Good Or Bad: A Fight For Space
When you look at the numbers surrounding probiotics, it may sound like your body has room for any and all bacteria. Our gut microbiota has tens of trillions of bacteria! Thats more than 10 times the number of cells we have in our bodies.
However, the reality is that our digestive tract only has a certain amount of space for bacteria to live. This space will be filled with some mix of good and bad bacteria, and healthy probiotics can help you shift the balance so that the good takes up most of the space.
When you take spore-based probiotics, those are taking away inhabitable space in the digestive tract that healthy bacteria could have had. Instead of taking this risk and worrying about spore-based probiotics side effects, fill your intestinal walls with bacteria you know is a good choice.
Soil Based Probiotics: Do They Help Your Gut Health
What are Soil-Based Probiotics? Soil based probiotics, as they name implies, are tiny microbial species which reside in the rich dirt of garden beds, forest floors and other earthy, natural environments.
As humans, why should we care about these?
Our digestive tract holds the key to so many aspects of our health, so finding out how to best improve digestion is key for ALL of us.
Probiotics, the tiny, beneficial microorganisms in our body, are always a cornerstone to digestive health.
This post is written by Kasey Hutchinson, RD, a colleague of mine that focuses on sustainable food choices, soil ecology, and evidenced-based health solutions.
Cant I Just Get My Probiotics From Food
To be sure, diet is a vital piece of the gut-health puzzle. Food is a fantastic place to start, says Ruscio. I encourage everyone to add kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir, and kombucha to their diet. But it might be easier to get over the initial hump of rebalancing the guts microbiome with a well-balanced probiotic protocol.
Our forebears didnt use supplements, of course, but research shows each generation hosts less gut-microbial diversity than the last, notes Martin Blaser, MD, in his book Missing Microbes. He blames the prevalence of antibiotics in our medical care and animal feed, as well as increasing rates of C-section births.
These factors mean that our microbiomes need all the help they can get, Rountree says. Even if youre not having digestive issues, an imbalanced microbiome could be showing up as other problems like allergies or recurring infections.
He adds that microbiome diversity tends to plummet as we age , making it even more important for people over 40 to fortify their microbiomes.
Plain yogurt and sauerkraut provide good support. But many other products making probiotic claims, such as kombucha, can contain high levels of sugar. This feeds bad bacteria the probiotics might otherwise combat, Rountree notes. Even if you stick with less-sweetened kombucha, its probiotic effect is minimal.
Kombucha is mildly beneficial, he observes, but youd have to drink gallons of it to get the quantities of probiotics you can get in a capsule.
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Which Probiotics Should You Choose
There are many different types of strains of probiotics. The health effects experienced by one probiotic may be completely different from the health benefits seen from another probiotic.
Certain strains of probiotics support a healthy immune system. Others are great for digestion and some can help support a healthy metabolism and stabilize moods.
Thats why its important to consume a wide range of probiotics in your food or supplement with a good soil based probiotic so that youre covered. My Solluna Feel Good SBO+ Probiotics is a unique formula which include 29 well-researched strains, like Bacillus subtilis, with proven health benefits.
As research continues in this expanding field, further investigation could yield even more powerful data to support the development of novel options to support healthy mood, metabolism, signaling molecules and much more. Dr. Anthony Komaroff, Editor in Chief, Harvard Health Letter, says, .we are in the early days of a true revolution in medicine. We are discovering that the trillions of microbes that live on or in our bodies may powerfully promote health. may even influence our risk of many major diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis, and various brain diseases. Someday doctors may use probiotics to prevent and treat these diseases.
In love and health,
What Are Regular Probiotics
First off, lets start with what we will refer to as regular probiotics or simply probiotics.
There are many different beneficial strains of regular probiotics. Some of the more common strains you are likely to see in probiotic supplements include:
These are good strains that are naturally found in the body. They are the good bacteria that will help replenish, restore, and maintain the bodys microbiome.
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Soil Based Probiotic Dangers
While SBOs have been around for a while, the issue isn’t black and white. Some experts are gung-ho on soil-based probiotics because they say they can help re-seed gut microbes. But, on the other hand, other experts warn of soil-based probiotic dangers.
The idea is if a person does not have enough of their healthy gut flora to compete with the SBO spores, it opens the door for them to become pathogenic.
Now that our gut microbiomes are less familiar with SBOs , and because most of our gut microbiomes are compromised, SBOs can compete with our resident gut flora rather than compliment them. In some instances, SBOs can even become pathogenic, and this scenario is more likely in an out of balance microbiome.
One of the primary reasons to supplement with probiotics is to help counteract the devastation that environmental toxins, the overuse of antibiotics, and modern dietary choices have wrought on our gut flora balance. However, while it may seem logical to supplement with SBOs since we no longer ingest them regularly, this line of logic is a major cause of disagreement among experts.
It’s also this spore-forming trait that makes a Bacillus overgrowth incredibly difficult to treat. The spores are so tough that they can hibernate in the intestines throughout a course of intense antibiotic therapy, only to resurface after the threat has passed.
