What Are Soil Based Probiotics: The Advantages Of Sbos
Soil based probiotics do not contain lactobacillus or bifidobacterium strains, yet they still provide all the benefits and even a few advantages. They are not derived from animals so they are completely vegan friendly which cannot be said about most of the common probiotics on the market today. Soil based probiotics are more robust and survive the harsh acidic environment of your digestive system. Soil based probiotics have a natural, seed-like structure that makes them stronger than lacto-based probiotics. SBOs survive the journey through the stomach, are more efficient and require far fewer colony-forming units than lactobacillus-based supplements. This is due to the formation of endospores which can withstand stomach acid, bile salts, and pancreatic enzymes that would normally destroy the bacteria. They also do not need to be refrigerated and can be stored at any temperature. This makes them a better choice for travelling or for busy lifestyles.
Ortho Molecular Ortho Biotic Capsules
The Ortho Molecular Ortho Biotic capsules has seven bacterial strains, one of which is the Saccharomyces Boulardii that is very effective in combating the pathogenic strains of bacteria found in the small intestine. This supplement contains no prebiotics which is known to worsen the symptoms of SIBO.
At around $105 per 60 capsule bottle, this is one of the most expensive probiotics on the market today. However, this is absolutely outweighed by all the benefits and all the positive reviews it has received online.
Pros:
- 2 billion CFUs of Saccharomyces Boulardii
Cons:
- Can cause constipation in some users
Doctors Best 2 Billion
Therapeutic strain included: Bacillus coagulans MTCC 5856
Evidence:
In this study, the concluded that B coagulans MTCC 5856 at a dose of 2 x 109 CFU per day was found to be effective in diarrhea-predominant IBS patients for 90 days. This means that this strain could be helpful for people with IBS-D
Who may benefit:
IBS-D patients and others with Diarrhea. This product has not been studied as extensively as some of the other probiotics on the list but it has shown some promise in helping those with diarrhea-type symptoms.
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What Are Soil Based Organisms And Why Are They Beneficial
Soil based organisms or SBO probiotics define a class of probiotic supplements based on a greater understanding of the incredible diversity of the human gut, coupled with a deeper appreciation for how humans and their commensal helper bacteria work together to produce a healthy system.
Soil based bacteria have a 3-stage life cycle, with each stage triggered by nutrient availability: vegetative growth, sporulation, and germination. The sporulation phase is particularly relevant to its potential as a probiotic. The spore structure preserves the bacteria in a dormant phase and against any harm whether in any terrestrial environment or in the acidic environments of the stomach and upper intestines. When these soil probiotic microbiota are ingested, they travel all the way to the lower intestine where they come alive. Like a seed, warm temperatures, moisture, and nutrients stimulate the germination stage where bacteria emerges from dormancy.9 Soil-based probiotics are well-adapted to the environment of the gut, and have been shown to remain in the digestive tract where they can provide long term benefit.
Though SBO probiotics are based directly on symbiotic communities of bacteria found in natural soil environments, these organisms are not harvested directly from the earth to be packaged as a supplement. They are instead produced in a safe, monitored environment to ensure specificity of the strains.
The Problem With Soil Based Organisms As Probiotics
Interest in probiotic supplements is soaring these days, thanks to new studies that reveal the wonderful potential benefits of these amazing microorganisms.
There are many reasons why everyone should take a daily probiotic, and a great deal of research supports the importance of gut health and a balanced gut microbiome. However, it’s important to understand that although soil-based organisms fall under the same category as the probiotics that are resident in the human digestive tract, the truth is that they are simply not the same types of bacteriaSBOs are spores that come from the ground and they are not naturally found in your body.
So, before adding an SBO supplement to your nutritional regimen, it helps to familiarize yourself with the controversy that’s taking place around these tiny dirt dwellers.
