BioMed

Leaky gut | Cause and Prevention | Probiotics: A loyal guard in the intestine

Greco Kwong — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 08:14:08 +0000

Probiotics aid to improve intestinal barrier function, prevent leaky gut syndrome and stop the invasion of bad bacteria.

Intestine – A “firewall” in our body

Our intestine is made up of a thin layer of mucosal cells. These cells are closely linked to each other and act as a firewall in our body.

Digestive enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract break down normally eaten food into small molecules. These small molecules are absorbed by the blood through the intestinal mucosa or intercellular space, and then enter the liver and veins, water in the dregs is absorbed into the large intestine, remaining parts become feces. In other words, mucosal cells are responsible for absorbing the nutrients we need, also for stopping the invasion of harmful substances.

However, once these mucosal cells are not tightly linked, the gaps between cells increase and thus intestinal permeability increases, which is commonly known as “leaky gut”. When suffering from leaky gut syndrome, the chance of invasion of bad bacteria or other harmful substances is greatly increased, which then activates the immune system to release antibodies to fight against invaders, the body shows chronic inflammation symptoms. If the situation persists, it will cause chronic damage to the body, and it is more likely to become a disease that affects the whole body.

Preventing leaky gut is the key to boost body’s immunity.

Symptoms of leaky guts

According to researches, increased intestinal permeability, known as “leaky gut”, increases the chances of the following symptoms:

Alzheimer’s disease
Anxiety and Depression
Attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder
Autism
Migraine
Abdominal bloating, dyspepsia
Rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Long-term inability to lose weight or gain weight (lack of nutrition of a certain food, but allergy to the same food)

Cause of leaky gut, why there is an increase in intestinal permeability?

In general, a leaky gut (increased intestinal permeability) is mainly caused by two reasons – a weak self-defense system and too many foreign substances invading the intestinal mucosa:

First of all, in terms of self-defense, the intestine mainly relies on the intestinal mucosa to defend against foreign invasion. Any damage to the intestinal mucosa will increase the “intestinal permeability”. Medications, excessive alcohol intake, a diet in refined starch/low fiber, and an imbalance in Omega-3/Omega-6 fat intake can impair intestinal mucosal integrity, reduce its defense and increase the risk of leaky gut.

Secondly, in terms of foreign invasion, as long as the intestinal tract accumulates too much foreign matter, it will increase the probability of the intestinal mucosa being invaded. Common examples are shown below:

Too many bad bacteria in the gut, producing too much endotoxin
Eat allergic food
Insufficient digestive enzymes in the body (overeating, insufficient pancreas/gallbladder function or removal), resulting in incomplete breakdown of food
4. Insufficient gastric acid (long-term intake of gastric acid inhibitors, gastrectomy), resulting in incomplete decomposition of food, an increase of macromolecular protein allergens and reduced nutrient absorption and reduced nutrient absorption, and unable to play the role of first-line sterilization.
Appearance of infectious agents (parasites, candida infections), etc.

All these factors increase the risk of developing a leaky gut.

How can probiotics reduce intestinal permeability and prevent “leaky gut” ?

Probiotics reduce bad bacteria in the gut, break down harmful substances, and metabolize drugs, they attach to the intestinal mucosal epithelium and compete with bad bacteria for nutrients and proliferation sites, which effectively suppress the growth and reproduction of bad bacteria, and probiotics will produce different antibacterial substances, such as organic acids, enzymes, hydrogen peroxide, bacteriocins, antimicrobial peptides, or compete with pathogens so that they cannot engage with the host’s cells, which can prevent “leaky gut” and protect intestinal health.
Probiotics can regulate the immune system and fight allergies, helping to control the inflammatory intestinal disease. Probiotics work by reconciling the balance between triggering and suppressing immune response mechanisms, such as regulating the number and activity of Th1 and Th2 in helper T cells, adjusting the content of different cytokines to achieve homeostasis, and reducing intestinal allergic reactions and thus the risk of “leaky gut”. They can be applied to atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, food allergies, and other allergy-related diseases.
Probiotics maintain tight junctions in gut cells, preventing harmful bacteria and viruses from invading. They can promote intestinal wall cells to secrete mucus and mucin, reduce the chance of intestinal epithelial cells coming into contact with pathogenic bacteria and harmful substances, and lubricate the intestines, a natural barrier is formed to reduce intestinal permeability and prevent “leaky gut”.
Probiotics produce a variety of enzymes to digest food and produce many vitamins, folic acids, amino acids, and other substances that the human body needs. These can relieve gastroenteritis and diarrhea, including taking antibiotics and suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). or diarrhea caused by Clostridioides difficle infection. In addition, patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often have abnormal gut microbial composition, probiotics have the function of reducing inflammation, and they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Reduce the degree of inflammation, promote the restoration of microbial ecological balance in the intestinal tract, and restore the tight connection of mucosal cells to prevent a “leaky gut”.

Prevent “leaky gut”, different probiotics have different barrier functions

After determining the cause of the increase in intestinal permeability, choosing appropriate probiotic supplementation help us repair the intestinal mucosa, prevent leaky gut, regulate the lymphatic tissue of the intestinal mucosa, and restore the intestinal health.