Probiotics That Are Safe And Effective
After hearing about the side effects of soil-based probiotics, the dangers of cocktails of probiotics, and the lack of oversight, its easy to want to give up on probiotics altogether.
Whats important to know is that you CAN get safe and effective probiotics for yourself, your children, and even your pets. The most essential choice you can make when buying probiotics is what company to trust.
Our Founder and her team are proud to say that for over 37 years, Natren probiotics have served the health of thousands of people, and we have no evidence that our products have ever had an undesired effect on anyone. From inception until today, our team has relentlessly pursued – and attained – excellence in probiotics.
Good probiotics can help optimize digestion and have the potential to strengthen the gut microbiome, which is recognized as the foundation of our immune systems. Many people find that trusted probiotics are central to their healthy routines. However, untrusted probiotics are inconsistent, untrustworthy, dangerous, and have many potential side effects.
Natren researches, formulates and manufactures its own probiotic bacteria in a pharmaceutical grade facility to ensure safety and efficacy for each bottle of probiotic bacteria we sell.
Read Also: Probiotic And Prebiotic Foods List
Product Spotlight: Ortho Spore Ig By Ortho Molecular
This formula takes spore-based probiotics to the next level. Included in this probiotic are serum-derived bovine immunoglobulins. In simple terms, this is serum taken from blood from cows more than 12 months old. Did you know that fetal bovine serum taken from young calves is used in vaccine creation? There are numerous uses that we humans have for this serum, and this product is no exception. The immunoglobulins bind to any toxins that are recognized to be a cause of SIBO and eliminate them from the body.
Dealing with a dairy sensitivity? No problem. This is a dairy-free formula. Along with this added benefit for SIBO, this formula also helps provide gastrointestinal balance, maintains GI barrier stability, and supports overall digestion quality. The suggested dosage is 3 capsules per day, or as directed by your healthcare professional.
The notable strains in this probiotic are:
Catee, one of our customers who bought this item from healthyhabitsliving.com in February of 2021 said, I assume this is working for SIBO related issues because in 2 weeks theres been a noticeable reduction in a mystery abdominal pain spot. Several long standing symptoms are improving.
How Do You Know Probiotics Are Working
Hannah Kleinfeld
Probiotics are the good bacteria in the gut which help support a healthy gut microbiome. Some positive effects of probiotics include fighting off bad bacteria, improving digestion and regulating bowel movements, supporting the immune system, and helping with weight loss.
Your gut contains billions of good bacteria that support many critical functions in your body, including digestion, nutrient absorption and the immune system. This world of good bacteria is referred to as your gut microbiome.
Environmental factors such as a diet of overly processed foods, certain medications and stress can disrupt this ecosystem of good bacteria living in your gut. When the ecosystem of gut bacteria gets disrupted, ailments such as digestive discomfort, irregular bowel movements, more frequent illness and allergies can develop.
Over the past few years, probiotics have become one of the most popular supplements. Probiotics are dietary supplements that consist of some of these many good bacteria that live in a healthy gut and that can help rebalance and strengthen your gut microbiome.
Probiotics can help with improving digestion, gut health and overall wellbeing. So, lets say you were to start taking a probiotic supplement which in our opinion, almost everyone should how do you know that your probiotic is working?
Read Also: What Should A Good Probiotic Contain
What Is A Microbiome
The gut microbiome is a collection of many types of bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal tract also called the digestive tract. This includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Scientists estimate that we each carry 100 trillion bacteria in our digestive tract alone!
We inherit more than 22,000 genes from our parents. The bacteria that exist in and on our bodies contain at least eight million bacterial genes. Thats 360 times more bacterial genes than human genes! The bacteria that we carry inside and outside of the human body are known as the human microbiome
We have a symbiotic relationship with our gut microbiome. We provide an environment for bacteria to thrive. In return, gut-dwelling bacteria keep pathogens in check, aid digestion and nutrient absorption, and contribute to immune function. Soil based probiotics are the most beneficial bacteria for our gut microbiome.
Soil based probiotics are the most beneficial bacteria for our gut microbiome. Discover how my Feel Good SBO + Probiotics will improve your digestion, boost your immunity, and even beautify your skin!Why Should We Use Soil Based Probiotics ?
Further, he adds: I have been a practicing physician and medical researcher for more than thirty years, and this is the most exciting and important work of my lifetime.
Sbo Probiotics 60 Billion Cfu Soil Based Probiotic Supplement
This probiotic includes important strains such as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus clausii, and Bacillus coagulans which are some of the key missing soil-based probiotics that have been removed from our soil by advancements in agricultural practices. Thankfully, this SBO probiotic 60 Billion CFU Soil Based Probiotic Supplement is bringing all that back and repopulating your gut with a host of healthy organisms that are geared towards creating a harmonious balance in the microbiome.
Formulated to support a healthy digestive and immune system, this premium probiotic is good for men and women who need a daily dose of the spore-forming probiotics that have been quite frankly missing in our day-to-day modern diet.
