Saturday, March 23, 2024

Vsl 3 Vs Other Probiotics

Vsl #3 Dosage And Efficiency

Taking VSL#3 unflavored probiotic medical food packets is easy!

There is no doubt that VSL #3 is efficient for treating IBS and Ulcerative Colitis. There are numerous studies, and this is probably one of the most researched probiotic supplements on the market. The product from Sigma Tau Pharmaceuticals has the highest dose of probiotics to begin with. This is one of the factors contributing to its efficiency. However, the scientific studies suggest that the recommended serving is not enough for serious issues like Ulcerative Colitis. Here is a study that reported positive results using 3,600 billion bacteria per day. This dosage is a few times the serving size, and this is one of the reasons they recommend being supervised by a physician. Make sure you start with a low dose, and you increase your dose gradually. This will help you avoid the side effects.

Vsl#3 Provides More Probiotic Support Than Other Leading Over

Different probiotics provide different types, or strains, of “good” bacteria in different amounts. The number of good bacteria is measured in “colony-forming units” .

  • VSL#3® contains 8 strains of good bacteria, while many OTC brands contain only 1 strain
  • VSL#3® is refrigerated to keep the probiotics alive
  • VSL#3® Capsules contain 112.5 billion CFUs, significantly higher than what is found in many OTC products so more can survive in the GI tract and have a beneficial effect

Align® is a registered trademark of Procter & Gamble.Culturelle® is a registered trademark of DSM.*Reclassified as B. lactis.

Which Probiotics Species Are Best

Its difficult for IBS researchers to pinpoint just how effective probiotics are.

This is due to differences in study design, patient populations, probiotics strains and dosages used of previous clinical trials.

Generally speaking, there is emerging evidence that probiotics help to improve overall symptom response and quality of life compared to taking a dummy pill over an 8-10 week period. This goes for all type of IBS .

However, they appear less effective for specifically treating abdominal pain, excessive gas and bloating .

At the 2015 Yale University workshop, two particular probiotic varieties were identified as the best options for IBS :

  • Bifantis : a group of bacteria that normally live in the intestines, but specifically the strain 35624. Its reported many people are missing this strain from their gut
  • VSL#3: a probiotic mixture of eight strains .

As you can see in the the table here, the strains Lactobacillus plantarum 299V and Bifidobacterium animalis were also rated, although not as highly.

A list of probiotic strains rated for effectiveness in IBS at the 2011 and 2015 Yale University Workshops. Click to enlarge.

Note that recommendations are given as A, B or C ratings. None of the probiotic recommendations for IBS are rated A because more studies are needed first.

Summary: In 2011 Yale university rated Bifidobacterium infantis and VSL#3 as the best probiotics for IBS. Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium animalis may also be useful.

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Primers And Pcr Conditions

Primers for universal bacterial were used to amplify the V6 to V8 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA of the respective bacteria in ileum and colon. Primers were synthesized by Oligomer Oy . The GC clamp attached at the 5 end of one of the primers made the products more suitable for separation by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis afterwards. PCR was performed using the GoTaq® Flexi DNA polymerase kit . The PCR condition for Universal bacteria was: PCR mixtures of 50 µl containing 1× Go Tag Buffer, 3 mM MgCl2, 0.05 mM dNTP, 5 µM of respective forward and reverse primers, 1.25 U of Go Tag Polymerase and 2050 ng of the isolated template genomic DNA. Samples were amplified with Biometra T3 Thermocycler by using the following program: predenaturation at 94 °C for 5 min 35 cycles of denaturation at 94 °C for 30 s, annealing temperature at 56 °C for 30 s and extension at 72 °C for 40 s and a final extension at 72 °C for 7 min.

What Is The Research Into Vsl#3 And Other Bowel Conditions

VSL#3 Probiotic

VSL#3 is also licensed to be used as a medical food in the dietary management of irritable bowel syndrome following various studies into VSL#3 and IBS. One study8 found that IBS patients taking VSL#3 had less abdominal pain and less abdominal distention and/or bloating and it significantly improved their quality of life.