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What is the definition and cause of abdominal obesity? Let probiotics alleviate your abdominal obesity.

Pun Sean — Fri, 27 May 2022 09:52:46 +0000

There is always a market for slimming treatments in Hong Kong, and central obesity is a worry for many Hong Kong people. What is the definition and cause of central obesity? Why probiotics can helpcentral obese people lose weight?

Definition and detection of central obesity.

The definition of central obesity is quite simple, it refers to the accumulation of excess fat in the abdomen. The two commonly used indexes to measure obesity are slightly insufficient for defining central obesity:Body Mass Index (BMI) cannot accurately represent the proportion of muscle and fat in the body, only the proportion of body fat is indicated, also the location of fat accumulation cannot be clearly expressed.

Central obesity should be judged together with body shape detection. In addition to the visual body size ratio, we also need to refer to our waist circumference. According to the guidelines of the Hong Kong Department of Health, a waist circumference of 90 cm or more for men and 80 cm or more for women can be defined as central obesity, and you should start paying attention.

Detailed explanation of the causes of central obesity.

We can revisitthe cause of central obesity, which is fat accumulation. Here we must first distinguish between subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat refers to the fat accumulated in the arms, thighs, abdomen, buttocks, etc., which is characterized by being easily pinched out by hand; while visceral fat accumulates around the internal organs. It is near the abdominal cavity and stomach. If it accumulates around the liver, it will become the “fatty liver” we often hear. If it is around the heart, it will easily lead to cardiovascular-related diseases. Therefore, central obesity not only affects posture, appearance, and personal self-confidence, but also directly affects physical health and the probability of disease. It is a problem that must be taken seriously.

You may have noticed from the above description that subcutaneous fat and visceral fat can also accumulate in the abdomen, but the cause of central obesity is mostly visceral fat. How to classify your fat type? You can try pinching your belly with your hands. If you can easily pull the belly fat, it tends to be subcutaneous fat. If you can’t, it is more likely to be visceral fat.

It is difficult to control which part of the body fat accumulates, it depends on each person’s physique. However, we can start from the cause to improve central obesity, actively reduce the accumulation of fat in various ways, and achieve the effect of reducing fat and losing weight.

Difficulties of traditional central obesity weight loss methods.

People with central obesity want to lose weight, and one of the traditional methods is naturally reduce fat by doing exercise. This method is based on the balance between calories in and out (calories in VS calories out), the purpose is to increase the body’s calorie burn. However, it takes time to see results. Hong Kong people are busy, and it is not easy to take time out to exercise regularly.

The mainstreamis to reduce central obesity by diet. A balanced diet is indispensable for weight loss and overall health. However, for central obese people who are eager to lose weight, even if they carefully follow a diet with less oil, salt, and sugar, they often fail to lose weight. So they have to endure for a long time. It is not easy for Hong Kong people who enjoy delicious food to change their eating habits, and it is difficult to persevere

Use of probiotics to lose weight for central obese people.

BioMed’s PGut SupremeSlim E3 Probiotics is a probiotic specially tailored for weight management and weight loss. This product starts from the root of the intestines, adjusts your intestinal bacterial ecology, reduces the absorption of toxins and increases metabolism by adjusting the intestinal microorganisms, so as to reduce calorie absorption and increase energy consumption. Finally, it eliminate toxins and inhibit the effect of bad fat absorption which can help you reduce fat.

Intestinal microecological health is the key to good metabolism. PGut SupremeSlim E3 Probiotics contains a postbiotic formula, which can quickly balance the intestinal microecology, make the effect of reducing fat and weight more stable and lasting, and also improve constipation or diarrhea situation to further optimize your digestive system.

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What are the symptoms and causes of a weakened immune system? Intestinal probiotics act significantly to improve the immune system.

Pun Sean — Mon, 16 May 2022 07:51:32 +0000

免疫力下降症狀

健康的身體，總少不了強健的免疫系統，免疫力下降會引致身體不同症狀，更可能促發自身免疫性疾病。例如都市人常有的腹瀉及便秘，有可能因為腸道益生菌群失衡而導致腸胃敏感。另一都市人常見的症狀是過敏，這是由於免疫細胞過度受刺激，產生發炎反應。

免疫力下降的症狀亦包括慢性疲勞、睡眠質素欠佳、易患感冒而難痊癒、頭痛等等。這些症狀常被視為生活壓力過大的後果，或以「都市病」或亞健康作概括，而沒有想到這些會是免疫力下降的症狀，更少會將源頭歸到腸道健康之上。想回復及保持身體的健康，除了正常的飲食及作息，亦要管理好腸道健康，以益生菌提升免疫力。

早前 COVID-19 新冠病毒於香港大規模爆發，雖已研發出疫苗，但並非百分之百有效預防感染病毒，而且對變種病毒株的效果仍存疑，同時亦仍未有特效藥治療受感染者。這個情況讓我們重新正視增強人體自身抵抗力重要性，回歸到「預防勝於治療」的格言。

