Do you suffer from extreme abdominal bloating and discomfort after certain meals? Do you have bouts of alternating loose stools and constipation with seemingly no pattern? Do you suffer from arthritis, frequent colds, yeast infections, or urinary tract infections? If the answer to any of the above is “yes”, as it is for many of…
Do you suffer from extreme abdominal bloating and discomfort after certain meals?
Do you have bouts of alternating loose stools and constipation with seemingly no pattern?
Do you suffer from arthritis, frequent colds, yeast infections, or urinary tract infections?
If the answer to any of the above is “yes”, as it is for many of our weight loss patients, then you should consider adding a high-quality probiotic to your supplement regimen.
The lining of our intestine is like a filter. It is permeable in nature, meaning that substances that should, and those that should not, can pass through the lining into our system. We do want certain nutrients to readily pass through but, unfortunately, if the lining is disrupted, substances that are harmful or toxic to our system, like undigested food particles, waste products and certain microorganisms, can also pass.
Permeability of the intestinal lining is maintained by something called “tight junctions “. Tight junctions are protein structures that connect the epithelial cells that make up the intestinal lining. These tight junctions under normal working conditions are closed to prevent bad things from entering the body and allow only good nutrients. When these tight junctions are left open, everything that passes through the gut can leak out – hence the term “leaky gut syndrome.”
Causes of “leaky gut syndrome” include:
The microorganisms that live in our gut play a crucial role in maintaining tight junctions and preventing “leaky gut syndrome”. They also indirectly influence our immune cells and our production of inflammatory cells that can wreak havoc on our systems in general.
Probiotics are mixed cultures of living microorganisms that promote overall health. They help to protect the intestinal lining. They increase intestinal cell production of mucus that strengthens tight junctions and prevents the disruption in permeability that leads to “leaky gut syndrome.”
Probiotics are beneficial in many ways. In our medically supervised weight loss program they are used to help keep the digestive tract in a healthy balance between the good and bad bacteria, as well as assist the immune system in the protection of the body against pathogens. Our specially formulated probiotic contains over 15 billion beneficial organisms including lactobacillus and bifidobacterium genera with additional benefits of prebiotic fructooligosaccharides.
Reference:
Conlon MA and Bird AR. The impact of diet and lifestyle on gut microbiota and human health. Nutrients 2015;17:17-44.
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