supplement that contains at least 10 billion CFUs (colony forming units) of probiotics to ensure maximum potency. Anything less is ineffective and a waste of your money.
And when it comes to your probiotic yogurt, most of the probiotics added are already dead by the time you take them. They’re sensitive organisms and they die when exposed to heat and moisture.
In fact, researchers tested 10 different popular yogurt brands. They found that even if they left the factory floor teeming with billions of good bacteria, by the time it got to the store, then your fridge and finally your gut, more than 70% of the probiotics died.7
Along with a good supplement, I suggest that my patients get more probiotics from their food. Your best bet are fermented foods like kefir, kvass, sauerkraut and kombucha tea. They deliver billions of beneficial microbes in every bite.
But if you’re like me and you do love a good yogurt, there’s a way to get the probiotic benefits just like the advertisements on TV. The trick is to make your very own homemade yogurt. All it needs is a freeze-dried yogurt culture (or starter), available online and at some grocery stores.
Here’s a delicious easy recipe that I recommend…
Get Your Beneficial Bacteria with This Homemade Raw Milk Yogurt Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1-2 quarts whole, raw milk
- 1 packet freeze-dried yogurt culture
Directions:
- Heat the raw milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Then allow to cool to about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. I recommend using an instant read thermometer.
- Add 1 packet of culture to the milk. Stir gently until starter is fully incorporated.
- Incubate the mixture at 105 degrees Fahrenheit to 110 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 7-8 hours until set. The easiest way is putting the yogurt in the oven and turning on the light. The heat from the light should elevate the temperature sufficiently. Just be careful not to turn the oven on with your yogurt inside.
- Place a tight lid on the container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References:
1. Oberreuther-Moschner DL, et al. “Dietary intervention with the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus 145 and Bifidobacterium longum 913 modulates the potential of human faecal water to induce damage in HT29clone19A cells.” Bri J Nutr. 2004;91(6):925-932.
2. Mekkes MC, et al. “The development of probiotic treatment in obesity: A review.” Benef Microbes. 2014;5(1):19-28.
3. Bauerl C, et al. “Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus plantarum strains downregulate proinflammatory genes in an ex vivo system of cultured human colonic mucosa.” Gene Nutr. 2013;8(2):165-180.
4. Campbell A. “Probiotics and diabetes: Can probiotics help?” Diabetes Self Management. October 30, 2017.
5. Oberreuther-Moschner DL, et al. “Dietary intervention with the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus 145 and Bifidobacterium longum 913 modulates the potential of human faecal water to induce damage in HT29clone19A cells.” Bri J Nutr. 2004;91(6):925-932
6. Perdigon G, et al. “Enhancement of immune response in mice fed with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus acidophilus.” J Dairy Sci. 1987;70(5):919-926.
7. Allgeyer LC. “Sensory and microbiological quality of yogurt drinks with prebiotics and probiotics.” J Dairy Sci. 2010;93(10):4471-4479.