Billions of bacteria - more than 400 different types - live in our digestive system. While we tend to think of most bacteria as illness-causing microbes that must be eradicated at any cost, there are some friendly bacteria it's actually best to have live inside us. So let's take a look at gut bacteria-the good, the bad and the ugly-and how to get the good guys to work for us.

The intestines are host to various strains of beneficial bacteria which help us absorb food and minerals. They also manufacture B vitamins and amino acids. Two examples of these beneficial bacteria in healthy people are acidophilus and bifidobacterium. When the gut is healthy, the growth of good bacteria helps to crowd out disease-causing bacteria and make conditions unfavorable for their growth.

 

Unlike the good guys, we don't want pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria-like certain strains of E. coli, C. diff. and streptococci-to take up residence inside our bodies. Besides making us sick, bad bacteria can also act to putrefy meat and other food left waiting to be digested in the colon. "Bad" bacteria such as E. coli and Clostridia produce reductase enzymes that convert chemicals to carcinogens. They also create free radicals. People who eat diets that are high in meat and low in fiber are at increased risk for colon cancer.

Fortunately for us, modern sanitation and proper food handling getting rid of many harmful bacteria before we unknowingly become host to them. When bad bacteria become a problem, however, there is an arsenal to help us win the war for gut health, and its major weapons are antibiotics, probiotics, and prebiotics.

 

For nasty, bacterial infections, the weapon of choice is a prescription antibiotic. As effective as these can be, there's also a price to be paid-antibiotics (whose name means "against life") are more often "weapons of mass destruction" rather than specifically targeted pistols with pinpoint accuracy. Antibiotics kill all types of bacteria, not just the disease-causing ones. Unfortunately, this shotgun approach kills the good with the bad, and by eliminating the body's naturally defensive bacteria, provides the perfect chance for opportunistic organisms like Candida yeast to grow out of control. Yeast infections are common occurrences following antibiotic therapy. One yeast strain, Candida diff., is a common infection among hospitalized patients, and the cause of 20% of all post-antibiotic diarrheas. People with compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients on chemotherapy or AIDS patients, can suffer frequent yeast infections as well.

So, while judicious use of antibiotics can save your life, it's best to relegate their use to only when truly necessary. They won't help us get over a cold, flu, or other illness, if it's viral in nature. Use them only when you have to. When you do, follow them up with probiotics (friendly bacteria) prebiotics (their favored foods) to get your intestinal flora back into balance.

Avoid yogurt containing added sugars or fruit, as these upset the delicate chemical balance that allow probiotic cultures to thrive-sugars also feed unfriendly yeasts like Candida albicans. Last, some major supermarket brands may be using a culture called Pima, which has no health value, and produces a slimy yogurt that must be dressed up with thickeners, fruits, and sugar to be palatable. Look on the label to be sure yogurt is made with S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus. Added acidophilus can't hurt, but as we said, it may not survive the struggle in the cup, or make it to your intestines.

Prebiotics are substances that feed and promote the growth of friendly probiotics. The two most common prebiotics are whey and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). Whey is the liquid that remains after the curd is removed from milk when making cheese. Primarily water, whey also contains minerals (potassium, calcium and phosphorus), lactose, fat and water-soluble vitamins. Many supplements contain whey as an ingredient, and there are supplements of pure whey protein as well. (Caution: people with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies should not use whey.) Fructo-oligosaccharides or "FOS" are naturally occurring short chains of fructose (fruit sugar). These short chains are very durable, though-human bodies can't break them apart because we lack the proper enzyme to do so. However, Bifidobacteria in the intestines do carry the necessary enzyme for breaking down FOS and using it as food.

FOS is found in small amounts in fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, onions, barley, wheat, rye, chicory root, garlic, Jerusalem artichokes, bananas, and honey. While a diet of five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables, plus plenty of whole grains, will give you some FOS, it takes 16 tomatoes or 13 bananas (!) to get just a gram of FOS. For these reasons, supplementation is more practical.

Good gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which make the colon slightly acidic (a pH lower than 7)-an environment that kills or weakens harmful bacteria. This lower pH also aids in the absorption of minerals like calcium and magnesium. Short-chain fatty acids feed colon cells directly and help keep them healthy, helping to prevent colitis, an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the colon, and possibly even preventing colon cancer. SCFAs have also been shown to improve symptoms in people with inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis. Supplementation with prebiotics such as FOS has been shown to significantly increase the presence of SCFAs in the colon.

 

Start adding probiotics and prebiotics to your diet slowly. You may notice some intestinal gas, cramping or bloating at first. This is an indication that the "good" bacteria are growing and eliminating the "bad" bacteria. In a short period of time, the body will adjust and the side effects disappear. And if you keep feeding the gut guys, the benefits can last a lifetime.

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