It's supposed to work, as far as I can see by populating the lining of your gut and seeing off bad bacteria and reducing inflammation in your gut - it's also supposed to be good for IBS.
I occasionally have bouts of IBS so have ordered some to see if it helps. You can buy it at various outlets on the internet and probably at some health food shops as well.
Very interesting post, thank you. The gut biome is certainly an interesting area of research for several health problems.
Having looked up the L Plantarum bacteria, it's found in traditional fermented foods, like sauerkraut. They've always been associated with good gut health, so it's encouraging to read that they can keep cholesterol at a healthy level, too. Sounds like another example of why we should be avoiding processed foods, and eating in an "old fashioned"way.
Good luck with the supplements. Perhaps try some fermented foods as well?
Hi, as I understand it, if you buy commercially produced sauerkraut it's unlikely to be 'live' so won't have as many beneficial bacteria. You can make your own but it is quite high in salt (and a bit of a faff to make) which is why I decided to go for the easy option of a supplement. Apparently this is quite a hardy bacterium and will survive your stomach acid.
I had an episode a few years back where a doctor prescribed me penicillin and it had a disastrous effect on my gut - (v nasty diarhoea, I ended up passing blood) and I think it's probably never been right since. So I'm trying to get it back into good condition - I wouldn't be at all surprised if my cholesterol levels have a lot to do with my gut health.
Also been reading the book 'gut' by Guilia Enders which is interesting.
Antibiotics can certainly wreck your guts. I'm interested in anything that can maintain gut health (having had problems with gluten), so will have a look at these supplements.
Along with reading about gut bacteria, you might find it interesting to read about intestinal permeability, if you haven't come across it already.
This is supposed to have a beneficial effect on intestinal permeability as it effectively 'lines' the gut.
I drink Kefir every day which I believe has this ingredient. Oh, and I also eat sauerkraut and pickled cucumbers in brine which are supposed to be very good for you.
I've tried to find the full report without any luck. If anyone has it, could you please post?
I'd like to know if patients with familial hypercholesteremia were included in study, as this is a group, myself included, who are recalcitrant to treatment with methods other than statins (which I refuse to go back on.)
Also, did you determine a like dose of the probiotic as noted in the results?
Having had a read through, I would guess that the participants were Spanish, as the authors were Spanish, although the journal is British.
I think that participants would have been deliberately selected with no comorbidities, so that they could look at the effects on just one condition.
It does appear to have been a study on "common" cholesterol, rather than FH.
I have came across one report looking at using probiotics in combination with some other things, but have not found any results posted. Don't know if this is useful or not.
The study does show the best effects of the bacteria were with patients with high initial cholesterol readings.
They're speculating that it works in two ways - one preventing reabsorption of cholesterol (as plant sterols two) and two by getting the liver to reabsorb cholesterol.
The study also says inflammatory markers were reduced and these are an important indication of heart disease risk. Some would say they're much more important than cholesterol levels.
Thanks for your reply. I would agree that reducing inflammation is more important than cholesterol levels. Thanks for pointing out that part of report...going to look again.
Sorry, Just realized how confusing my comment was: "I still don't understand exactly where these participants came from?"
I meant, where did the investigators find these study participants? Out-patient setting, hospital, private practice? This can be important in evaluation of study results.
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