Home >> Newsletters >> Insider's Health Newsletter - Volume 130 - May 11, 2009 >> New Study Shows Probiotics Reduce Cholesterol
New Study Shows Probiotics Reduce Cholesterol
Probiotics seem to be all the rage these days, and for good reason! They have a number of potential health benefits, including improving digestive health and possibly preventing colon cancer. And now there’s one more reason to introduce probiotics to your diet: a recent study showed that a diet combining soy and probiotics significantly reduced harmful lipids. Keep reading for more information on the increasing powers of probiotics, and probiotic supplements such as Bacteral.
Probiotics have once again proven their benefits as a health supplement. In a study published by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a diet that combined soy and a probiotic supplement significantly reduced harmful lipids in the system.
Why Probiotics?
When it comes to maintaining good health, probiotics are the ideal choice. These healthy bacteria have a number of potential benefits, including managing inflammatory bowel disease, lowering cholesterol and lowering blood pressure. They are also effective in the prevention of colon cancer, although studies are still being performed regarding this potential.
Your immune system controls good health. And, taking a dietary supplement of probiotics is one of the ways that you can support your immune system. According to the European study, when combined with soy products, probiotics have a positive effect on body cells and they help to promote a positive response from your body. They increase the proportion of lymphocytes in your body as well as the natural fighting cells that ward off disease.
Though probiotics are often recommended and used successfully for those who are fighting diseases of the digestive tract, the health benefits of these supplements are proving to be beneficial in many other areas of health. Studies performed in the United States, Asia and Europe all confirm that there are significant health benefits to taking probiotics when it comes to the digestive tract. But these new studies have many doctors recommending the use of this supplement when fighting high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol.
Probiotics and Lipids
When it comes to harmful lipids, probiotics have already been linked with lowering cholesterol when taken alone. The new study published by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that the effect is even greater when combined with soy products. This can show promise for those who struggle with high cholesterol and want to take a natural product to lower their lipids, rather than a medication that may have adverse side effects on the digestive tract and the liver.
Because probiotics and soy are natural products, they are considered by many to be safer than medications for high cholesterol. For many years, Lipitor was the gold standard of treating this condition. However, as the dangers of Lipitor and other cholesterol drugs are becoming more apparent, science is looking for alternates. Medical science may very well have a breakthrough in treating high cholesterol in a natural way with probiotics combined with soy.
If you’re suffering from high cholesterol, consult with your doctor or healthcare provider to see if probiotics are an option for you. And if you'd like more information on safe and beneficial probiotic supplements, visit the Bacteral website.
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Comments
One of the key links of lipid metabolism with probiotic bacteria (and potential to reduce cholesterol) has to do with the fact that the bacteria themselves create classes of fatty acids that regulate alot of cellular transport machinery and metabolic gates. In the process of fermenting fibers (carbohydrates) they produce short chain fatty acids, which have implications in colon health, insulin receptors, fat metabolism and fat transport.
The second part of cholesterol, however, may actually be a different beast... and may have more to do with infections in the body (inflammation, etc.) coming from cuts, scrapes, bad oral health and bad intestinal health (ulcers). You get an infection in your circulatory system and your body sends out cholesterol as part of the healing process. Think of cholesterol more as diagnostic of health (smoke to a fire) than as an actual effector of health (the fire itself). The role I see for probiotic bacteria in cholesterol is more about allowing your immune system to stay in high gear and rid your body of invading bad bacteria so that the bad bacteria can\'t take root and lead to constant high smoke levels.
Just my two cents.
Dave Tab - Microbiologist
http://www.drinkphd.com/blog/
- Anna www.nutri-health.com