Probiotics, Cholesterol and Heart Health

Posted by Dr. Mark Lange

The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that, by 2030, cardiovascular diseases will affect approximately 23.6 million people around the world.  High blood cholesterol is a factor in 45 percent of heart attacks in Western Europe and 35 percent of heart attacks in Central and Eastern Europe.  Heart attack risk is three times higher in those with hypercholesterolemia, compared to those who have normal blood lipid profiles.

The Pros of Probiotics Infographic

Keeping blood cholesterol levels within normal ranges typically includes exercise, monitoring dietary intake and drug therapy.  However, pharmaceutical agents to control cholesterol are expensive, often suboptimal and have negative side effects.

Cholesterol is made in the liver from bile, stored in the gallbladder, and released into the upper portion of the small intestine after food intake.  Bile acts as a biological detergent, used to emulsify and solubilize dietary lipids.  Bile is made from cholesterol, and any in fact, about half of the bodys cholesterol is used to make bile.  Under normal conditions, bile is reabsorbed into the bloodstream from the intestinal tract and taken up by the liver.

Probiotic bacteria – especially Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus and Clostridium– produce enzymes that convert bile into a less soluble form which is excreted in feces before reabsorption into the bloodstream.  Replacement bile, lost in excretion, is then replenished by drawing upon serum cholesterol as the building material; leading to a reduction in serum cholesterol. Oral administration of probiotics has shown to reduce cholesterol levels by as much as 33 percent in animal and human studies.  These cholesterol-lowering effects can be partially ascribed to bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity.

Here is an abbreviated list of bacteria having demonstrated ability to lower serum cholesterol through BSH activity in randomized controlled trials.  There are dozens of bacterial species having BSH activity, but to be used as a probiotic, it must be safe for human ingestion and have tolerance of physiological stresses: e.g., low pH, osmolarity change and bile.

• Bifidobacterium breve
• B. infantis
• B. longum
• Lactobacillus acidolphilus
• L. casei
• L. fermentum
• L. rhamnosus
• L. plantarum

The cholesterol reducing effect of probiotics is also attributed to their ability to bind with cholesterol in the small intestine.  In vitro studies reveal that the capacity to bind cholesterol and the amount of cholesterol assimilated varies widely among strains. Interestingly, although live bacteria remove more cholesterol than dead cells, heat-killed cells also will remove some cholesterol, indicating that cholesterol binds to the cellular surface.

Increasingly, it is being demonstrated that many aspects of general health begin and reside in the metabolic processes surrounding digestion. The benefits of probiotic activity in relation to cholesterol levels is one such example.

Did you know...

 "Oral administration of probiotics has shown to REDUCE CHOLESTEROL LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 33%"- in animal and human studies.

What Makes NutriClean® Probiotics Unique? 

NutriClean Probiotics

Diversity of strains, total bacterial count and protection of the probiotics are key elements in a powerful probiotic product. The digestive tract is home to 400-500 different types of microbes. These microbes include both healthy bacteria (probiotics) and potentially unhealthy bacteria. Maintaining optimal digestive and immune health depends in large part on maintaining optimal bacterial balance within the digestive tract. With such tremendous diversity naturally present in the digestive tract, it is important to supplement with not just one strain, but numerous strains of probiotics, so that the most comprehensive benefit is received.

Many products on the market deliver a high total probiotic count, but they are only coming from one or two strains. These practices yield products which do not deliver comprehensive support. According to research published in Food Research International, probiotic products which deliver multiple strains can offer more benefits than a single strain. Market America’s NutriClean Probiotics delivers 10 billion CFUs from 10 different strains with patented LiveBac® and Bio-tract® technologies to help keep the probiotics viable during both bottling and throughout the digestive process.*

Each strain has a unique purpose and the strains work synergistically to support numerous areas of health from immunity to stomach comfort and bowel regularity. Your body is a bacterial battlefield. As with a true battle, there may be lots of different types of good guys and lots of different types of bad guys. On “Good Guys Team” (NutriClean Probiotics), you have the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. Each component of the team brings a unique area of expertise and, working together, they achieve their goal. When your good guys are outnumbered, you don’t want to just bring in more Navy, you need a variety of strong, capable resources with unique talents.

“The Good Guys Team” (NutriClean Probiotics) are 10 carefully selected bacterial strains – six lactobacilli strains and four bifidobacterium strains – each with a unique role to help your body maintain bacterial balance and optimal digestive health.