PS128 Again in the News

[Baron1]

parkinsonsnewstoday.com/spo...

1/ Gut health probiotics for constipation

Constipation and other gastrointestinal problems are very common non-motor symptoms of PD. Fortunately, many strains of probiotic bacteria can stimulate intestinal motility and help with constipation. In fact, probiotics have been recommended by the Movement Disorders Society Evidence‐Based Medicine Committee as a clinically useful therapeutic option for the treatment of constipation in PD (Seppi 2019).

Seek out a probiotic supplement from a reputable company that has been shown to have a beneficial effect on gut health and see if it helps you. You may notice gas, bloating or changes in stool consistency as you first begin using any probiotic. These symptoms should subside within a week or two. You should expect to experience better digestion as the probiotics repair your gut and stimulate more healthy intestinal movement.

2/ Neurological health probiotics for mood and movement

Parkinson’s is caused by progressive loss of dopamine-synthesizing neurons in the substantia nigra region of the brain. Interestingly, intestinal cells and some probiotic bacteria can also make dopamine and its precursors. In fact, preclinical studies of the neurologically active probiotic strain L. plantarum PS128 suggest it’s able to increase dopamine levels in key regions of the brain. PS128 also appeared to be neuroprotective in studies with animals, reducing the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in a 4-week study (Liao 2020).

Can PS128 help people with PD? In a recent pilot study of 25 people with Parkinson’s, each participant took 60 billion CFU of PS128 before bed for 12 weeks. Participants continued to take their usual doses of levodopa and any other anti-parkinsonian drugs during the study. Most participants reported shorter “off” periods, fewer motor symptoms during both “on” and “off” periods, and better overall quality of life when taking PS128* (Lu 2021). A larger randomized controlled trial studying the benefits of PS128 for PD is currently underway. PS128 is available as Neuralli from Bened Life.

3/ Gut health probiotics to prevent or slow Parkinson’s onset

Constipation and IBS-like symptoms often appear up to a decade before motor symptoms are seen and a Parkinson’s diagnosis is made. Evidence suggests that at least for some people, Parkinson’s may begin as gut dysbiosis. An unbalanced gut microbiome causes inflammation, can cause the production of aberrant α‐synuclein particles in the gut, and impairs gut health. The α‐synuclein particles later move to the brain via the vagus nerve, where they can cause neuron death (Metta 2021).

Could probiotics help correct the initial gut dysbiosis that eventually leads to Parkinson’s Disease? This is a very intriguing question that has not yet been answered by clinical science. However, the link between GI symptoms and Parkinson’s suggests that GI symptoms should not be ignored. It is well worth addressing any long-standing constipation or other problems with a healthy diet, gut-health probiotics and/or medical care rather than allowing them to go untreated.

Empower your gut!

Probiotics may be a helpful addition to your daily routine for better gut health and/or neurological health. We encourage you to try one or more strains with good science behind them to see if they help you.

Interestingly, probiotics may prove to be useful for PD in even more ways in the future, including helping with better absorption of levodopa (Perez-Pardo 2017). With each passing year, science continues to offer more and more reasons to consider probiotics for PD.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

[park_bear]

PS 128 did not do anything for me personally. Perhaps it helps others.

[Boscoejean]

so here is a question in my mind - PS128 is lactobacillus plantarum of a specific variety but there are also other lactobacillus plantarum supplements on the market so what I would like to know is how and why would this patented form of the plantarum be different and/or more effective than some other plantarum supplement that are less costly- I have tried googling this topic to no avail

[Boscoejean]

okay so it looks like seek and you will sometimes find some interesting information on a subject: Lactobacillus plantarum has been shown to inhibit inflammation [3–5]. For example, L. plantarum 299v eases abdominal pains in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, an illness characterized by overactive inflammatory responses in the gut [6]. In addition, live and heat-killed L. plantarum MYL26, as well as bacterial cell wall extracts, increase the tolerance of human epithelial cells to endotoxin-induced inflammation by regulating gene expression in the cells, suggesting that entities on the bacterial cell wall contribute to the anti-inflammatory activity of the bacteria [7]. Interestingly, we have found that L. plantarum PS128—which was isolated from fu-tsai, a traditional Taiwanese fermented vegetable food product—reduces lipopolysaccharide-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine production in an RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cell model (Additional file 1). It is notable that the teichoic acids (TAs) produced by L. plantarum are implicated in the activation of immune signaling [8]; and a recent study in mice shows that defective d-alanylation of TAs abolishes both pro-and anti-inflammatory responses of the host immune system [9], suggesting that the processes including modification in the TAs biosynthesis are involved in the immunomodulatory effects of L. plantarum.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[MarionP]

Another very interesting post, worthy of stimulating interest in the whole gut this beosis idea, the comment on this specific strain is really interesting...

Even though it didn't do anything for park bear, that's an n equals one with who knows what selection process that would rule pbn or out as a fair test.

Baby do you happen to have this irritable bowel syndrome? Then you might fit into the implications of the post pretty well.

The one thing I can't imagine exactly how to follow up was this statement: "Seek out a probiotic supplement from a reputable company that has been shown to have a beneficial effect on gut health and see if it helps you."

Ok, How in the heck exactly are we to find that one out? Who here is positioned to establish and identify a "reputable company" and that "has been SHOWN to have a beneficial effect" on gut health? It's almost a rhetorical question, I'm not sure anybody could legitimately establish that. Quite serious about that. .That one sounds sort of insurmountable, given the nature of things today... Would really like some help with that one because I wouldn't mind following up as perps a number of people would like to do as well.

[Boscoejean in reply to MarionP]

I agree. How do you know if a company is reputable?