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How Is Vsl#3 Governed

In the UK most probiotics are governed under the same laws as foods, not medicines, and governing bodies include the European Food Safety Authority , the Food Safety Authority and the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances.

These bodies issue guidelines around what probiotic companies can say in relation to their product and health claims they can make. Even if a probiotic has medical evidence to support its use for a certain condition they cannot publicise this unless they go through strict medical testing – a very expensive and lengthy process.

This is why you will often find that probiotic companies do not mention specific health conditions on their website and marketing material. Guidelines have also been issued to say that the term probiotic may no longer be used in the promotion of supplements by the companies. The Advertising Standards Authority also has oversight regarding claims made and any complaints arising. In general the industry is self-regulated so some companies choose to bend the rules around making health claims in relation to their product.

Effects Of Vsl#3 On Gastrointestinal Diseases

Gastrointestinal diseases are a worldwide problem, and the imbalance of intestinal microbiota is one of the important factors in multiple gastrointestinal diseases. Thus, probiotics play a significant role in these diseases by modulating intestinal microbiota. Studies have indicated that VSL#3 provides benefits in gastric ulcer, diarrhea-predominant enteritis, irritable bowel syndrome , ulcerative colitis , pouchitis, and colitis in animals and humans.

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Vsl#3 Provides More Probiotic Support Than Leading Over

Different probiotics provide different types, or strains, of “good” bacteria in different amounts compared with VSL#3®. The number of good bacteria is measured in “colony-forming units” .

  • VSL#3® contains 8 different strains of good bacteria, while the other leading OTC brands contain only 1 strain
  • VSL#3® is refrigerated to keep the probiotics alive
  • VSL#3® Powders contain up to 900 billion CFU, significantly higher than what is found in the other leading OTC products so more can survive in the GI tract and have a beneficial effect

Align® is a registered trademark of Procter & Gamble.Culturelle® is a registered trademark of DSM.*Reclassified as B. lactis.

Vsl#3 Treatment Does Not Impact Colonic Inflammation In The Aom/il10/ Model

VSL Probiotic (DrRic Unboxing)

Chronic inflammation has been recognized as an important risk factor for CRC. We next assessed histologic inflammation in the distal and proximal colon of our second cohort of AOM/Il10/ mice treated with or without VSL#3. We observed no significant difference in inflammation scores , demonstrating that intervention with VSL#3 does not alter colonic inflammation. To gain greater insight into the inflammatory environment of the colon, we measured inflammatory cytokine mRNA in colon tissue biopsies using an Inflammation PCR Array. There were no significant differences in the expression of common IBD- and CRC-associated cytokines including Ifng, Il18, Tnf, Il1b, Il23a and Il6 . Together these results suggest that VSL#3 enhances tumorigenesis without augmenting host inflammatory status.

Figure 4

VSL#3 does not significantly impact inflammation in AOM/Il10/ mice.

Distal and proximal colon histologic inflammation scores, mean + SEM, 1314mice/group, pairwise comparisons by two-tailed Student t test. Colonic cytokine mRNA expression of four individual SPF + VSL#3 mice relative to mean expression of four mice in the SPF group line at median. Data analysis was performed with SABioscience RT2 Profiler PCR Array Data Analysis version 3.4 using the Ct method and two-tailed Student t test.

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Side Effects And Limits Related To Vsl#3

There are almost no serious side effects related to the use of VSL#3 in most diseases. Among these side effects, only very few are intolerable. A meta-analysis showed that 33 patients experienced mild side effects out of 353 UC patients treated with VSL#3. Three patients experienced abdominal pain out of 60 patients with HE who received VSL#3. One patient was reported to experience abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea out of 20 patients with pouchitis who received VSL#3. Finally, of the 31 pouchitis patients treated with VSL#3, two experienced intolerable side effects: One experienced bloody bowel movements and the other experienced severe constipation, bloating, and gas.