到底人體免疫力下降的原因是什麼？免疫力下降會有什麼症狀？為何益生菌有助於提升免疫力？

免疫力下降原因及治療方法

在醫學界、健康產品及資訊媒體的推動之下，近年大眾開始意識到腸道於對健康的作用，它除了是人體的「第二大腦」之外，亦是我們身體免疫系統的主要來源——科學界相信人體 70% 的免疫系統都來自腸道，一旦腸道生態不平衡、健康，就會成為身體免疫力下降的原因；相反，改善腸道健康可以增強人體免疫系統。例如嬰兒幼年出現濕敏，有可能是（因剖腹生產等原因）吸收母親身體的益生菌不足所致。

腸道微生態對於人體的運作極為關鍵：我們每天吃進去的食物，都會與益生菌之間有互動，益生菌會產生各種酶以消化食物，並製造多種人體需要的重要物質，例如維他命與氨基酸等等。益生菌亦保持腸道細胞之間的緊密連接，阻止有害細菌與病毒入侵。我們的人體一直與腸道內的益菌共存，益菌的健康與身體整體的健康有着唇齒相依的關係。

近年腸道微生物研究成為醫學界炙手可熱的領域，為免疫力下降的探索帶來新發現。根據香港中文大學醫學團隊的研究發現，新冠病人的腸道微生態嚴重失衡，可以透過「微生態免疫力配方」紓緩身體發炎狀況，並加快康復過程，換言之就是以改善腸道微生物生態作為治療新冠病毒感染的手段。

BioMed PGut：提升免疫力益生菌產品系列

BioMed PGut 系列針對不同人士的需要而設，結合科研益生菌（probiotics）、三重益生元（prebiotics）及速效後生元（postbiotics）三重成份，因而各款益生菌產品都有助提升免疫力。PGut 的精選專利益生菌，經科研實證抗胃酸能力達到 95%，可直達腸道，調節腸道生態健康；益生元是益生菌的食物，為益菌提供成長所需的養份，幫助益菌於腸道中順利定殖；後生元是益生菌發酵所產生的天然副產物，能夠全面模擬健康腸道的微生態，並輔助平衡腸道菌群。各位可以根據性別、年齡及不適症狀，選擇最適合的益生菌產品提升免疫力，解決免疫力下降的原因及症狀。

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What are the causes and initial symptoms of babies suffering from eczema? Instead of avoiding certain foods, Probiotics can be used to treat babies’ eczema

Pun Sean — Thu, 05 May 2022 02:56:39 +0000

Eczema not only plagues many adult patients for a long time, but babies’ eczema is a major annoyance for mothers. What are the causes and initial symptoms of babies’ eczema? Is avoiding certain foods effective for babies’ eczema? What is the relationship between babies’ eczema and probiotics?

Probiotics—the root cause of babies’ eczema

When a pregnant woman has parturition, the fetus can take up abundant probiotics through the mother’s vagina from the mother’s body (including Bifidobacterium and lactic acid bacteria), and store them in the baby’s own body. However, if using Caesarean section to give birth, the baby may lack some of the probiotics that the others’ have. In addition, the wound through surgery may necessitate the need for the mother to take antibiotics, which will have an effect on mothers, who are unable to feed breast milk to newborn babies, therefore it will reduce the chance of babies receiving probiotics. So, what would happen if the babies lacked probiotics?

70% of immune system cells in our body come from the intestines, while probiotics in the intestines have a crucial effect on newborn babies for developing a self-immune system. For newborn babies and young children aged 0 to 3 years, it is the golden age of developing a healthy gut and probiotic microbiota. If babies lack probiotics in the intestines, this may cause babies to develop eczema.

Symptoms of babies’ eczema in the early and late stages

For newborn babies born by Caesarean section, mothers should pay attention to the skin condition of babies especially pay attention to whether babies have appeared some early symptoms of eczema. Eczema in babies in the early stage will have erythema on the skin, after a period of time, erythema will turn into a raised rash which the babies would feel tingling, and cause babies to cry and a sense of uneasiness.

Babies’ eczema after early stages will have different symptoms, for example, redness and dryness skins, and scaling skins. The other symptoms include thickening, discoloration, and swelling of the skin, the skin around the eyes and face turning black, the skin around the mouth or ears becoming abnormal, etc., eczema constitutes long-term health and mental burden on babies and moms which absolutely needs to be faced.

The reminder of avoiding certain food for babies’ eczema

Avoiding certain food helps a lot with babies’ eczema. Children over the age of two can drink fresh milk instead of baby formula milk powder as it can possibly lead to constipation in young children, which can worsen the symptoms of eczema. If circumstances permit, feeding breast milk is always the best option. On the other hand, if babies’ eczema becomes severe, one must avoid eating eggs. Babies whose symptoms are light, should also eat fully cooked and light egg dishes, such as steamed eggs rather than eggs cooked with high oil content and half-cooked eggs such as sunny-side-up.

However, avoiding certain food mostly alleviate the worsening effect of babies’ eczema, and most of them only targets the symptoms rather than the causes, so we must cooperate with other therapies to treat babies’ eczema.

