bifidobacteria What Is It?
Like its better-known cousin acidophilus, the bifidobacteria group (often simply called bifidus) is considered a "probiotic." Bifidobacteria are one of the hundreds of beneficial bacteria that inhabit your body's intestinal tract, and help to fight off infection. Probiotics are especially helpful in preventing the diarrhea that can result from antibiotic therapy. They ease other gastrointestinal conditions as well, including irritable bowel syndrome and flatulence. They also help to prevent vaginal and urinary tract infections, and to counteract the overgrowth of the fungus Candida albicans. Some studies suggest that probiotics improve overall health by strengthening immunity, which declines with age. A 2001 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that volunteers given milk that contained bifidus experienced an increase in white blood cells, which help fight off infection. Probiotics may also help protect against colon cancer. They create an acidic environment in the intestine and neutralize the enzymes that convert precarcinogens into carcinogens. Animal studies have also shown that some probiotics directly inhibit the formation of tumor cells. Bifidus is a "lactic acid" bacteria. For people who are lactose-intolerant or cannot digest the natural sugars in milk, bifidus and other probiotics, such as acidophilus, can help. As they boost your body's ability to digest milk sugars, probiotics reduce bloating and gassiness. They combat bad breath, too. Although diary products, such as milk or yogurt, can be fortified with bifidus or acidophilus, they are an unreliable source for therapeutic levels of probiotics. Most such products do not contain a sufficient quantify of "active" or live bacteria--generally considered to be a minimum of one billion live organisms per dose. For this reason, supplements may be a better choice. Bifidus is available in capsules or powders, often in combination with acidophilus or fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), indigistible dietary fibers that also stimulate the growth of healthy intestinal bacteria. It's important to read the label of all bifidus or bifidus-acidophilus combination products to be sure that the cultures are active. Check the expiration date, too, and always refrigerate your probiotic supplements. Both heat and freezing temperatures will kill the live bacteria. General Interaction There are no known drug or nutrient interactions associated with bifidus. Cautions See a doctor if you are experiencing the symptoms of a vaginal yeast infection for the first time. Not all such infections are caused by the fungus (Candida albicans), which probiotics such as acidophilus and bifidus help to counteract. Ailments Dosage Surgery Strategies 1 to 2 billion live organisms in capsules or powder twice a day or follow package instructions. Helpful if antibiotics are prescribed; discontinue about 2 weeks after surgery. This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org To post, address your message to: silver-list@eskimo.com Silver List archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html Address Off-Topic messages to: silver-off-topic-l...@eskimo.com OT Archive: http://escribe.com/health/silverofftopiclist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <mdev...@eskimo.com>