The use of VSL#3 also has some limits. VSL#3 contains only eight bacterial strains, and the intestinal microecosystem of each patient is complex, so these strains may not be suitable for all patients. Achieving the one-to-one treatment of formula probiotics and individuals is difficult. The results mentioned above of VSL#3 in the treatment of various diseases are not exactly consistent, which may have been caused by different sources of VSL#3. One study indicated that proteomic analyses showed differences in protein abundances, identities, and origins of VSL#3 from different sites. Therefore, we suggest that the protein abundances should be identified through proteomic analyses in the clinical and basic studies of VSL#3 in the future.

Improvement Of Breast Milks Microbial Composition

Breast milk provides nutritious substances for infant growth and development, and it also provides several altered beneficial microbiota including Staphylococci, Streptococci, Lactobacilli, and Bifidobacteria. These beneficial bacteria in maternal milk will transfer from mother to infant and colonize the infant intestine during lactation. One RCT demonstrated that oral VSL#3 was able to improve breast milks microbial composition with a significant increase of the levels of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli compared with placebo in mothers during the perinatal period. The improvement in breast milks microbial composition caused by VSL#3 was not associated with differences in the milk concentrations of oligosaccharides and lactoferrin, and the results indicated that the administered VSL#3 did not pass from the maternal intestine to mammary gland through an endogenous approach, but had a systemic effect.

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Effects Of Vsl#3 On Hepatic Diseases

There is a close relationship between the liver and intestine tract. The metabolism of bile acid is tightly connected with the intestinal microbiota. The probiotic mixture VSL#3 was shown to modulate intestinal microbiota, thus down-regulating the intestinal-liver FXR-FGF15 axis to induce ileal bile acid deconjugation, fecal bile acid excretion, and the synthesis of bile acid in the liver. Hence, VSL#3 may have a potential for treatment of chronic liver diseases and their complications.

Vsl#3 Medical Food Sachets Unflavored

VSL#3 High Potency Probiotic Capsules

The sachets version of the VSL #3 contain 450 billion active bacteria, and a total of 30 sachets per box. This makes it the supplement with the highest CFU count in the industry.

The Amazon seller states that the product ships with an ice-pack, which is the right way to ship, and they also recommend to chose expedite shipping during the summer time.

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About Florajen And Vsl3

If you are here then it means you also currently need probiotics to help increase the amount in the gut and address some health problems. There are actually lots of probiotic rich foods that can be a great dietary intake but not all of us are liking their taste or easily finding some of them on the grocery stores and even for yogurt which is by far probably the easiest probiotic source can be heat treated, killing the active cultures.

This is why sometimes probiotic supplements are a more reliable alternative to increase the amount of good bacteria in our guts. They are often sold in a capsule like many other supplements and can be taken daily as well. You can opt for various different products and brands but among those, Florajen and VSL3 are probably two very popular alternatives to check out. These brands are offering probiotic supplements but the VSL3 is specializing on the IBS health issues while Florajen has various types of probiotics for different concerns.

Living with irritable bowel syndrome is not deadly but can be very annoying and hinder you from enjoying life to the fullest. The symptoms often include abdominal pain and cramp with changes in bowel movements and can cause either constipation or diarrhea and even alternating both. Recent studies have found that probiotics may be useful in treating IBS though the exact mechanism is still not very clear yet, there is a hope in probiotics for people who suffer from health issues.

Clostridium Difficile Associated Diarrhea

C.difficile-associated diarrhea is a common nosocomial and community-based medical condition. While typically linked to antibiotic induced disturbance of the intestinal microbiota, CDAD is now increasingly identified in patients without recent antibiotic exposure.32 Antibiotic therapy with metronidazole, oral vancomycin and now fidaxomicin makeup the current treatment paradigm.33 Recurrence of CDAD remains a clinical problem. In 1994 a trial reported that S. boulardii offered for 4 weeks after antibiotic therapy reduced overall CDAD recurrence rates.34 However, the finding was only significant for those with a history of recurrent CDAD. A follow up study, designed to be confirmatory, did not find S. boulardii to significantly reduce CDAD recurrence after standard therapy.35 Though a favorable trend was found in patients treated with high-dose vancomycin in the latter study, the clinical significance of this is less clear. Lactobacillus probiotics have been tested as single species and as combination probiotic products for preventing CDAD recurrence. While some results have been promising, most studies are underpowered, have methodological flaws, or have not been reproduced.36

While controversy exists, current society guidelines and expert opinion panels state that existing data are not sufficient to justify recommending available probiotics for preventing primary or recurrent CDAD.15, 36, 37

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Is Vsl#3 Available At My Local Pharmacy

Yes, however some pharmacies may be temporarily unable to obtain VSL#3® due to a supply chain issue. Please call ahead to check availability before visiting your local pharmacy or email for help locating product in the retail setting.