Babies’ eczema probiotic therapy

When the mother encounters difficulties in childbirth, improper fetal position, or the fetus is wrapped around the neck by the umbilical cord, Caesarean section is often the most ideal for the safety of the mother and child, but non-vaginal birth may cause babies to lack probiotics and become a cause of eczema and other diseases. Medical professionals may use low doses of steroids to suppress the disease, according to the doctor’s diagnosis and prescription, it is safe to use steroids for babies today, but many parents feel uneasy about letting their babies be exposed to steroids at an early age.

If babies have eczema because of the lack of probiotics, what remedies are there in addition to avoiding certain food and medications?

Mothers can choose to let babies take probiotic products that are safe and sugar-free to replenish the probiotic microbiome in babies’ intestines. BioMed’s PGut Kids Allergy Relieve Probiotics are made with all-natural ingredients. Specially formulated selection of L.plantarum with L. acidophilus, L.paracasei, and L.rhamnosus as the golden probiotic combination. According to scientific research, it is proven that it can regulate children’s immune systems, help improving anti-allergic abilities, and help reduce allergic symptoms. PGut Kids Allergy Relieve Probiotics is suitable for infants under two years of age, effectively enhancing and regulating the immune system of infants and children, through the supplementation of babies’ intestinal probiotics to prevent eczema and other allergies arising from the disease, Product includes Bifidobacterium can also improve the problem of indigestion in infants, improve the health of young children, and make mothers more at ease.

If your baby is suffering from eczema, try the probiotic direction for a solution.

The post What are the causes and initial symptoms of babies suffering from eczema? Instead of avoiding certain foods, Probiotics can be used to treat babies’ eczema appeared first on BioMed.

To sleep well, first fix your intestines

Greco Kwong — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 06:59:23 +0000

Sleep disorders reduces the quality of life

Cannot sleep, counting sheep, This is probably the worst thing people don’t want to encounter when they sleep. Sometimes due to the depressions, and nervousness lead to sleep disorders. A lot of people said that it is not a major problem. However, a long-term sleep disorder will lead to mental exhaustion, which is harmful to your health. It affects your working and learning performance and reduces your quality of life. Moreover, sleeping disorder is not a disease, mostly are the manifestations of other mental illnesses, for example, anxiety and depression. Delayed treatment would lead to serious consequences.

To solve and prevent sleeping disorders, apart from adjusting sleep habits, and paying attention to diet and daily routines, the most effective and little-known way is to protect intestinal health. Recently, the Hong Kong Gut Microbiome Society published a report studying the effects of gut microbes on sleep and mood, in which participants submitted a stool sample to detect changes in their gut microbiome two months after taking a probiotic supplement, and evaluate three general assessments to evaluate their sleeping quality (PSQI), anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9) in the questionnaire to evaluate the effectiveness. The result was that all participants have improved on all three assessments. Before taking probiotics, 80% of the participants had poor sleep quality, of which 6 adults had different degrees of imbalance in the gut microbiome, the richness of microorganisms was relatively low, and it also showed that the number of individual bacteria varieties was different from that of people with good sleep quality effectiveness. Generally speaking, some participants lack some probiotics. The proportion of probiotics lacking individual varieties ranges from 40% to more than 90%. After using probiotics, participants’ intestinal probiotics were clearly replenished. Over 70 percent of participants who were sleeping unwell improved their sleeping quality by 20 percent, with remarkable results.

Probiotics can improve depression and anxiety effectively.

This research indicates that probiotics can improve depression and anxiety efficiently. Before taking probiotics, over 20 percent of the participants had medium-level symptoms of depression. Moreover, over 10 percent of the participants exhibited medium-level symptoms of anxiety. After taking probiotics, Over 80 percent of participants who were having medium-level of depression of symptoms, their depression index have reduced by nearly 30 percent. Around half of the participants who had medium-level of anxiety symptoms, their anxiety index has also reduced by 20 percent.

Our intestines store billions of microorganisms. These invisible residents always produce short-chain molecules such as (short-chain fatty acids, SCFAs), γ-aminobutyric acid, serotonin, and other metabolites. Then use the metabolites to communicate the information from the immune system of the intestines. The intestinal and immune cells will also use the nervous and endocrine systems to connect to the brain for the area dealing with stress and managing emotions. This trinity, two-way loop is called the microbiota-gut-brain axis. When we face stress, our body will respond through a systemic response from the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system. If the intestinal microbiome ecology is out of balance and there are too many harmful microorganisms, harmful substances will pass through the intestinal wall, triggering an inflammatory response of the immune system. Long-term chronic inflammation can damage health and exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression. Probiotics can inhibit harmful germs, repair the balance of microorganisms, calms the overstimulated immune system, and relieves inflammation, thus effectively improving sleep, and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression, without dependence and adverse side effects caused by taking sleeping pills.

To improve sleeping, and prevent anxiety and depression, no need to rely on elixirs or folk remedies, not to mention the use of sleeping pills. Probiotics are the simplest and the most effective prescription. If you still have sleeping disorders consistently, and also suffer from the symptoms of depression and anxiety, you must seek medical advice from a doctor immediately.