One of the biggest reasons for taking probiotics such as this is that you will begin to experience adverse effects such as leaky gut whenever your microbiome is out of balance. To keep that from happening and improve critical functions in your body, such as your immune system, your digestive system, and even mood, you need to take probiotics that have spore-forming bacillus strains such as this one.
Logic dictates that before you put anything in your body, its best to know some, if not all, the ingredients that go into making it. Therefore, this probiotic option is formulated using fermented barley, organic apple cider vinegar, fermented ginger, and a host of other fermented foods that are a natural source of the necessary organisms that thrive in your gut.
Pros
Cons
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The Complete Guide To Soil
This article was originally published in September 2018 and was updated in June 2021 to include the latest research and products. As many readers recently commented, my previous top choice, RightBiotics Rx, underwent a formula change and no longer contains soil-based strains.
Soil-based probiotics have been touted for their ability to improve digestion, stimulate the immune system, and help maintain a healthy gut microbiota. On the other hand, some people believe that SBOs should be avoided at all costs, due to their spore-forming nature and ability to compete with resident gut microbes. So, should you be taking soil-based probiotics? If so, which formula or brand is best? Read on to find out.
Probiotics are becoming increasingly popular these days, in part due to the surge in research on the importance of the microbiome to our overall health. Anyone can now walk into a grocery store and be faced with an entire section dedicated to probiotics.
But not all probiotics are created equal. Some probiotics can be extremely therapeutic, while others are at best neutral and at worst potentially harmful.
One type of probiotics that has received a great deal of attention in recent years is soil-based organisms . Perhaps no other category of probiotics is more controversial. Yet instead of an evidence-based approach that considers the diversity and complexity of SBOs, most voices on the subject have firmly taken up one side or the other.
To Forget How To Dig The Earth And To Tend The Soil Is To Forget Ourselves
MAHATMA GANDHI, Indian activist.
Before todays modern technologies and various sterilization techniques and farming methods, it was only natural to see some soil on the foods we produced or picked. SBOs were abundant in our daily lives, whether it was in the fresh produce we harvested or simply from the water we drank from fresh springs or wells.
Our gut was exposed to a wide variety of these different species of spore-based probiotics and unless we are consuming our own homegrown, or at least organic raw produce, very little of these bacteria are left on the foods we are eating.
As opposed to the conventional probiotics, which recolonize the gut by reproducing and forming a stable, replicating population, you have to marvel at spore-based probiotics.Remarkably spore-based probiotics :
- Recondition the gut by increasing microbial diversity.
- They promote the growth of beneficial bacteria.
- They stay in the gut between 21-28 days, where they utilize quorum sensing to understand their microbial environment and identify pathogenic and beneficial bacteria.
- They can destroy harmful gut bacteria and produce metabolites that encourage the regrowth of helpful bacteria.
- Their bacteria spores leave your body through your faeces about 21-28 days after entering and go back to their dormant state.
So how do these SBOs protect themselves?
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What Makes Soil Based Probiotics Different
Most probiotic supplements on the market today contain strains of lactic-acid producing bacteria of the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera.
Unlike these lactic-acid producers, SBOs are spore forming bacteria.
This spore forming characteristic enables these bacteria to essentially hibernate in extreme environmental conditions when nutrients are scarce then germinate once again when food becomes available.
Their hardy nature gives spore-forming SBOs two major advantages over lactic-acid bacteria:
1. SBOs are heat-stable so do not require refrigeration and therefore have a long shelf life.
When I spend money on a probiotic, I want to get what I pay for.
Yet one independent test conducted in 2013 showed that 5 of 19 probiotic brands contained only 16% to 56% of the listed amounts of organisms. SBOs are durable so they are not destroyed in the manufacturing process or after packaging.
2. SBOs can survive the acidic environment of the stomach.
The full dose of SBOs ingested will reach your intestines. Score! I also want a probiotic to do its jobpopulate my gut with healthy bacteria.
That doesnt work if the probiotics are destroyed in my stomach before even making it to my intestines.
These advantages and their ability to stimulate the immune system and kill harmful bacteria make them advantageous to include in probiotic supplements.
Sbos Have Been Used For Thousands Of Years
Our earliest ancestors were exposed to a large number of bacteria through the way they lived and ate. To improve our health in present times, its important to learn the lessons from our past. Here are examples of how our ancestors were exposed to SBOs for natural gut health.
- Prior to modern agricultural, the diet consisted primarily of wild plant foods vegetables, roots, fruit and berries gathered from bushes, trees, and from the ground.
- The food was eaten as it was found, without washing.
- Soil based bacteria would have been on anything that had contact with the ground. Roots, low growing leaves, and any fruits that fell to the ground would have soil based bacteria. Even peoples hands would have soil-based bacteria from having contact with dirt and they probably didnt wash their hands multiple times a day as we do in modern times. The bacteria was ingested along with the food, and traveled to the digestive tract where it colonized the human gut and supported a symbiotic relationship humans shared with the bacteria.
- This continued contact ensured a continuous supply of the bacterial spores naturally found in the soil.
Besides soil depletion, fruits and vegetables are often sprayed with microbe killing agents and, even if they arent, they are washed clean of the beneficial bacteria they had originally.
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