So what about gut bacteria and immune health, amid all this?  This is where inflammation comes in, which we’ve also covered here.  Begley states: “…the precise way in which gut bacteria affect weight is a matter of intense dispute. The idea that different bacteria extract more or fewer calories from the food we send their way, as Gordon’s studies suggest, is only one possibility. Another possible explanation is that gut bacteria contribute to obesity (as well as to type 2 diabetes, which often goes along with being overweight) by altering the immune system. The idea here is that gut bacteria interact with intestinal cells in a way that causes them to secrete cytokines, molecules that can cause low-grade inflammation. This inflammation can, in turn, trigger insulin resistance (the mark of type 2 diabetes) and increased appetite, which is an effective way to put on weight.”

See more on this in Wired and in a drug industry trade. Also, an interesting Q&A in the Wall Street Journal Health Blog has some additional angles.

Maybe this is the core secret on why some people can eat anything they want every day and never gain an ounce.

Our immune health friends

Deardorf. She points out some good tips and cautions that people should be aware of when scouting and purchasing a probiotic food or supplement.

This blog has published several posts on probiotics (and prebiotics), so rather than start with the basics of probiotics and what they do, here’s the link to the lineup of posts that can be viewed separately anytime.

The main concerns in the Tribune story involve:

• Probiotic quality (ensuring the micro-organisms are alive and efficacious at time of consumption);
• Quantity; are there enough micro-organisms in each dose to be effective? We’re talking in the millions;
• The fact that there are many kinds of beneficial bacteria within probiotic products, but not all may work the same or even at all in any given person’s digestive system.

In addition, is the probiotic material encapsulated or tableted in a way that survives stomach enzymes and acid that can break down the organisms before they enter the intestinal tract? That and other factors are discussed in a story in Nutraceuticals World, a leading supplement trade publication, which gives a very nice overview of the probiotic field.

The staff scientists at Embria have told me that the EpiCor immune balancing supplement I take does not deliver live beneficial bacteria, but may act as a stimulant of beneficial bacterial growth, kind of a probiotic “effect” or prebiotic characteristic. But there is no label claim made on this.

One small item in Ms. Deardorf’s piece : She mentioned that supplement labels, while vague because they cannot make health claims, are not required to be preapproved by FDA.  That’s true, but it kind of implied that labels and products are unregulated. I stated that is not the case. I Twittered to her today a note saying the FDA has come down hard on products whose labels overstated a health benefit, had misrepresented ingredients or were shown not to contain stated active ingredient amounts.  Good supplement brands must be and are cautious and diligent when it comes to ingredient quality, amounts and label content.

One of the causes of travelers’ diarrhea can be a significant change in the type of food being consumed – a person’s normal, healthy flora are living very happily in a reasonably constant environment in terms of the food consumed. A single radically different meal can cause some perturbations, but moving to a different country can cause very significant shifts and put things out of balance.

As a result, even without consuming more harmful bacteria, the bad bugs already present may thrive more and cause digestive problems. Other factors leading to imbalance can be excessive use of antibiotics, illness stress in general, change of seasons etc. I should also add that there is probably not a “perfect” or even a “standard” population of bugs for humans. It will vary with age, location, type of food being consumed etc. So in general, a healthy person eating a good diet will have their own gut bacterial ecology that has developed to work efficiently on that person’s normal food intake.

Taking all this into consideration, it is doubtful if there is a single probiotic, prebiotic or synbiotic that is right for everyone. Our gut flora is as individual as we are, and what works well for one person will not work well for another. Trial and error is probably as good a way to go as any, always remembering to giving the particular choice of product time to work – beneficial effects should be established in a couple of weeks.

If you have been watching television lately you have probably seen that over 70% of the human immune system is located in the wall of the gut – the GALT – the Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissue. In one sense the “reason” the GALT is present is to prevent invasion of pathogenic bacteria, as might be expected. However, it is becoming increasingly obvious that gut bacteria (natural and probiotics) and the GALT “talk” to each other, and one can directly and indirectly influence the other.

Probably the most abundant antibody produced in the body is gut-associated secretory IgA. Originally, it was thought that its role was to attach to foreign and pathogenic bacteria and cause them to be passed out of the system. It is now becoming clear that it also has a major role in maintaining the balance of the normal gut flora.

So finally, if you are still with me, we get to why a healthy, balanced immune system can be an aid to a healthy digestive system. Keeping the appropriate levels of secretory IgA present in the gut can help keep the gut bacterial population in balance, and still have enough left over to repel pathogens. When there are pathogenic attacks, a balanced immune system will repel the attack, without going overboard on the inflammatory response. They are linked – a healthy gut can help keep the immune system healthy, and a balanced immune system can help keep the gut healthy. Who helps whom the most will depend on a host of factors, but anything that stresses the immune system can have a bad effect on general digestion.

(Editor’s note: As the holiday season moves into full gastronomical swing, some basic tips on gut health and how it can make a difference with your immune balance might be in order. Dr. Stuart Reeves of Embria Health Sciences explains how the world of probiotics and prebiotics works. Stuart has teased us with this. Today he posts Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon.)

Probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics. There can easily be confusion about these terms. Although there are some general disagreements about definitions, it is generally accepted that:

• Probiotics contain “live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts, confer a beneficial health effect on the host” (World Health Organization). Basically this means that probiotics are a culture of live bacteria (usually) that can grow or metabolize in the gut and produce beneficial effects. Probably the oldest one around is yogurt, and there have been more and more suggested recently, and they are especially well thought of by consumers in Europe.
• A prebiotic is a component (usually a carbohydrate) that is normally indigestible by humans, but that nourishes or helps to stimulate the growth of either natural gut bacteria or added probiotics. Perhaps the best-known examples of prebiotics are the fiber inulin and also fructo-oligosaccharides. For prebiotics to work they need to be alive, so they are really only found in products like yogurts and carefully dried supplements.
• Synbiotics are combination compounds that give both pro and prebiotic effects.

Having got that out of the way, what has this to do with the immune system, you may ask, and the importance of balancing it? Well, for that you will have to tune in to Part 2, coming shortly.

Fully half of all U.S. adults feel the use of pesticides and preservatives has caused increased food allergies. Nearly 2 of 3 say they first started using organic foods and produce to avoid pesticide, GMO, hormone and antibiotic exposure. The only problem I see is that organic food market growth and total share of food dollars don’t reflect these high response levels. Maybe organic is expensive enough that people try it, but don’t stick with it.

And, 7 percent of all U.S. adults say they take some kind of supplement (beyond a daily multivitamin) to address immune health needs. The top conditions for supplement intake are 1) cholesterol (9%),  joint health (9%), heart health (8%), osteoperosis (8%), arthritis (7%), digestion (7%) and energy (7%).   

Here’s the kicker: immune balance can positively impact nearly all of these health issues (save for osteoperosis).

It's what's inside that counts.

Probiotics and prebiotics are valuable in maintaining microflora, or beneficial gut bacteria. The beneficial bacteria, the good bugs, defend our bodies agains harmful bacteria, the bad bugs. They are also thought to help “train” the immune system to react to harmful pathogens only, and not over-react to antigens. It’s the “balance” thing coming through again.