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A study finds probiotics can help prevent cancer

Greco Kwong — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 09:51:30 +0000

Cause of cancer

Just hearing the word “cancer” sends shivers down the spine. Cancer can be caused by different factors, including smoking, poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption, and more. When our cells are damaged in various ways and cannot be repaired, the body must rely on “apoptosis” (cell suicide) to kill the damaged cells. Once we lose the function of “apoptosis”, the damaged cells will continue to grow, and the situation will spiral out of control. Bad cells circulate through the blood system to other organs in the body, causing cancer to form.

Probiotics can reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and the impact on immunity

There are two general approaches to treating cancer: drug therapy (chemotherapy) and radiation therapy (electrotherapy). Both traditional treatments have the same disadvantage – in addition to damaged cells, they are also killed together with healthy cells, causing many side effects, including decreased immunity. In response to the problem of decreased immunity, many scholars have conducted related research and found that the balance of intestinal microorganisms is related to immunity. When the proportion of bad bacteria in the intestine is too high, the intestinal microecology is out of balance, which will cause many problems in the body, including a decrease in immunity. Therefore, supplementing probiotics while undergoing cancer treatment can effectively reduce the side effects on the immune system. In addition, probiotics can also relieve discomfort during treatment. For example, Lactobacillus Plantarum has a protective effect on the stomach and reduces gastrointestinal discomfort, while Lactobacillus Brevis helps reduce the oral cavity. chance of mucositis.

Supplementation of probiotics and postbiotics can also reduce the risk of cancer

If the gut microbiome continues to be out of balance, its inflammatory response can affect healthy cells. Increase the risk of different diseases. For example, some species of Bacteroides, which produce harmful substances that increase the risk of cancer, or the genus Fusobacterium, the bad bacteria that are inextricably linked to colorectal cancer. Other bad bacteria that increase cancer risk include Helicobacter pylori and Clostridium. Supplementing probiotics can effectively compete with these bad bacteria, reduce the survival resources of bad bacteria in the gut, and achieve the effect of inhibiting bad bacteria. As a result, probiotics can reduce inflammation and promote cancer cell apoptosis. The latest research points out that in addition to probiotics, postbiotics also have the effect of preventing cancer. Postbiotics are metabolites of probiotics, also known as inactivated probiotics. It also helps reduce inflammation in the body, thus promoting the apoptosis of cancer cells. Probiotics are food extracts, so they are all-natural and safe. However, cancer patients may be relatively weak due to the disease. If they intend to take probiotics, they should consult their doctor for professional advice. If you are interested in learning more about the relationship between gut probiotics and immunity, please refer to https://biomed.hk/enhance_immunity/

*Information provided by the doctors from the School of Medicine in PGut. PGut probiotics are developed by the Hong Kong Science Park team for the intestinal tract of Hong Kong people. Studies have shown that it s gut strength probiotics can effectively improve intestinal problems and enhance immunity. It is available in online stores and Mannings. (For more questions, you can WhatsApp Dr PGut’s expert hotline at9739-1144)

Precision Defense from the Inside Out: PGut Premium Probiotic E3

References: Slizewska K, Markowiak-Kopec P, Slizewska W. The role of probiotics in cancer prevention. Cancers 2021, 13, 20.Bedada TL, Feto TK, Awoke KS, Garedew AD, Yifat FT, Birri DJ. 2020. Probiotics for cancer alternative prevention and treatment. Biomed Pharmacother 129, 110409.Groska A, Przystupski D, Niemczura MJ, Kulbacka J. 2019. Probiotic bacteria: a promising tool in cancer prevention and therapy. Curr Microbiol 76, 939-949.Vivarelli S, Falzone L, Basile MS, Nicolosi D, Genovese C, Libra M, Salmeri M. 2019. Benefits of using probiotics as adjuvants in anticancer therapy (review). World Acad Sci J 1, 125-135.Lu K, Dong S, Wu X, Jin R, Chen H. 2021. Probiotics in cancer. Front Oncol 11, 638148.Redman MG, Ward EJ, Philips RS. 2014. The efficacy and safety of probiotics in people with cancer: a systematic review. Ann Oncol 25, 1919-1929.Goodman B, Gardner H. 2018. The microbiome and cancer. J Pathol 244, 667-676.Kazmierczak-Siedlecka K, Daca A, Folwarski M, Witkowski JM, Bryl E, Makarewicz W. 2020. The role of Lactobacillus plantarum 299v in supporting treatment of selected diseases. Cent Eur J Immunol 45 (4), 488-493.Sharma A, Rath GK, Chaudhary SP, Thakar A, Mohanti BK, Badahur S. 2012. Lactobacillus brevis CD2 lozenges reduce radiation- and chemotherapy-induced mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study. Eur J Cancer 48, 875-881.

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The key to boosting immunity! 1 trick to reduce the chance of infection and improve the efficacy of the vaccine!

Greco Kwong — Thu, 04 Nov 2021 06:45:22 +0000

The cause of the different effects of the vaccine on each person is immunity

The novel coronavirus is extremely contagious and affects lives around the world. For the time being, vaccination remains the only way to prevent and reduce the impact of the novel coronavirus. However, the effect of each person’s vaccination is different, and I will briefly explain it below! The reason why vaccines can effectively reduce the risk of COVID-19 is that the immune system is stimulated to produce antibodies and resist the virus. Therefore, in addition to the dose of the vaccine itself and the way inoculation will affect its efficacy, the function of each of our immune systems is an important factor. In conclusion, to maintain a strong body with vaccines during the epidemic, you also need to strengthen your immunity!