Soil Microbes vs. Gut Microbes
SBOs are beneficial in many ways, but the benefits of SBOs are very different from those of probiotics that live in the human body. Soil organisms enrich the soil for plants, and since humans and livestock eat many of these plants, we want the soil to provide optimal nutrients for crops.
Many of us remember the joy of playing in the dirt and making mud pies to feed to unfortunate younger siblings and cousins, but did you know that this grubby childhood rite actually helped build our immunity? Indeed, incidental exposure to SBOs can help enhance and train our immune systems, but SBOs in supplements may not be as beneficial.
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Support A Healthy Gut
Gut health should be at the top of everyones health plan. Its the same for your dog. SBOs provide powerful support for your dogs microbiome the population of beneficial bacteria that live in her gut. Feeding soil-based probiotics helps to build strong bacteria colonies in your dogs gut. About 90% of your dogs immune system lives in her gut. So these colonies are the foundation of your dogs immune system, protecting her from disease.
Beneficial bacteria control bad bacteria, viruses, and other invaders. Theyre like bouncers in your dogs gut stopping the rowdies from joining the party.
My Current Probiotic Regiment
But I know enough to know that once you have SIBO, you will always struggle with it. Alot of the things that caused it are hard to fix and so I now maintain with 2 MegaSporeBiotic, 1 HU58, 1 RestorFlora and have added 2 MegalgG2000, for added leaky gut and food intolerance support.
Its not the cheapest, but Im telling you it works. And not living with the constant misery and depression of knowing I can only eat a handful of foods without discomfort is WORTH IT.
If you share these struggles, or have other issues besides SIBO.this experiment is worth a try. And you KNOW I wouldnt suggest it if I truly didnt think it was worth the price.
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Probiotics For Gut Health
While we wont be covering the nuanced details of how probiotics beneficially influence gut health, we will cover some of the basics.
First off a definition.
Probiotics are defined as live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host
Now that we have a working definition lets jump into some basics of how probiotics can beneficially impact our gut health.
Soil Based Probiotics And Sibo
Soil based pro-biotics are also called Spore-forming bacilli because they have been identified and found in the soil. Another reason why when you see babies playing in the grass and eating dirt- its nothing to worry about.
The spores found within soil based probiotics withstand stomach acid and germinate in the small intestine within about 6 hours of ingestion.
The Soil based probiotics that you want to take will contain certified strains of Bacillus. coagulans and Bacillus.subtilis species.
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How Do Sbo Probiotics Work
The Bacillus species help the body to break down food. Resistant dietary starches are broken down by them which makes them easier to digest. Once these starches are broken down they become prebiotics. And by becoming prebiotics, they help to feed the healthy bacteria in your gut.
Breakdown of starch from soil based probiotics results in postbiotics too. These postbiotics are compounds that help to fuel gut-friendly bacteria.
Also, friendly bacteria are made by soil probiotics and include F. prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila .
Friendly bacteria like these help to prevent leaky gut and boost metabolism.
So using soil-based probiotics plus prebiotics helps increase healthy bacteria in the gut.
So If Sibo Is An Issue Of Too Much Bacteria In The Small Intestine How May Probiotics Possibly Help
- First, some probiotic strains can actually secrete antimicrobial compounds against specific pathogens and species of bacteria. This may be why a few probiotic strains have shown positive results in people with SIBO. Some strains may work as natural antibiotics in the gut which help in eliminating SIBO.
- Second, some probiotic strains have been shown to help with intestinal permeability also known as leaky gut. For example, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG has been shown to aid in healing leaky gut. If someone has SIBO, they may also have intestinal permeability so probiotics may play a role in helping to heal the altered gut lining.
- Third, some probiotic strains have been shown to help with intestinal transit time. People with SIBO often can have issues with slow intestinal motility so using a strain that helps the movement of the gut may aid in healing from SIBO.
- Fourth, some probiotic strains may help reduce inflammation in the gut and increase levels of protective antibodies. When someone has SIBO they also usually have higher gut inflammation and reduced immune function which is why these actions of probiotics may aid in healing.
