The Probiotic Revolution

Many people are unaware of the startling link between our body's intestinal flora and good health. Proper bowel maintenance can help us enjoy a dramatically higher quality of life as well. In the early 1900s, Dr. Elias Metchnikoff wrote a groundbreaking book "Prolongation of Life". In doing so, he created the "Probiotic Revolution." Metchnikoff, a Nobel laureate who discovered phagocytes and other immune system components, documented in the book what he believed to be a direct link between human longevity and the necessity of maintaining a healthy balance of beneficial micro organisms within the body. Today, many researchers carry on the astonishing work Metchnikoff started. At alternative medicine research facilities worldwide, these frontier scientists have documented many of Metchnikoff's original findings, immune-system enhancement, and life extension.

When the ecology of the human gastrointestinal tract becomes disrupted, beneficial microorganisms can no longer flourish in needed numbers and proper balances. What's more, harmful toxin producing bacteria and fungi begin to take over, further changing the ecology of the gastrointestinal tract.

Researchers also have found that altered levels of acidity and alkalinity in the gastrointestinal tract will change the ecology of the bowel environment, and thereby affect the type, quantity and behavior of microorganisms found there.

The Benefits of Bifidobacteria and FOS

The beneficial bacteria which normally predominate in the large intestine are called Bifidobacteria. The growth of Bifidobacteria in the large bowel is strongly affected by diet. Bifidobacteria thrive on vegetable fiber and on the complex sugars that occur in certain vegetables. These complex sugars, known as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), are especially concentrated in garlic, onion, artichoke, asparagus and chicory root. Extensive research conducted in Japan, the U.S. and Europe demonstrates that supplementing the diet with FOS encourages the growth of Bifidobacteria and discourages the growth of most undesirable bacterial species in the intestine.