Intestinal microecology can affect vaccine efficacy and the chance of infection

So how can immunity be improved? Factors that affect our immune system include age, disease background, genetics, diet, living habits, work, rest, etc. At the same time, only a few people know that intestine is the largest immune system in the human body, and the influence of the balance of the microbiota in our gut is not trivial. Studies on patients with new COVID-19 have even found that patients have fewer beneficial bacteria in the gut including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Eubacterium rectale,etc. They also had more harmful bacteria than the control group such as Ruminococcus torques, etc. Research confirms that our gut microbiome (the ratio of probiotics to bad bacteria) is associated with the risk of COVID-19.

Improve immunity from the gut through food and probiotics

Therefore, remember to maintain a healthy gut, to increase the efficacy of the vaccine and reduce the risk of disease! You can pay attention to your diet, eat more foods containing probiotics, such as cheese, pickles, natto, and supplement probiotics appropriately. If you are interested in learning more about the relationship between intestinal probiotics and immunity, please refer to https://biomed.hk/enhance_immunity/

*Information provided by PhD. PGut medical professionals. PGut Probiotics was developed by the Hong Kong Science Park team for the intestines of Hong Kong people. Research has shown that its intestinal probiotic can effectively improve intestinal problems and enhance immunity (https://biomed.hk/pgut-premium/). Available in online store and Mannings.

(If you have any questions, please WhatsApp PGut Expert Hotline 9739-1144)

References:

Lynn DJ, Benson SC, Lynn MA, Pulendran B. (2021) Modulation of immune responses to vaccination by the microbiota: implications and potential mechanisms. Nat Rev Immunol.

Yeoh YK, Zuo T, Lui GCY, Zhang F, Liu Q, Li AYL, et al. (2021) Gut microbiota composition reflects disease severity and dysfunctional immune responses in patients with COVID-19. Gut 70: 698-706.

Research has shown that it can effectively improve intestinal problems and enhance immunity: PGut Premium Probiotics E3

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Novel Coronavirus patients lack gut bacteria, foods with probiotics boost immunity

Greco Kwong — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 10:12:28 +0000

Common respiratory diseases include lung cancer, bronchitis, asthma, influenza, and the novel coronavirus that is sweeping the world. All of these are more or less related to intestinal bacteria. The latest research from CUHK is the first to prove that coronavirus is related to intestinal microecological imbalance. The level of imbalance directly affects the strength of immunity. Supplementing intestinal probiotics can strengthen one’s own immunity.

How can gut probiotics help COVID-19 patients?

Probiotics refer to the microorganisms that are beneficial to the human body after supplementation and are the general term for the beneficial bacteria required by the intestinal tract. Beneficial bacteria are an indispensable element of human health. They can synthesize various vitamins, folic acid and short-chain fatty acids, help food digestion, promote intestinal peristalsis, inhibit the growth of pathogenic flora, decompose harmful and toxic substances, etc.

Insufficient probiotics can lead to an imbalance of gut bacteria. The CUHK research team analyzed the intestinal bacteria of 15 patients during hospitalization and found that the degree of intestinal bacterial imbalance, the amount of virus in the stool, and the severity of the disease are closely related. According to Professor Rao of Karolinska Institutes in Sweden, who studied the relationship between intestinal bacteria, lung bacteria, and immunity, it was found that the source of lung inflammation came from the intestine. It can be seen that the lack of intestinal probiotics will reduce immunity and become a gap for respiratory infections. In patients suffering from respiratory infections such as coronavirus, their gut microbiota will again have an ecological imbalance, with insufficient beneficial bacteria and increased harmful bacteria, causing immune system lesions and increasing the risk of subsequent infections. To reduce the chance of disease, and strengthen the immune system, eat probiotics that help balance the bacteria in the gut and prevent the vicious cycle of gut bacterial infections.

Probiotics can help fight virus invasion

Probiotics are generally recognized as safe and effective health care products, and a large number of studies support the function of probiotics to fight viral and bacterial infections and relieve symptoms, and many of the data are from large-scale, credible double-blind randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis.

For example, in a controlled trial involving more than 5,000 infants, Lactobacillus plantarum reduced the risk and severity of respiratory infections; Lactobacillus gasseri, Bifidobacterium longum, and Bifidobacterium bifidum have been shown to shorten the duration of flu symptoms in a study of more than 500 adolescents,

Lactobacillus brevis showed similar effects in a study of more than 1,600 schoolchildren; in another randomized controlled trial, newborn babies treated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus. The rate of respiratory tract infections was two to three times lower than in the control group; Lactobacillus casei also reduced the frequency and severity of respiratory tract infections.

Probiotics help 'to reserve' immunity

In conclusion, probiotics can adjust the microbial ecology, regulate the immune system, and enhance resistance. Its mechanism of action is that in addition to maintaining the integrity of the tight junctions between intestinal cells and creating a protective barrier, probiotics can also initiate immune cells to produce interferons and a series of cytokines and interleukins, and stimulate specific CD4 and CD8 leukocytes, macrophages, natural killer cells, B lymphocytes, and other immune System members fight viruses.