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Supports Healthy Immune System Function
How does gut health affect immune system health exactly?
Our gut is a central location of the microbiome, where a large majority of bacteria and other organisms live. In general, something called dysbiosis occurs when unfriendly bacteria in the gut flourish while the friendly bacteria are diminished, leaving your system out of balance.
High-quality probiotics can help to keep things in balance, which has far-reaching benefits, including promoting a healthy immune response and immune defenses.
Bacillus Coagulans Unique Is
This strain has been extensively researched and shown to have the potential to support various aspects of health, including immune and digestive health. However, it has been particularly researched in children, where it has been shown to have encouraging results for gastrointestinal complaints. One notable double-blind randomised controlled trial demonstrated the efficacy of Bacillus coagulans Unique IS2 in reducing the symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome in school-aged children2. The trial showed significant improvements in:
- Stool consistency
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Soil Based Probiotics: A Natural Advantage
Probiotics with soil based organisms have a simple, natural advantage. âBacterial spores offer the advantage of a higher survival rate during the acidic stomach passage and better stability during the processing and storage of the food product,â writes researcher Johannes Bader, from the Technische Universitat Berlin.50
Unlike most probiotic supplements, made from fragile, lactic-acid based organisms, soil bacteria probiotics are naturally resilient, will survive their journey to the gut, and donât need refrigeration. You can be confident your probiotic supplement contains active, living flora, supporting your body where it needs it the most.
Antimicrobial Actions Of Probiotics
Probiotics are antimicrobial in their own weird and wonderful way.
A term called competitive exclusion outlines a number of methods that probiotics use to deter bacterial infections and overgrowths. These methods include the production of bacteriocins, competition for nutrients and reducing the luminal pH .
Lets focus on bacteriocin production for a moment.
Certain probiotics can manufacture what are known as bacteriocins. These antimicrobial peptides consist of 30 to 60 amino acids and target specific bacterial overgrowths and infections .
There are a number of great examples of targeted bacteriocin production from different Lactobacillus species including studies showing action against the following species of bacteria .
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Summing Up Probiotics For Sibo Treatment
To wrap it all up sharing some experience from my clinic practice will help.
In the Byron Herbalist clinic SIBO is something that I test for and treat every week. It is by far and a long shot the most common digestive disorder I find in my patient population.
To date there has not been one patient with SIBO that I do not recommend probiotic therapy to. I might choose one species or strain over another based on symptom presentation, lab values or something significant in the patients history but I always recommend them.
Rarely a patient will react to a specific probiotic blend. They may report feeling more bloated, have looser stools or experience abdominal pain. This is why it is important to be working with a clinician skilled in gut health because there are always ongoing adjustments that need to be made to ensure minimal symptoms while getting the best results!
Which Are The Best Soil
It is difficult to say which is the best soil-based probiotic in general terms because this will depend on your individual needs. However, in terms of the weight of research, the Bacillus coagulans species has been the most extensively studied and has demonstrated the most significant results in clinical trials.
Overall, Bacillus coagulans Unique IS-2 has the been one of the most well studied of all the strains on adults, children and the elderly, showing particularly good results in children for digestive symptoms. A childs gut microbiome can differ from an adults, therefore positive probiotic trials in adults do not always correlate to children. B. coagulans Unique IS-2 has been shown to significantly improve a variety of GI disorders in children and adolescents. This would be my first choice for daily gut support in children and adults too.
Bacillus coagulans Unique IS-2 was shown in a gold-standard clinical trial to reduce symptoms of IBS in adults10, from week five the probiotic group exhibited significant improvements in abdominal discomfort, bloating, urgency, incomplete evacuation, straining, passage of gas and bowel habit satisfaction.
The Bacillus coagulans Unique IS-2 strain is available in both Optibac Probiotics Kids Gummies and Optibac Probiotics Adult Gummies.
