The truth about cultural probiotics
My story
I bought Culturelle a few years ago on the recommendation of a friend, who was giving this to her autistic son to treat his leaky gut syndrome. Costing about SGD40 for a 30-day supply, this product was not cheap. But I decided to give it a try anyway, hoping it would alleviate the digestive disorders I was experiencing at the time. To cut a long story short, I found relief from my indigestion three days after taking Cultural, but did not understand or appreciate why or what makes it so effective at the time.
I recently became very interested in the topic of probiotics and started researching Culturelle for some time. My relentless search in the information jungle that is the internet finally revealed some fascinating facts about this product.
What makes Cultural different from other probiotic supplements?
Culturelle is a probiotic supplement that contains Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (strain ATCC 53103), a bacterium that occurs naturally in the human digestive tract. This strain of bacteria was discovered in 1985 by two Boston-based scientists, Professors Sherwood Gorbach and Barry Goldin, who were looking for a strain that could meet the following stringent criteria:
1) The bacteria must be of human origin; 2) It must be able to adhere to the human intestinal lining. 3) It must be able to colonize the intestine to avoid competition from invading pathogens; 4) It can resist the stomach and bile acids to survive the journey from the stomach to the intestines; and 5) The strain must have health promoting benefits on the human body. 6) It must be safe for human consumption. LGG meets all of these criteria and is the best-studied and documented strain of lactic acid probiotic bacteria in the world. Lactobacillus GG currently has the most extensive safety assessment record of any other probiotic strain. Few other strains of the Lactobacillus rhamnosus species have received this kind of scientific attention.
Pretty amazing I would say. But he was still not satisfied. Not until you see some real scientific data behind these claims. Below is what I discovered …
LGG is effective for acute and traveler’s diarrhea
o LGG is an effective form of treatment for diarrhea caused by the bacteria clostridium difficile. (a) This type of bacteria is also responsible for more serious intestinal disorders such as colitis. In a 1996 study of 32 patients in Boston and Baltimore, the success rate of LGG treatment is a significant 94%.
o LGG also significantly reduced the duration of diarrhea in another study, particularly in diarrhea caused by rotavirus. (b) Professor Gary Huffnagle, renowned author of “The Probiotics Revolution” also cited a study conducted in European medical centers on 287 children (1 year of age). month to 3 years) that “the duration of diarrhea was reduced by an impressive 13 hours …” (see page 128 of “The Probiotic Revolution”)
o The incidence of traveler’s diarrhea is lower in people who consume Lactobacillus GG. (c)
LGG moderates sensitivity to milk
o LGG prevents inflammation in people sensitive to cow’s milk.
o In a double-blind, crossover study, LGG was found to suppress the inflammatory response in milk-sensitive subjects to a significant degree. In non-sensitive subjects, LGG boosted their immune systems. (D) LGG decreases the incidence of atopic eczema
o Lactobacillus GG has been clinically shown to prevent atopic eczema in children.
o In a 6-month trial of 159 babies who are at risk of developing atopic eczema, it was found that babies who received LGG were only half as likely to develop the skin disorder compared to the placebo group for the first few 2 years of life. (e) o The protective effect of LGG continued for at least 4 years. (F)
Other proven therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus GG
o Reduce the side effects of H. pylori antibiotics. LGG significantly reduced side effects such as swelling, diarrhea, and a metallic taste in the mouth during triple therapy, the standard treatment for H. pyloric infections. (G)
o Anti-tumor effects: Lactobacillus GG was observed to slow the development of colon tumors in rats on a high-fat diet. (h)
o Prevents relapse in patients with ulcerative colitis. (i)
What else do I like about this product? A review on the Culturelle website shows that they guarantee 10 billion colony forming units (CFU) of Lactobacillus GG at the time of use, the amount scientifically tested and proven for a beneficial clinical response. Most manufacturers only list the number of viable bacterial cells at the time of manufacture.
Another point worth mentioning here is that each Culturelle “capsule is individually double-foil protected and nitrogen purged to ensure maximum potency and stability, as well as to act as an effective barrier against light, moisture, heat and air “. convenient for travel as well as for people who have limited space in their refrigerator.
Culturelle has been shown to be safe for babies, children, and pregnant women. It has no known adverse drug interactions.
What to be careful of …
People sensitive to milk should be aware
Although the scientific data I presented above states that LGG is safe for people sensitive to milk, I personally believe that there may still be possible allergies as Culturelle contains traces of casein and whey which are milk proteins. A search of some review sites shows that a very small minority of users experience digestive disturbances and colon irritation when taking Culturelle. Well, I guess nothing works perfectly well for everyone, since every human being has a unique makeup in their biochemistry.
You might consider other brands like UAS Lab’s Probioplus and Natren’s Healthy Trinity, which are good non-dairy options.
No one strain of bacteria works for everything
Due to the large amount of attention that the scientific community places on the LGG strain, it is easy to neglect the potential benefits that other strains of bacteria can have on the human body. In the words of Professor Gary B. Huffnagle, a highly respected immunologist and microbiologist, “All members of a bacterial species share many microbiological and biochemical traits, and others can be as beneficial as, or even superior to, the GG strain. … Until you have all the information, variety is your best option. “
My verdict
Overall, Culturelle is a good all-rounder at an affordable price, so I’d give it a 4 1/2 out of 5-star rating. Despite its flaws, I would still buy this from time to time to create a diverse colony of probiotics in my gut. It is most likely my first choice if I ever have to fight a gastrointestinal infection.
