Probiotics

Probiotics: Effectively Boost the Ratio of Friendly Bacteria in the Gut

Believe it or not, there are actually more bacteria—both friendly and pathogenic—in the human body than individual human cells. With that understanding, it’s easy to see how these microorganisms can have a tremendous impact on overall health.

While it is impossible to avoid the presence of some unfriendly guests in the digestive tract, a healthy body is able to maintain a ratio of 85 percent friendly to 15 percent pathogenic bacteria. In a normal, healthy human gut, the good probiotics are able to keep unwelcome guests in check.

Along with their function in the immune response, probiotics also help the body by:

• Enhancing digestion of certain foods (especially dairy products) and literally creating several needed vitamins.*
• Helping to maintain healthy cholesterol levels in the body.*
• Supporting the body’s natural ability to detoxify itself.*
• Promoting a healthy metabolism.*
• Helping the body utilize nutrients, which promotes healthy organ tissue and overall health of skin, nails, and hair.*

The body relies on probiotics for all these functions; without enough friendly bacteria, serious health challenges can take root.*

Unfortunately, typical modern foods and stressful lifestyles are hard on the good bacteria and tend to tilt the balance in favor of the unfriendly organisms. Excessive use of antibiotics and chlorinated water sources can threaten beneficial bacteria populations too. When the balance shifts too far, gut health and general wellness can be adversely affected.

Taking a nutritional supplement containing lactobacillus and bifidobacteria is considered an effective and safe approach to restoring probiotic balance. But not all probiotics are created equal—even when the labeled potency is accurate and the retailer has maintained appropriate temperature control.* 

Potency and Stability: Dr. Shahani’s Two Keys to Success

Nebraska Cultures founder Dr. Khem Shahani has developed a proprietary probiotic manufacturing process that assures total viable cell count, excellent shelf life, and survivability in the gut. It begins with a highly regulated growth process followed by carefully freeze-drying each concentrated strain in a special cryoprotective medium. Each batch is tested for viability, and the bacteria are stabilized with a proprietary stabilizer developed by Dr. Shahani to enhance their ability to colonize in the GI tract, and to help protect them from damage by heat, humidity, light, and oxygen. The batch is tested again for viable cell counts and kept at -20° to -40° Fahrenheit until further formulation.

This meticulous processing is responsible for the product’s impressive stability and shelf life. With respect to L. acidophilus DDS-1, after 12 and 24 months at 39 degrees Fahrenheit (refrigeration temperatures), there is a viable cell count loss of approximately 1.5 percent and 3.0 percent respectively. At 77 degrees Fahrenheit (room temperature), the loss over a 12-month period is only in the 18 to 20 percent range. (In an identical situation, other brands of L. acidophilus can degrade by as much as 60 percent.) To further insure that Dr. Shahani’s probiotics remain within specification for a full year, Nebraska Cultures includes a 15 percent minimum overage relative to the specified minimum count as labeled.

Dr. Shahani’s unique version of the DDS-1 strain of L. acidophilus, a super strain of L. acidophilus, was developed through over 40 years of research. Over 200 research papers and comprehensive testing at the University of Nebraska have proven the efficacy of DDS-1. It is capable of regenerating in just twenty minutes and growing to millions of cells within six hours to provide rapid whole health support. DDS-1 has been shown to effectively promote the body’s natural ability to crowd out the colonization of E. coli in the intestines. It also produces Acidolphilin, a natural antibiotic-like substance, and it helps promote a balanced immune response.* 

Based on extensive scientific research, Dr. Shahani’s process delivers a line of probiotics that can be trusted to provide superior performance, efficacy, and overall consumer wellness.*

Lactobacillus Strains
There are a surprising number of lactobacillus strains, each with its own distinct function.
Millions of these friendly bacteria live in the gut and benefit the human body by digesting food and providing metabolites, which the body uses as energy.

Dr. Shahani’s proprietary version of the DDS-1 strain of L. acidophilus was isolated from the human gut and, understandably so, is a highly viable, superior strain that is well adapted to the human digestive tract. It rapidly colonizes the gut (quickly boosting the good bacteria ratio), produces natural antibiotic and antiviral compounds, and promotes a healthy pH in the colon.  The Dr. Shahani version of the DDS-1 strain of L. acidophilus is regarded as an ideal complement to antibiotic therapy to restore microbial balance in the gut.*

In addition to the DDS-1 strain of L. acidophilus, Dr. Shahani’s line of lactobacillus bacteria includes:
L. bugaricus    L. plantarum   L. salivarius
L. brevis          L. casei            L. helveticus
L. rhamnosus

Each of these strains has specific properties that promote whole health—from producing essential vitamins to supporting a healthy immune response.* 

Bifidobacterium Strains
Through extensive research, Bifidobacterium bifidum has been proven as a powerful bacteria strain that supports the body’s ability to detoxify itself and promotes a healthy immune system response. Other bifidobacteria are more common in healthy infants and children where these probiotic strains help metabolize food and help maintain a healthy immune response.* 

There are five bifidobacterium strains available for formulation:

B. bifidum        B. breve
B. lactis           B. longum
B. infantis

The Spore Formers:  Bacillus coagulans and Bacillus subtilis

In addition, Dr. Shahani’s line also offers two of the newer spore-forming probiotics, Bacillus coagulans and B. subtilis.  These bacteria are much more resistant to high temperatures and have excellent shelf life even without refrigeration. They can and have been used in baked goods and other higher temperature processes. These bacteria have been shown to displace coliforms and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Miscellaneous Strains
 
We also carry Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus thermophiles. The E. faecium is one of the most durable non-spore forming organisms. It has such strong stabilization that it is able to resist the high acidic levels and temperatures in the stomach. This bacteria readily implants in the colon even under extreme conditions. It also supports the other beneficial bacteria, helping them to survive and implant as well. S. thermophilus bacteria produce abundant amounts of the enzyme lactase and are very effective in promoting healthy lactose digestion.

The Advantage of Blends

When formulating, it is often better to blend several strains of bacteria in order to get a broader benefit.  In addition to custom blending to your specification at no additional cost, Nebraska Cultures also offers Dr. Shahani’s pre-formulated Legacy Blends:

KidKare Probiotic Blend – This is a blend of L. acidophilus DDS-1, B. bifidum, B. infantis, and B. longum designed to promote and maintain the strains most commonly found in children.*

Pro-Traveler Blend – This is the fundamental blend of L. acidolphilus and B. bifidum that is designed to crowd out colonization of food-borne pathogens in the adult gut.*

Healthy-Defense Blend – This blend is designed to help maintain a healthy gut especially in the presence of imbalanced yeast and fungal populations or viral pathogens.*

Digestion-Plus Blend – This blend promotes a healthy colon environment and supports effective, comfortable digestive function.*

Why Ingredients from Wilke Resources?

Wilke Resources is the exclusive U.S. agent of Dr. Shahani’s® Probiotic line. To ensure robust potency, all of Dr. Shahani’s probiotics contain, at a minimum, 15 percent more viable cells than specified on the label. In addition to standard potencies, other potencies, blends, and formulations can be made to your specifications. 

Wilke Resources is a respected name in quality bulk nutritional supplements, offering raw ingredient products to the pharmaceutical, health-nutrition, and animal health markets. Wilke serves as both a sales and marketing agent for selected U.S. manufacturers and provides high-quality bulk dietary supplement ingredients through its China Direct sourcing program. ____________________________________________________________________________________


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