Probiotics – The answer to your high cholesterol, weight gain and more!

By Dr. Michael Wald
Probiotics – The answer to your high cholesterol, weight gain and more!

The term probiotic refers to the use of certain types of “healthy bugs (either bacterial or fungal in origin) that the body needs in certain amounts and in different places in the body to carry on literally hundreds of essential functions of life.  Unfortunately, our food sources have all but killed the healthy bugs.  Yogurts may have tiny amounts of probiotics, but far too low for most therapeutic purposes; and, yogurt may not have all of the differing forms of these healthy bugs that you need.

Medical strains of probiotics exist that have proven health benefits.  Different supplement companies that sell them provide a wide variety of combinations, strength and forms of these probiotics.  Just because one label says the capsule contains 14 billion bugs does not mean that they are potent or even alive!  If they are dead they are a waste.  If you ask most people about probiotics they will tell you about lactobacillus acidophilus in yogurt.  Fewer still will know of the special health benefits of saccromyces boulardii (health yeast) for conditions as varied as acute and chronic infections, and inflammatory bowel disease.  Even fewer still will have heard of lactobacillus plantarum which helps reduce inflammation in the small intestine that is present in most malabsorption disorders.  It is the rare person indeed that knows of saccromyces cervesae – a healthy form of yeast that Dr. Michael Wald has pionerred into an effective treatment for those with ulcerative colitis and crohn’s disease (inflammatory bowel disease).  This article is too brief to review the important considerations involving the use and purchase of these “healthy bugs” such as: how does one determine quality (nope! Not just higher numbers of bugs); how much to take? When is the best time to supplement with them? Should they be taken on an empty stomach, with food and near digestive enzymes?  These are questions you might want to ask Dr. Michael Wald directly.  He teaches this topic as part of his gastrointestinal course provided to health care doctors across the United States and Canada.

Cholesterol Lowering

Probiotics such as acidophilus, B. logum, bifidus and saccromyce’s boulardii lower cholesterol through a number of mechanisms:  Quick summary –

Probiotics increase bile flow; increased bile flow helps to breakdown cholesterol that is normally excreted in the intestines and reduces it’s reabsorption back into the body (this would raise blood cholesterol levels).

Reduce Inflammation

Probiotics reduce intestinal and systemic inflammation (found throughout the body) that may play a role in raising cholesterol levels.

Balance pH (acidity-alkalinity)

Probiotics help to adjust the small intestine and large intestine pH (level of acidity or alkalinity); imbalanced intestinal pH promotes inflammation and an increase in the endogenous production (produced in the body) of cholesterol which is an ANTI-INFLAMMATORY.  If you didn’t know, cholesterol has many health benefits also such as: reducing cancer risk (levels of cholesterol below 160 mg/dL are associated with higher cancer risks); cholesterol functions as an antioxidant (this is a good thing!); cholesterol is the “mother hormone” producing pregnenolone, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, estrone, estradiole, estriole; and many other functions too numerous to mention here.

Hormone Balancing

Probiotics help manage hormone metabolism; low levels of healthy bugs in the intestinal track lead to raised blood levels of cholesterol; cholesterol forms estrogens, testosterone and progesterone.  Reestablishing normal healthy flora reduces excessive cholesterol levels helping to ward off abnormally high hormone levels.  High levels of cholesterol may be related to excessive production in the body of estrogen that has been linked to breast and prostate cancer.
Intestinal Health

Probiotics improve the production of an important short-chain fatty acid known as butyrate; low levels of butyrate cause an increase in cholesterol; increased colon cancer risk and inflammatory bowel diseases.

Probiotics are NOT all the same!

Not all probiotic supplements are the same.  How they are manufactured matters.  Often people consume probiotics that have been heat treated and they are either dead or inactive (useless).  The type of probitic(s) should be tailored to the individual.  For example, acidophilus is best for vaginitis that is bacterial in origin; colon cancer requires bifidobacterium which helps shrink cancer tumors; saccromyces boulardii is important for certain types of fungal infections – they are just a few examples.  Dr. Wald teaches doctors and health care providers how to manage difficult gastrointestinal disorders and other health problems with the proper use of probiotics.  Do you take them with digestive enzymes? How about with foods?  This all depends on one’s health goals.  Contact Dr. Wald for more!

 

REFERENCES

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20945142 – lowers serum cholesterol, improved nutrition, microbial balance, and immuno-enhancement of the intestinal tract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19515264 – lowers cholesterol, reduces colon cancer risk, raises HDL

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20699581 – the probiotic bifidobacterium activates certain genes that enhance fat metabolism promoting weight loss

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20640165 – lowers many harmful blood fats

 

 

