Supplementing with probiotics

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  July, 2004  by Jule Klotter

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The Probiotic Solution

by Dr. Mark A. Brudnak

Dragon Door Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 4381, St. Paul, Minnesota 55104 USA; 651-487-2180; www.dragondoor.com

Softbound; ISBN 0-938045-75-X; 2003; 164 pp; $24.00

Humans have had a long-time, symbiotic relationship with over 400 species of friendly microorganisms (probiotics) that live in the gastrointestinal tract. Their role in health and longevity was first recognized by Russian scientist Elie Mechnikoff (1845-1916), who attributed the long lifespans of the Bulgarians living in the Caspian Mountains to the probiotic-rich kefir that they drank. Kefir is a drinkable 'yogurt' of fresh goat milk fermented in a leather pouch. Mechnikoff believed that probiotics competed with harmful microorganisms, lessening their negative effects. Today, researchers are studying specific bacteria found in the GI tract. The Probiotic Solution by Mark A. Brudnak, PhD, ND explains how probiotics can be used therapeutically to alleviate or reduce the risk of several conditions. It also provides a helpful explanation of how to choose probiotic supplements and use them effectively.

The Probiotic Solution includes general explanations, geared toward a lay audience, of several conditions: cancer, coronary heart disease, autism, Alzheimer's disease, lactose intolerance, diabetes and weight control, yeast infections, irritable bowel syndrome, and conditions associated with Down's syndrome. Brudnak then explains how probiotics can alleviate contributing factors or symptoms related to the condition. For example, very high doses of probiotics (over a billion live organisms per dose) or low doses of acid-and-bile-resistant Lactobacillus reuteri reduce blood cholesterol levels. In the case of irritable bowel syndrome, a blinded clinical study, performed by Klaire Laboratories, showed that probiotic therapy cured 16 of the 20 adult participants who had suffered with diarrhea for their entire adult lives.

The probiotics found in Bulgarian goat milk kefir are far more varied and numerous than the probiotic-supplemented milk and yogurt usually found in the grocery store. Brudnak explains that probiotics die quickly--within a month--if they are in a moist environment. Consumers must also be aware that many probiotic supplements have been mislabeled and contain dead bacteria. Even at their best, supplements cannot replicate the variety of probiotics found in fresh Bulgarian kefir: Probiotic manufacturers rely on a couple of dozen strains for their products because techniques for mass production and testing are still fairly new, only about 20 years old. Brudnak urges consumers to use supplements that have scientific backing. His book includes a chapter on several product lines and companies. He also writes about the difference between taking probiotics for general health maintenance--when "a low-dose, run-of-the-mill L. acidophilus (providing it's well produced) will do"--and using probiotics for a clinical effect.

When using probiotics therapeutically, higher doses are needed, and some strains are more effective than others. Brudnak also suggests "pulsing and rotating probiotics" to compensate for a product's tendency to lose its effectiveness. The Brudnak method recommends that the patient begin with a single strain or limited number of strains ('the pulse'). This dose is ingested on a regular basis for a period of time: in most cases, several days if it's a high-dose and several weeks if it's a lower dose. After that time, the body will have become accustomed to the initial treatment, so the products must be "rotated." Another dose of another strain or a mixed culture of several strains is used during this two-week phase. Finally, there is a maintenance dose, which should be taken daily or every other day over a longer period of time, because the beneficial bacteria will eventually die off.

The Probiotic Solution's strength lies in its information on probiotic supplements. This book provides insight into the effects of different probiotic strains, their benefits (dead or alive), and the world of probiotic supplements.

review by Jule Klotter

COPYRIGHT 2004 The Townsend Letter Group
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