Udo Erasmus, pioneer of essential fatty acids, EFA's, omega-3, omega fats, Udo's Choice, Udo's Oil, cold-pressed flax-seed oil, trans-fats, Trans Fatty acids

 
Click for main Writings index
Click for Udo's Article Index
 
 
BLEEDING GUMS & SUPER-5 PROBIOTICS
- by Udo Erasmus    
   
 

August 2001; updated October 2001; Dentists and patients report that after a few weeks of sucking on a Super-5 probiotic tablet after each meal, many patients' gums stop bleeding.1 The benefit is especially noticeable in older people. Why does this happen?
   
  What are Probiotics?
   
  Probiotics are one of the 14 basic components of health. They are also called friendly microorganisms, beneficial bowel bacteria, gut flora, microflora, and good bacteria.2,3,4,5,6 Required for bowel health, they protect us against unfriendly microorganisms that can cause inflammation, disease, and death.7 Probiotics exist naturally on raw foods, but are killed when foods are cooked and processed. Since they have many functions that protect our digestive tract, they are necessary for human and animal health. Since food preparation destroys them, probiotics should be replaced.
   
  What are Super-5 Probiotics?
   
  Super-5 probiotics are 5 strains of the most beneficial gut bacteria, in a tablet made up of their growth medium. One tablet of Super-5 is taken after each meal instead of dessert and dissolved slowly in the mouth, which takes about 15 minutes. The 5 strains of probiotics found in Super-5 include:

  • Lactobacillus salivarius, which is found implanted in the gut epithelium throughout a healthy digestive tract, but is most abundant in the mouth and gums
  • Lactobacillus acidophilus, also found implanted throughout the entire digestive tract, but most abundant in the small intestine
  • Bifidobacterium bifidus, also found implanted throughout the entire digestive tract, but most abundant in the colon
  • Streptococcus thermophilus, a yogurt-producing probiotic that is transient throughout the digestive tract
  • Lactobacillus bulgaricus, a second yogurt-producing transient probiotic found throughout the digestive tract
   
  Why do Super-5 Probiotics stop bleeding gums?
   
  Most probiotics come in capsules that people swallow. They replace and replenish probiotics destroyed when foods are processed, but make friendly bacteria available only to the small and large intestine, because the swallowed capsule does not dissolve to release probiotics until it reaches the stomach. Encapsulated probiotics cannot help mouth, gums, and esophagus, and they spend too little time in the stomach to do much good there. Probiotics in capsules therefore fail to benefit the upper digestive tract and stomach.

Super-5 probiotics provide a superior delivery system. They are presented in a tablet form, which contains not only probiotics (1 billion guaranteed per tablet), but also mineral-rich organic dried cane juice as fuel and amino acids to build new probiotic cells. After each meal, a tablet of Super-5 is dissolved in the mouth. The Super-5 probiotics present in the tablet wake up (re-hydrate), grow, and multiply rapidly even before they are swallowed. By the time they reach the stomach, there may be 3 or 4 times more of these good bacteria than were present in the tablet.

During their rapid multiplication, the dried organic mineral-rich cane juice and amino acids are used up to support probiotic growth. Super-5 probiotics re-populate and implant in mouth, gums, and esophagus, and confer protection against bad bacteria. Super-5 probiotics multiply faster than and inhibit the growth of unfriendly bacteria. They also strengthen the ability of the immune system to control the growth of unfriendly bacteria.

Bacteria that lead to inflammation of the gums, to gum disease, to bad breath, and to tooth decay cannot do their dirty work because the friendly bacteria in Super-5 prevent them from doing so. And that's the reason why Super-5 so effectively stop bleeding gums. 
   
  Update, October 17, 2001:
   
 
A study looked at the effect of yogurt on the microflora of human saliva.8 Yogurt containing Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, two probiotics present in Super-5, decreased the presence of the unfriendly microorganism known as mutans streptococcus. Another study, in mice, showed that orally administered Lactobacillus salivarius produces lactic acid, which suppresses Heliobacter pylori, the bacteria found in ulcers.9 L. salivarius implants in mouth and gums.
Sucking instead of chewing or swallowing the tablet whole gives these microorganisms time to wake up, re-hydrate, re-populate the mouth and gums, and also provide probiotics for the esophagus. These implanted probiotics then provide a continuous source of lactic acid that can be of benefit in preventing and healing ulcers. Super-5 contains the three probiotics used in the above two studies, and also contains Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus.
   
  References :
   
 

  1. Kevin Baekkevold & Lars Ranes. Soma AS, Oslo, Norway. Personal communication.
  2. Isolauri E Probiotics in human disease. Am J Clin Nutr 2001 Jun;73(6):1142S-6S
  3. Dunne C et al Probiotics: from myth to reality. Demonstration of functionality in animal models of disease and in human clinical trials. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 1999 Jul;76(1-4):279-92
  4. Dunne C et al In vitro selection criteria for probiotic bacteria of human origin: correlation with in vivo findings. Am J Clin Nutr 2001 Feb, 73(2Suppl):386S-92S
  5. Song Y et al Rapid identification of 11 human intestinal Lactobacillus species by multiplex PCR assays using group- and species-specific primers derived from the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region and its flanking 23S rRNA. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2000 Jun 15:187(2):167-73
  6. Orrhage K, Nord CE Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in human health. Drugs Exp Clin Res 2000:26(3):95-111
  7. Gorke R, Liebler-Tenorio E Probiotics: Is there a scientific basis for their effects? Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr 2001 Jun;108(6):249-51
  8. Petti S et al A randomized clinical trial of the effect of yoghurt on the human salivary microflora. Arch Oral Biol 2001 Aug 46(8):705-12
  9. Aiba Y et al Lactic acid-mediated suppression of Helicobacter pylori by the oral administration of Lactobacillus salivarius as a probiotic in a gnotobiotic murine model. Am J Gastroenterol 1998 Nov;93(11):2097-101
  10. Karshunov VM et al The vaginal Bifidobacterium flora in women of reproductive age. Zh Mikrobiol Epidemiol Immunobiol 1999 Jul;4:74-8


 

 
∆    Back To Top    ∆
Click to send us an email!