There arelocal scientific research companies specializing in probiotic products in Hong Kong. Among them, there have been breakthroughs in the research of L. plantarum GKM3 probiotic strains, and the patented technology has won awards and approvals. Ongoing scientific research and development will be able to “to reserve health” for the health of people. To enhance the body’s resistance, the public can choose probiotic products with anti-gastric acid and anti-bile salt properties. They also need to pay attention to the packaging technology of the products to ensure the survival of probiotics. It is safe and effective to help you improve your resistance, and it is your best partner for disease resistance.

References: Olaimat AN et al. The potential application of probiotics and prebiotics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. NPJ Sci Food. 2020 Oct 5;4:17.

Chong HX et al. Lactobacillus plantarum improved upper respiratory tract infections via enhancing immune and inflammatory parameters: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Dairy Sci. 2019 Jun;102(6):4783-4797.

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Don’t want to be a night owl anymore? Five ways to improve insomnia

Greco Kwong — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 06:26:44 +0000

Urbanites have a busy life and a lot of work pressure, and some friends may be plagued by “insomnia”. Insomnia does not simply cause us to lose sleep time and reduce sleep quality, but also affects the next day’s work or study performance, creating another stress, and over time causing a vicious circle. Insomnia affects the functions of the body and brings harm to health that cannot be ignored. If you want to fundamentally improve the quality of sleep, you must pay attention to the following five magic weapons.

1. Yoga before bed

Yoga is one of the most popular sports in recent years. In addition to correcting physical posture, yoga can also relieve emotions and help solve insomnia. Yoga can stimulate the secretion of melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep. In addition, yoga can also inhibit the body’s active response (Flight-or-fight response), by regulating breathing, relieving stress, achieving a relaxing effect, and making it easier for us to fall asleep.

2. Intake of Probiotics

In addition to being beneficial to our digestive system, probiotics are also closely related to the quality of our sleep. Several recent studies on sleep and the gut have shown that when the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is responsible for regulating the biological clock, is chronically active, it increases our risk of gut imbalances. Risks will also affect our sleep quality and lead to insomnia. At the same time, lack of rest will also cause intestinal imbalance, which will become a vicious circle over time. And 80-90% of serotonin, which is responsible for controlling emotions and improving sleep quality, is produced in the intestines. Therefore, we must be careful and serious about the problem of intestinal imbalance to fundamentally improve insomnia. And probiotics are improving our sleep problems by helping the gut restore balance. Studies have found that several probiotics are effective in improving sleep and regulating mood. Taking Bifidobacterium Longum can effectively regulate the secretion of hormones in the brain to deal with stress, thereby reducing anxiety and anxiety. Lactobacillus Acidophilus helps stabilize serotonin, thereby improving sleep quality and reducing fatigue. Another very effective probiotic is Lactobacillus Helveticus. In a study investigating the efficacy of probiotics, it was found that when participants took Lactobacillus Helveticus for a month, their depression index was significantly reduced. Finally, it was found that this probiotic has a reduced Tension and relaxation effect. To learn more about mood+ probiotics, please go to https://biomed.hk/pgut-mood/

3. Consume tryptophan-containing foods, such as milk, tuna

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid responsible for the synthesis of various proteins, including the sleep-promoting melatonin mentioned above. Eating foods containing tryptophan, such as milk, tuna, etc., can help the body to supplement the appropriate tryptophan and increase the secretion of melatonin, thereby relieving sleep problems at night. However, some studies have pointed out that the human body only needs 5 mg/kg of tryptophan per day. Excessive intake may cause side effects such as body tremors and nausea.

4. Avoid electronics before bed

Nowadays, where “the phone never leaves the hand”, many people are accustomed to using electronic products before going to bed, but in recent years, more and more studies have shown that the blue light emitted by electronic products can affect our brain, making the brain think that we do not need to rest, thus reducing the secretion of melatonin. Many friends are accustomed to listening to music before going to bed. We can avoid choosing music with intense rhythm so that our brains will not be stimulated all the time and it will be difficult to relax.

5. Cut down on alcoholic beverages

Some friends who are troubled by sleep problems will drink alcohol before going to bed to make themselves drowsy to help them fall asleep. However, many studies have pointed out that alcohol can only help sleep in the short term, but it can cause a series of sleep problems in the long run, such as frequent awakenings at night. Therefore, people with insomnia need to strictly control their alcohol intake. For more information on improving insomnia, please visit: http://biomed.hk/comingsoon-pgut-mood/#Insomnia #Sleep #Probiotics #Yoga #Stress

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Latest Research: Probiotics Can Withstand Respiratory Diseases Effectively.

