The Oral Probiotic Dilemma

Cells in the stomach lining produce hydrochloric acid which aids in the digestion of dietary protein. Stomach acid is also an important part of your immune system; it is 10,000 to 100,000 times stronger than the acidity in the rest of the intestinal tract. NOTE: Enteric-coated and spore-based probiotics may withstand stomach acid, their but efficacy is also questionable due to dilemma #2 & #3.

The small intestine is also a hostile environment for orally ingested probiotic bacteria. Bile acids and pancreatic enzymes are released into the small intestines to digest food. These compounds will also damage the cell membrane of probiotic bacteria, which reduces the viability and survivability of probiotics in this environment.

Just like people, probiotic bacteria require nourishment for their health and survival. Dietary fibers and polyphenols are the two types of components in food that probiotic bacteria require. Fruits and vegetables are the best sources of dietary fibers and polyphenols. However, multiple studies have reported that from 80-95% of American children and adults do not consume enough of these essential compounds. Hence, most Americans do not consume a diet that supports a healthy gut microbiome.

The primary “job” of probiotic bacteria is to convert dietary fibers and polyphenols into compounds called postbiotic metabolites, which have a wide range of health-regulating effects throughout the body. However, bad diets, environmental toxins, and antibiotics create bacterial imbalance, which results in irritation and damage to the lining of the intestinal tract. Under these conditions, not enough postbiotic metabolites are produced, which contributes to many health problems.

Many chronic, age-related health problems are associated with an imbalance in intestinal bacterial, or dysbiosis. A healthy intestinal microbiome should contain about 85-90% beneficial bacteria and only 10-15% bacterial strains that are potential pathogens. In general, bacteria only become pathogens when they are allowed to proliferate.

Different species of probiotic bacteria require different kinds of food for their survival. This is why it is important to consume a wide variety of plant-based foods that supply a diversity of dietary fiber and polyphenols. This promotes the growth of different species of probiotic bacteria, which ensures a healthy gut microbiome. Unfortunately, the diet of many Americans contains high amounts of sugar and highly processed foods, with a corresponding deficiency of dietary fibers and polyphenols. This deficiency compromises the ability of probiotic bacteria to proliferate and produce the postbiotic metabolites that regulate many aspects of human health.

When postbiotic metabolites are ingested orally, they successfully survive passage through the strong acid in the stomach. When they arrive in the colon, postbiotic metabolites immediately begin to exert a wide range of health benefits such as reducing intestinal irritation, directly killing or suppressing the growth of pathogens, providing a source of energy, promoting the health of the intestinal lining, resetting the proper level of acidity, enhancing immune function, and much more.

Orally ingested probiotics often fail to provide their touted health benefits. Ingesting high dose probiotics containing 10s or 100s of billions of bacteria (high CFUs) actually work against balance and diversity of the intestinal microbiome. Also, the dilemmas discussed in this article explain why orally ingested probiotics are not capable of producing postbiotic metabolites, which are critically important regulators of many aspects of health.

Consuming a plant-based diet that supplies a diverse range of dietary fibers and polyphenols is the most important factor for creating and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome. However, when people develop intestinal problems, directly ingesting postbiotic metabolites is a fast and effective method of resolving GI symptoms and improving health in the GI tract. Regularly taking a product that contains a diverse range of postbiotic metabolites is an important proactive step people can take to maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Postbiotic metabolites are Microbiome Health Insurance.

Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics contain relatively small amounts of probiotic bacteria and prebiotics. The vast majority of Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics is the postbiotic metabolites that are created during the 3-year fermentation process. Postbiotic metabolites are not harmed by stomach acid. Hence, they successfully travel down the intestinal tract and when they reach the colon, they immediately begin to kill pathogens, reduce the irritation and damage in the lining of the GI tract, reestablish the proper level of acidity in the microbiome ecosystem, promote healing intestinal barrier, and they provide an important source of energy for the production of healthy new cells in the lining of the GI tract. No other probiotic product works like this or works as fast as Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics. This is The Dr. Ohhira’s Advantage.