Another of the coagulans species, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 has again shown great results for children, especially for respiratory conditions.
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What Are The Advantages Of Soil
Proponents of soil based organisms argue that they are sturdier than the usual food-based bacteria. They donât require refrigeration or special handling. They are more resistant to acid, so more of them survive the trip through the stomach to the intestines. All that may be true. The question is whether the supplements are beneficialâor safe.
Some of these strains may be beneficial, others are probably pathogenic.
In order to answer either question, youâd have to know exactly which organisms youâre talking about. Most commercially available products include lots of different strains, the vast majority of which have not been studied in humans, alone or in combination.
Some soil-based organisms may be beneficial to humans, others are probably pathogenic. But how they behave will depend very much on how much you take, which bugs you already have on board, and the health of your gut when you take them. Not surprisingly, people with health problems are more likely to have adverse reactions.
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Early Stage Mid State And Late Stage Probiotics
When I work with patients who are struggling with finding the right pro-biotics I have found that certain species should be introduced before others. I will call these early stage, mid stage and late stage.
In the early stages of SIBO treatment I find that most patients do best with Soil based probiotics- in this early stages it might be also be best to avoid the probiotic supplements that also contain prebiotics- Prebiotics are things like inulin, chicory, FOS, GOS. So.
Binto: Are There Any Concerns About Bacillus
Dr. B: Part of the reason why theres question about the Bacillus family, is that there are several species of Bacillus bacteria that are exceedingly dangerous. For example, anthrax is produced by this group of bacteria. That is a specific species of bacteria that you would never find in supplements, but there are other types of Bacillus that are known to cause disease. So, thats part of the reason why the medical community wants to pump the breaks before we have more information.
Additionally, these microorganisms are generally not considered to be part of the human microbiome. There is limited data that they may take up residence, but if you look at the general human microbiome, this is not a significant part of what constitutes it. One of the concerns is if you take a high concentration of something that is not native to the human microbiome, without adequate study, how do you know what effect its going to have? It could go in there and actually wreak havoc on your body.
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Sbos Are Durable And Survivable
Many types of regular probiotic products are not very durable, and essentially the microbes can experience die off due to high body temperatures and the presence of stomach acids before even making it to the right parts of the GI tract.
Soil-based organisms are often hardier than other types of probiotics and resistant to harsh environments. SBOs are the same microbes found in dirt that help support plant life, making them less susceptible to contamination by fungi, yeasts and molds.
One of the goals of taking a probiotic supplement is to actually get the beneficial bacteria through your stomach and to your intestines where they can provide digestive health support. Being survivable means that SBOs can make it to the intestines without being killed off.
The Probiotic Trio That Finally Relieved My Sibo Symptoms
This happened by accident. I got this never ending bacterial bronchitis/sinus infection and had to go on my first antibiotic in 10 years.
I have avoided them for obvious reasons that they destroy gut bacteria, but there was no choice in this situation. I opted for a 10-day course of Amoxycillin over a Z-pack hoping it would be more kind to me.
I was looking for the best way to counteract the effects, and a friend who works in the probiotic world reached out and gave me the following protocol:
2 MegaSporeBiotic, 2 RestorFlora, and 2 HU58 daily during antibiotics and 6 weeks post. All from the same company, Microbiome Labs.
RestorFlora, which contains Saccharomyces Boulardii , Bacillus Subtilis HU58, and Bacillus Clausii, is a combination of probiotic yeast and bacteria that offers comprehensive digestive flora support with an advanced, dual-action approach to maintain a healthy intestinal environment.
And HU58 is a high potency dose of Bacillus subtilis HU58 formulated to enhance the efficacy of MegaSporeBiotic. HU58 can produce over 12 targeted antibiotics in the intestines, which makes it particularly effective in balancing intestinal microflora.
Well, it was worth a try.
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