Groundbreaking Study on Leaky Gut Finds Probiotics Effective
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A groundbreaking study published in The World Journal of Gastrointestinal Pathophysiology demonstrates the unprecedented effects of a proprietary, bacillus, multi-spore probiotic formulation on the gut, its structure and function, as well as its connection to the immune system and the brain.
Using Metabolic Endotoxemia as a measure of intestinal permeability and chronic immune activation, Microbiome Labs commissioned the University of North Texas to conduct a study on the ability of the spores to modulate how the gut and microbiome respond to a challenge meal. Here is a short summary of the findings and key points:
Metabolic Endotoxemia (clinical leaky gut) is becoming recognized as a primary insult and driver of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cognitive decline, immune dysfunctions and even conditions like Parkinson's disease. It is characterized by dramatically elevated serum LPS (endotoxin) levels after a meal, along with elevated triglycerides, poor insulin response and elevated inflammatory cytokines, i.e. IL-6, IL-8, IL-1B, and MCP-1. Elevations in these markers are shown to be hallmarks of chronic disease and the number one cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western world.
The study screened nearly 100 young, healthy subjects for Metabolic Endotoxemia and discovered that nearly 50 percent of this population exhibited an endotoxic response to a high-caloric meal. Surprisingly, nearly half of young, healthy, normal weight, symptom-free individuals had a highly toxic response to eating food. This is the same toxic response that is responsible for causing metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, autoimmunity, cancers and heart disease. This finding, itself, was a landmark.
Just 30 days of taking the bacillus strains used in Just Thrive Probiotic significantly reduced the endotoxin response to the same challenge meal, along with significant reductions in triglycerides, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1B, and MCP-1. It is important to note, that no other interventions, diet modifications or lifestyle changes were imposed on the subjects, who were split into two groups-one, taking the bacillus strains, and the other, a placebo. Just 30 days of taking these strains effectively fixed their gut lining, favorably altered the immunological response to food, significantly decreased inflammation in the gut, and systemically reduced the major hallmarks of chronic disease.
Another significant finding was that these strains were able to restore some communication between the gut and brain that was seemingly lost in most of these subjects. The levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone) remained elevated in the placebo subjects, even after consuming a high-caloric meal. This indicates that the gut is not communicating the energy status of the digestive tract to the brain, thus the hunger hormone continued to remain high after the meal. After 30 days, we saw a restoration of ghrelin function and gut-brain communication, where the treatment group recorded a dramatic reduction in circulating ghrelin hormone after the high-caloric meal. The lost communication on energy status and caloric intake between the gut and brain was restored.
In the subjects that did have an endotoxic response, their microbiome was not protective of the host. Within 30 days, the microbiome was changed from a non-protective confirmation to a protective confirmation, blocking the influx of highly toxic LPS into the circulation after a meal.
The 30-day therapy also trended towards a better insulin response to the challenge meal, indicating that these bacillus strains likely conduct a favorable modulation of the endocrine response to food.
The systemic, chronic immune activation from the leaky gut is believed to be the driving force behind autoimmunity and inflammatory bowel disease, and this response got worse by about 32 percent in the placebo group. This means that in just 30 days, the condition worsened by a measurable amount. Conversely, the controlled group saw a significant reduction in chronic immune activation by using the spores. This can have significant implications for the treatment and management of autoimmune disease and inflammatory bowel disease.
This is the first time that a probiotic has been shown to significantly reduce leaky gut and all the associated immune activation, in human subjects.
"Without stopping the daily endotoxic response to consuming foods and the significant inflammation that follows, treating immune dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, and chronic gastrointestinal problems is an endless battle," said microbiologist Kiran Krishnan, Chief Science Officer at Just Thrive Probiotic. "We set out to create a product that could be a foundational part of everyone's daily wellness regimen, and this pursuit has led to redefining what a probiotic is and what it can do for the overall health."
According to Krishnan, this first published study suggests that colonizing gastric stable spore strains like those found in Just Thrive Probiotic should be at the core of any daily nutritional supplement program for better health.
"We looked beyond the conventional views on how to formulate a probiotic product, and leaned on the latest science on the microbiome and clues from nature to provide us with guidance on formulating a revolutionary product," he explained.
