Optimizing
Our Probiotics With Dietary Carbohydrate Choices
by
Tom Grier
Recently
after the July floods in Hermantown, MN near Duluth,many people in
the region experienced severe diarrhea, possibly from the
contamination of well water.
None
suffered from this condition more so than our singer in our
band.
For
over a week she took her probiotic capsules only to find each day her
condition seemed to get worse.
Medically
trained she knew taking her probiotic with milk would give something
for the Acidophillus and Bifidobacteria bacteria to grow
on.
Unfortunately
she was severely lactose and gluten intolerant and felt milk or
grains would worsen her condition.
Not
knowing what else to do she adhered to the medically recommended
diet for severe dysentery known as theBRATs diet. (Bananas,
Rice, Apples, Toast)
She
felt she had few dietary choices that would help, but with a little
research she soon discovered that what her diet needed wasn’t dairy
products or wheat; but rather a special class of
carbohydrates:
Specifically oligosaccharides.
Definitions:
Oligosacharide -
3-10 simple sugars linked together and found in natural
foods.
Lactobacillus
acidophilus
(Latin meaning acid-loving
milk-bacterium) is an aerobicbacterium that
ferments sugars into lactic acid, and grows readily at
rather low/acidic pH values (below pH 5.0) and has an optimum growth
temperature of around 37 °C (99 °F), and is used in the
production of acidophilus-type yogurt.
(Source
- Wikipedia)
Bifidobacterium is
a genus of Gram-positive, non-motileanaerobic bacteria.
They are inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract, vagina, and
mouths (B. dentium) of mammals.
Bifidobacteria
are one of the major genera of bacteria that make up the colon flora
in mammals. Some bifidobacteria are used asprobiotics.
(Before
the 1960s, Bifidobacterium species were collectively
referred to as "Lactobacillus bifidus".) (Wikipedia)
Most
digestion takes place in the upper intestine where the predominant
digestive bacteria is the aerobic Lactobacillus
acidophillus.
These
bacteria also help supply us with vitamin-K for blood clotting which
our bodies cannot produce without L. acidophillus.
In
the lower-intestine/colon, anaerobic bifidobacteria finish most of
the digestive processes. It is in the colon where diarrhea must be
controlled.
Why
Carbohydrates are important in our GI Tract
Not
long ago we were all taught that there were just two kinds of
carbohydrates: Sugars and Starches.
Simple
sugars were just one or two six carbon rings linked to each
other.
Sucrose
or table sugar is a disaccharide made of glucose and fructose.
Glucose Sucrose (Glucose +
Fructose)
Carbohydrates
such as starches, were long chains of simple sugars strung together
like a chain, or linked in a fashion resembling a tree branch and we
called them complexed-carbohydrates.
Then
we were told about another class of carbs that didn’t count much
because they were mostly undigestible, and we called them fibers
or insoluble-fibers.
Later
in the 1970s, we learned that dietary fiber lowered the risk of
colon cancer.
Then
we discovered soluble-fibers, and learned that they lowered our
cholesterol.
As
it turns out, this class of complex-carbohydrates known as
dietary fiber is important to our GI health, not just because of
cancer and cholesterol but because of how they are digested.
The
term complex-carbohydrates may becoming an obsolete term because we
now know that some complex-carbs raise blood sugar faster than many
sugars.
And
many simple sugars play roles we never dreamed of beyond just giving
us energy/calories.
Most
starches are only partially digested in the upper intestine.
The
starches then complete the digestion process in the colon, where the
break-down products play a vital role in the health of the colon.
Some
starches especially resistant starches are fermented in the colon
and produce a fat that our body needs
called short-chain-fatty-acids, SCFAs, which cannot easily
be obtained in our diet.
(Pretty
cool huh! A carbohydrate that becomes a fat in the gut because
of our probiotic anaerobic bacteria!)
One
SCFA is butyrate which protects our colon cells from
genetic damage and cancer.
Between
the simple sugars and the starches (polysaccharides),is a middle
class of carbohydrates known as
theoligosaccharides.
Oligosaccharides
are made of chains of 3-10 simple sugars and can be found naturally
in many plants; they often have a slight sweetness and have been
described by food scientists as having a pleasant mouth-feel, and are
now common food additives for texture and fiber.
Natural
sources of oligosaccharides include:
onions,
leeks, garlic, most legumes (beans, lentils, and peas) wheat,
asparagus, and chicory (labeled as inulin on food labels),
and al dente pasta.
Why
are these foods good to consume with your probiotics?
Recently
this class of foods have been referred to as pre-biotics, because
they feed the bacteria we need to digest our food.
Unfortunately
Americans get about 1/3 the levels of oligosaccharides in their diet
as Europeans, or what is consumed in a typical Mediterranean
diet.
Because
the upper intestine has a hard time breaking down this class of
carbs, almost 90 % escapes to the colon where oligosaccharides
reach their full pre-biotic potential.
A prebiotic supports
the health of probiotics!
So
now you can see how taking a probiotic does little good for your
intestinal track if you don’t support the probiotic bacteria
with proper nutrition.
Up
until the 21st century we used to think nutritional support of our
gut bacteria was as simple as drinking a glass of milk.
In
addition to the oligosaccharides, another class of prebiotic is
emerging.
Both
resistant starches and fermentable fiber are two carbohydrates that
also add to our colon’s good health.
You
might know resistant starches by their signature sound and
smell as a by product of digestion in the colon is methane
gas.
The
digestion of fermentable fiber in the colon also produces more
beneficial by-products including:
short-chain-fatty-acids,
and some B-vitamins, and recapture dietary magnesium and calcium that
would have been excreted.
So
as we feed our probiotic bacteria with these alternative food sources
we also reap the benefits of:
lower
cholesterol, lower triglycerides, improved insulin sensitivity, and
improved immune system function.
If
you have diarrhea from antibiotic use and are taking probiotic
capsules or probiotic yogurts, and kefirs, then the following
foods may help support the probiotics and improve the health of your
intestinal tract.
Bon
Appetite
BRAT
diet: Bananas, Rice, Apples, Toast.
Bananas
may be more effective when they are green, and use low-fiber or white
bread for toast.
Other
foods to eat during episodes of diarrhea include
crackers,
pretzels, apricots, applesauce, mashed potatoes, noodles, cream of
wheat or cream of rice, smooth peanut butter, eggs prepared any way
but fried, skinless poultry, mild white fish, lean beef, low-fat
cottage cheese, and canned vegetables.
It
is best to eat small, frequent snacks and meals instead of
larger meals.
Beans,
peas, lentils, wheat, rice (Creme of Rice hot cereal seems to work
best)
Foods
to Avoid
* Greasy, deep-fried, fatty foods, and rich saucesbecause these may
worsen diarrhea.
* Sugary or very spicy foods may also be bothersome.
* Sugar-free gums and candies usually contain sugar alcohols
(sweeteners) that may cause diarrhea.
* Large meals with large amounts of protein and Fats.
