In the past few years nutritional scientists have focused more than ever before on the microbiological basis of health, energy and longevity. Nutritional researchers are now delving deeply into the mysterious and highly complex world of bacteria.

Their discoveries portend nothing less than a paradigm shift in the understanding of digestion, absorption, disease and optimization of healthful living on Planet Earth.

An unprecedented volume of research papers and books are focusing on microbiota – the tiny living things that largely determine the issues of life and death for every inhabitant of our world. Such terms as prebiotics and probiotics are increasingly attracting the attention of health-conscious people, and new products bearing those words on their label are appearing on the market.

Let’s have a look at these terms. What do they convey? How are they defined? What may they have to do with the universal battle against human disease? How do they relate to the crucial issues of health maintenance and optimization of the quality of life?

Prebiotics

The term prebiotics is derived from the Greek pre (before) and bios (life), with the resultant meaning before life. Simply defined, prebiotics refers to non-digestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the body by escaping digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract and stimulating the multiplication and/or activity of certain beneficial microorganisms comprising the colonic microflora.

Although they are not themselves living things (bacteria), they are “before life” inasmuch as their presence promotes the proliferation of living things – friendly bacteria – with far-reaching benefits to human health.

If prebiotics are not living things, what are they? What is generally known is that prebiotics are mysterious chemical entities known by jaw-breaker designations such as oligosaccharides, differentiated as fructo-oligosaccarides, isomalto-oligosaccharides, lactilol, lactosucrose, lactulose, pyrodextrins, soy oligosaccharides, transgalacto-oligosaccharides, xylo-oligosaccharides, etc.

Although further discussion of these chemicals is not germane to this article, it is good to know that they have been identified, that they exist, and that they have a crucial role in the maintenance of human health by promoting the multiplication of bacteria – mainly a class of friendly bacteria known as bifidobacteria – that are essential to health maintenance.

Probiotics

The term probiotics is derived from the Greek pro (for) and bios (life), with the resultant meaning “for life” or “life-promoting.” In nutritional science probiotics designates a tiny form of life that promotes the reproduction and proliferation of health-enhancing microorganisms, mainly beneficial bacteria, in the human intestinal tract.

Although prebiotics are dead substances, probiotics are cellular forms of life – mostly bacteria and certain yeasts – that beneficially affect the body by improving the balance within the intestinal microflora.

A recent scientific report defines probiotics simply as “live microorganisms that when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.” Probiotics are alive, pro-life and pro-health, thus highly important factors in optimizing health, quality of life and longevity.

Chief among the currently known probiotics are 30 identified species of bifidobacteria and 56 species of lactobacillus. Other probiotics are lactococcus, saccharomyces, streptococcus thermophilus and enterococcus.

These strains are currently the subjects of a large volume of scientific research. It is beyond the scope of this writing to report the special characteristics of these species. Rather, let’s look at food sources of probiotics and their special functions in relation to health maintenance.

Food Sources of Probiotics

Increasingly in our time a wide and diverse array of probiotic products are available on the market worldwide. Yogurt is perhaps the best known food that delivers probiotics. But an increasing variety of other foods also deliver probiotic benefits.

Among these are kefir, cheese, fermented and unfermented milk, certain juices, cereals and nutrition bars. Probiotics are also available as dietary supplements composed of dried microorganisms concentrated and packaged as capsules or tablets.

Characteristics of Probiotics

The pace of research on the characteristics of probiotics has accelerated dramatically in recent years. Scientists have identified favorable characteristics that reveal a beneficial effect on the health of the consumer.

Such favorable characteristics specify that probiotics are non-toxic, non-pathogenic, void of adverse side effects, stable during a reasonable shelf life, confer a definite health benefit, and are factually and intelligibly labeled for the consumer. Health claims must be evidence-based and supported by scientifically formulated, conducted and interpreted clinical trials.

It has been established that each person is host to his or her own unique population of microorganisms, often referred to as microbes or microbiota. Those colonizing different parts of the body (mouth, nose, pharynx, stomach, skin, intestines, vaginal tract, etc.) differ from those populating other parts of the same body.

Most colonizing microbes are not harmful in their own particular habitat. The special characteristics of the microbiota that may cause disease are not yet well understood.

Benefits of Probiotics

Obviously much interest focuses on the health benefits derived from the introduction or “feeding” of probiotic foods and formulations into the intestinal tract. At this point in time scientific research has discovered and verified the following 12 benefits which indicate decisively a basis for much encouragement.