If you are looking for an option to help manage your UC, talk to your doctor about VSL#3® 450B Unflavored Packets.

VSL#3® is a probiotic medical food intended for the dietary management of Irritable bowel Syndrome , Ulcerative Colitis , and an ileal pouch. VSL#3® is intended to be used under medical supervision.

Alfasigma USA, Inc.

Disease Activity In Each Group

VSL#3 The Living Shield Probiotic Review

As shown in table 3, in the 20 patients on VSL#3, total PDAI scores were low both at entry and at the time of relapse or 12 months there was no significant difference within the group between these time points . In the 16 patients on placebo, the total PDAI increased significantly from a median of 3 at study entry to a median of 11 at the time of relapse or 12 months . Similar findings were observed regarding clinical, endoscopic, and histological PDAI scores in both groups.

Table 3

Comparison of pouchitis disease activity index score at study entry and at the time of relapse or at 12 months in the VSL#3 and placebo groups

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Other Vsl #3 Information

  • Other capsule ingredients: VSL#3 Capsule Ingredients: Lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria blend, hydroxylpropylmethylcellulose, cornstarch, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, stearic acid, microcrystalline cellulose
  • VSL#3 900B DS Sachets Other Ingredients: Maltose, lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria blend, cornstarch, silicon dioxide
  • VSL#3 450B Unflavored Packets Other Ingredients: Lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria blend, cornstarch, silicon dioxide

Florajen And Vsl3 Capsule

Do note that not all probiotics need to be refrigerated so it highly depends on the formulation and the type of bacteria in the capsule. For both Florajen and VSL3 the manufacturer say that they are best to be refrigerated so it is always good to follow the instruction and buy from sellers that are capable of delivering the product in fresh condition usually probiotic supplement comes with ice pack and Styrofoam box to keep the product fresh so we can directly put the supplement back in refrigerator.

Price wise the VSL3 is few times as expensive as Florajen so we have to invest more to get this supplement but the two are equally multi-strain which means there are more than one strain being put in the capsule. These capsules are the same size as typical supplements and should be easy to swallow if you have no issue with encapsulated formulas. Read also: Vitafusion Vs Natures Bounty here.

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Microbiome Analysis Of The Pure Vsl#3 Product

Of the 15 study participants who completed the probiotic trial with clinical metadata, only 12 subjects provided sufficient fecal material to facilitate matched deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing and bile acid profiling. WGS analysis was performed using MetaPhlan2 to positively identify the presence of VSL#3 containing L. casei subsp. paracasei , L. helveticus , L. plantarum , L. acidophilus , S. thermophilus , B. animalis , and B. breve . The abundance of B. longum listed as a probiotic species in VSL#3 was 0.00148% indicating that this organism is barely detected.

Effects Of Vsl#3 On Atherosclerosis

VSL#3 Probiotic Food Supplement

Atherosclerosis is a chronic disease that might be associated with the bacteria from the oral cavity and even the gut. Two studies assessed the ability of VSL#3 to protect against AS in ApoE/ mice. They demonstrated that VSL#3 had a beneficial effect on AS and perhaps worked by significantly reducing the development of atherosclerotic or aortic plaques and biomarkers of vascular inflammation. Vascular cell adhesion molecules and intercellular adhesion molecules were shown to be reduced by VSL#3 in both two studies. One study indicated that VSL#3 was able to significantly lower gelatinase matrix metalloproteinase-9 , but another plasma atherosclerotic biomarker, total plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, was significantly elevated by the combination of telmisartan and VSL#3. The reason for this is not clear. The administration of VSL#3 effectively decreased the percentage of CD36 positive cells among circulating macrophages.

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