7 Responses to “Probiotics – The answer to your high cholesterol, weight gain and more!

  • Hey Admin,Cool Post, It is third time I have vaginal candida in 3 months. And I also had it on my tongue. I have been to gyn and dermatologist, and got medications for it. Beside this I keep anti-candida diet, I take probiotics, basica (which is a product we have for making ur body more basic), aloe-vera, I drink clay for internal usage, and grapefruit seed essence, eat large quantities of pro biotic yogurt. And with all this it still returns!
    I suspect that I have systematic candida.
    I was exposed to extremely lot of stress which ended with sleeping disorder and anxiety. It lasted form August last year till beginning of March, when I took payment free leave, and am recovering and feeling much better now, sleep well, do yoga, eat healthy etc.
    Still my candida returns, so I suspect my immune system is super weak. my recent blood test shower higher cholesterol and my alcalic phosphates is lower than normal.
    Can you please recommend me understand how can I regain my health!
    Answers of health care professionals will be appreciated.
    Thanks

  • Dear Admin,Thanks for your thoughts, It is third time I have vaginal candida in 3 months. And I also had it on my tongue. I have been to gyn and dermatologist, and got medications for it. Beside this I keep anti-candida diet, I take probiotics, basica (which is a product we have for making ur body more basic), aloe-vera, I drink clay for internal usage, and grapefruit seed essence, eat large quantities of pro biotic yogurt. And with all this it still returns!
    I suspect that I have systematic candida.
    I was exposed to extremely lot of stress which ended with sleeping disorder and anxiety. It lasted form August last year till beginning of March, when I took payment free leave, and am recovering and feeling much better now, sleep well, do yoga, eat healthy etc.
    Still my candida returns, so I suspect my immune system is super weak. my recent blood test shower higher cholesterol and my alcalic phosphates is lower than normal.
    Can you please recommend me understand how can I regain my health!
    Answers of health care professionals will be appreciated.
    Nice One!

    • Regarding your questions to improve your overall health and will being. The cause of infections may vary from person to person. Even if 10 individuals have a bacterial infection they may have 10 different causes. They lowered immunity me because by genetics, poor diet including excessive intake of refined and processed carbohydrates, stress, and diabetes just to name a few. You mentioned in your description of your health problems that you’re alkaline phosphatase was low; many dozens of causes could have resulted in a low alkaline phosphatase. One common cause of a low alkaline phosphatase is malnutrition, Mal absorption, zinc deficiency and others. Is important when considering specific health problems to think of them in context with a variety of lab tests, a nutritional physical exam and a detailed history.

  • Hello Admin,Very interesting, It is third time I have vaginal candida in three months. And I also had it on my tongue. I have been to gyn and dermatologist, and bought medications for it. Beside this I keep anti-candida diet program, I get probiotics, basica (which is a product or service we have for generating ur overall body far more important), aloe-vera, I consume clay for internal use, and grapefruit seed essence, consume significant quantities of professional biotic yogurt. And with all this it nonetheless returns!
    I suspect that I have systematic candida.
    I was subjected to extremely ton of anxiety which finished with sleeping condition and fear. It lasted sort August very last 12 months until beginning of March, when I took cost free of cost leave, and am recovering and experiencing a good deal improved now, snooze properly, do yoga, take in healthful and so on.
    However my candida returns, so I suspect my immune process is tremendous weak. my newly released blood test shower larger cholesterol and my alcalic phosphates is reduce than typical.
    Can you please advocate me understand how can I get back my well-being!
    Solutions of health and wellbeing treatment gurus will be appreciated.
    Thx.

  • Hey There Admin,This question may be a little off-topic, High cholesterol is a serious problem among 13 million Americans. Unless you monitor your cholesterol levels on a consistent basis you would never know that your levels are high.
    Regards

    • Regarding your question of high cholesterol and testing it routinely: yes it is true that if you cannot perform left work you could never know what your actual cholesterol levels are. Having said this, there are many other forms of cholesterol that one should measure and not only total cholesterol. The total cholesterol, By virtue of the word total, contains many subtypes of cholesterol. Other examples of cholesterol include, but are not limited to, large and small LDL articles. Also, there are many other important test that are in fact more accurate for protecting cardiovascular disease beyond cholesterol and include fibrinogen, CRP, homocysteine, carotid sonogram, and a variety of nutrient levels such as vitamin D3.

    • Cholesterol levels may be elevated from: oxidative stress ( as cholesterol is an antioxidant), liver issues, genetics, poor diet and many other reasons. High cholesterol is not useful in and of itself. Other lipids and tests to consider to really know ones heart disease risk include: ferritin, homocysteine, CRP-cardio, vitamin D3, inflammatory markers, autonomic nervous system activity, carotid artery testing, EKG, arterial stiffness testing and bone density. Taken together one can be far more certain about true cardiovascular risk and what to do about it.

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*DISCLAIMER: Dr. Michael Wald is a doctor of chiropractic with a masters degree in nutrition. He is also a Certified Dietitian Nutritionist and a Certified Nutritional Specialist and Sports Nutritionist. Dr. Wald is certified to provide acupuncture in several states, but not New York. Dr. Wald has two board certifications in nutrition. Dr. Michael Wald earned his MD diploma, but did not complete a residency and is thus not licensed to practice medicine. The information on this site is intended for educational purposes only and is not to substitute for sound medical or health advice. Information contained within this website may change at any time without prior notice. The information on this website is under copyright, 2021.