• Probiotics have been demonstrated to exert a preventive effect against certain diseases.
• Probiotics have been proven as active agents in increasing the number of work days.
• Probiotics have been proven to enhance lactose digestion.
• Probiotics have been demonstrated to decrease certain gastrointestinal disorders.
• Probiotics have been useful in decreasing the unwelcome side-effects of certain antibiotics.
• Probiotics have been proven clinically to reduce the incidence of postoperative problems.
• Probiotics have been proven to enhance immune system function in humans.

The Intestinal Ecosystem

The presence in the intestinal tract and the performance of balanced strains of probiotics is generally positive and pro-health. However, their beneficial effect will depend in considerable degree on the condition of the intestinal environment into which they are introduced.

The intestinal flora is an elaborate ecosystem in which the composition, variety and balance of microbiota will largely determine the function and effectiveness of the “fed” probiotics that are introduced to mingle with the “native” bacteria inside the intestinal system.

To illustrate, suppose the best garden seeds in the world are planted in an ideally fertile, nutrient balanced soil, properly lighted by the sun, and the weather conditions are favorable throughout the growing season.

The result will be a marvelous crop of nutritious vegetables. But if the same seeds were planted is unfertile hard-pan soil lacking adequate sunlight, the result would be vastly different – little yield or none at all.

The principle is clear: the environment will largely determine the result. The typical “Standard American Diet” (“SAD”) is hardly suited to prepare the intestinal environment for service as the ideal host for probiotic effectiveness in optimizing health.

After years of subsistence on the SAD diet, the intestinal tract will likely be clogged with putrified debris that is dumping poisons into the bloodstream and overwhelming the liver.

Desperately needed within the intestinal ecosystem is detoxification, cleansing, chemical reconditioning, enhanced digestion, nutrient absorption and adequate elimination of waste materials.

Biofermentics and the Intestinal Environment

Eminent Japanese scientists have emerged after some 70 years of intensive research with the most effective confirmed solution in the world today. It is called Biofermentics, and its main function is to prepare the intestinal ecosystem for maximization of the effectiveness of both “native” and “fed” probiotics inside the intestinal tract.

As in the case of garden seeds, the environment makes the difference. Good seeds in a bad environment produce poor vegetables if any at all. Good seeds in the proper environment will produce a bumper crop.

Likewise in the intestinal ecosystem, good probiotics introduced to a poisoned and largely malfunctioning intestinal tract will struggle against insurmountable obstacles and contribute little to bodily health.

To the contrary, good probiotics introduced into an intestinal ecosystem prepared by SEIGEN will maximize the effectiveness of the probiotics, thus contributing optimally to digestion, absorption and nutrient distribution throughout the cells and tissues of all body systems.

What actually is Biofermentics, and how does it perform such dramatic functions within the intestinal tract? Biofermentics is itself not a probiotic. It is a product to which Japanese nutritional scientists refer as lactobacillus fermented extracts.

Manufactured by means of an elaborate process using 16 different strains of lactobacilli and 4 different varieties of yeast, it delivers symbiotically perfected metabolites to the intestinal tract.

By this means it prepares the intestinal environment to accommodate the native and fed probiotics in such a way as to maximize their effectiveness.

Result: the climate of the internal ecosystem is detoxed, cleansed and prepared, like fertile soil, to accommodate the prolific multiplication of the friendly bacteria on which optimized health and life itself depends.

Conclusion

Japanese medical practitioners are today recommending and prescribing Biofermentics because it has proven effective in enhancing the effectiveness of standard medical treatments for a wide variety of diseases.

In its own right it has proven remarkably effective in improving intestinal microflora action, reducing stress effect, improving liver and kidney function, improving restful sleep, mood, energy and stamina, healing surgical wounds, ameliorating sugar predominance, enhancing immunity and demonstrating anti-oxidant power and anti-mutagenic action in cells.

Indeed Biofermentics is widely hailed as the super-nutrient that represents a paradigm breakthrough – a whole new category of understanding in the systemic approach to health enhancement, longevity and quality of life.

NOTE: Including excellent Probiotic supplements in your health maintenance program is a very good idea, because it has been proven that Probiotics strongly support digestion, absorption, and the immune system.

Dr. H. Edward Rowe

Green Valley, Nevada

702-454-0015