Greco Kwong — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 04:08:54 +0000

The coronavirus has affected the globe and led to a serious pandemic. The public response to the epidemic and wearing face masks every day has become the norm. As of early December 2020, there are more than 63 million confirmed cases worldwide. The death toll exceeds 1.47 million, making it incredibly contagious. With the onset of winter, the chances of upper respiratory tract infections increase, which are the symptoms of the new virus, causing panic. Many studies have illustrated that probiotics have the effect of fighting viral and bacterial infections and have the function of alleviating symptoms. Studies have indicated that taking probiotics can reduce the chance of symptoms and shorten the duration of symptoms. There are microorganisms in different parts of the human body, including the respiratory tract and lungs. The largest group is the gut microbiome. Moreover, the intestinal group communicates with the lung group, and the immune cells and small molecules exchange information and form the gut-lung axis. If the respiratory tract is infected and the pulmonary microbiome is disturbed, it can affect the balance of the gut microbiome, causing immune system lesions, and increasing the risk of subsequent infections.

Imbalance Of the Gut Microbiome: Virus Takes Advantage of The Void

A recent study published by The Chinese University of Hong Kong found that patients infected with the novel coronavirus had significantly fewer gut microbial species than healthy people. Even after recovery, the unhealthy ratio of fewer good bacteria versus more harmful bacteria is not restored, and some bacterial species are related to the severity of the disease. The survey also found that the Bacteroidetes bacteria content in the patient’s stool has reduced. These bacteria reduced the angiotensin conversion of viruses to human cells (the angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor, ACE-2 receptor), This reduces the chance of the virus entering the human cell. when the defence mechanism is blocked, the virus takes advantage of the void.

Studies have shown that [probiotics] can enhance resistance

Probiotics are widely recognized as safe and effective health supplements, and numerous studies support probiotics to fight viral and bacterial infections and alleviate symptoms. The data come from large and credible studies which are double-blind randomized controlled trials with meta-analyses. One example is a comprehensive analysis of more than 3,700 participants in 13 double-blind randomized controlled tests that showed a 47% reduction in the incidence of symptoms and a 1.89-day reduction in the average duration of symptoms in probiotic users. The mechanism by which probiotics can regulate the immune system is to keep the tight connections between intestinal cells intact, creating a protective barrier, and probiotics can also activate immune cell manufacturing of s and a series of cytokines and interleukins to stimulate a specific CD4 and CD8 white cells, macrophages, natural killer cells, B lymphocytes and other members of the immune system fight the virus.

Many [probiotics] have their strengths and can cope with different symptoms

In an international clinical study of more than 5,000 infants and more than 100 adults, Lactobacillus plantarum is demonstrated to reduce the risk of respiratory infections and reduce the severity of infections. In another double-blind randomized controlled test using the same probiotics, the average symptom time in the group taking the probiotic preparation was reduced by 5.09 days and the frequency of infections was reduced by 0.32 folds. in a study in which more than 500 adolescents participated, it was shown that Lactobacillus gasseri, Bifidobacterium longum, and Bifidobacterium bifidum were possible to shorten the duration of flu symptoms. While in a study of more than 1600 schoolchildren, Lactobacillus brevis has been shown it has a similar effect in shortening the duration of flu symptoms. Lactobacillus casei also has the effect of reducing the frequency and severity of respiratory infections. Another probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilusplays an important role in the fight against viruses. Studies have shown that Lactobacillus acidophilus can improve the expression of the genes type 1, IL-10 and IL-12, activate the immune system, and fight viruses efficiently. It has been reported that people taking Lactobacillus reuterihave a significant increase in T cells labelled with CD4, CD25, and FoxP3 in their bodies, which helps calm the hyperactive immune system.

4 Key Points for Choosing a Probiotic

Although many studies have brought out the benefits of probiotic supplementation, not all probiotic products available on the market have the same effect. There are four conditions for choosing a suitable probiotic product: Firstly, for probiotics to maintain activity and they must block gastric acid and bile salts from reaching the intestinal tract. Therefore, to produce beneficial bacteria, it is necessary to pass the gastric acid and bile salt tolerance test, so that a sufficient dose of active probiotics reaches the end of the small and large intestine; secondly, they must pass food safety tests. Such as heavy metal testing to ensure its safety; thirdly, they contain a lot of prebiotics. Studies have shown that prebiotics has a strong proliferation effect on the probiotic flora in the intestine, and at the same time have the same effect as plant fibres, which can promote gastrointestinal motility and improve intestinal function; fourthly, in cooperation with different strands of probiotics, the corresponding effects can be achieved for different sub-health problems. There is also a scientific research institution in the Science Park, which has successfully developed PGut Premium probiotics by using the above “premium” strains: including the proprietary probiotic strains Lactobacillus plantarum GKM3, Lactobacillus gasseri, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum etc., combined with triple prebiotics (chicory fibre, fructooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides) and postbiotics (HK-LP) to strengthen the colonization function of probiotics. This formula of probiotics has more precise and advanced packaging technology to encapsulate the bacteria and has been tested in extreme environments simulating the formation of gastric acid and bile salts in the human digestive tract. Through laboratory tests, the results show that probiotics can still maintain a survival rate of more than 98%, effectively fight against gastric acid and bile salts, and active bacteria can reach the intestines.

In the case of repeated epidemics, autoimmunity plays a very important role. However, any supplement also has its limitations. During this pandemic, maintain adequate sleep, stay in a cheerful mood, in cooperation with a balanced diet, appropriate exercise and choose the effective probiotics help to improve your immunity and reduce the risk of respiratory tract infections.

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