Beneficial Effects of Bifidobacterium Longum
Bifidobacterium longum is a bacteria that normally inhabits a healthy bowel in most mammals, including humans. It can be found in fermented foods or taken in supplement form. These beneficial bacteria thrive on plant fiber and they may assist digestion, have a protective anti-cancer effect, reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol.
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History
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Bifidobacterium longum are organisms that usually having a rod shape but are sometimes spiral or cluster shaped. In breastfed infants, bifidobacterium make up 90 percent of colonies in the gut. Bottlefed babies lack much of this normal flora. Bifidobacterium longum inhabits the bowel in decreasing numbers as people age, leaving only an average of 5 percent of the colonies left in an adult intestinal tract. Bifidobacterium longum is replaced over time by E.coli, which produces gas, and bacterioids such as streptococci lactobacilli. Use of antibiotic medications and poor dietary choices contribute to the loss of Bifidobacterium longum.
Function
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Dietary sources of Bifidobacterium longum include fermented dairy products such as yogurt and kefir, fermented teas such as kombucha and cultured vegetables like sauerkraut. Bifidobacterium longum have a unique metabolism; they are able to use nondigestible plant fibers by way of a key enzyme called the frutcose-6-phosphate phosphoketalose pathway, or bifid pathway, that is not found in other intestinal organisms. The bifid pathway depends on the presence of inulin, a soluble fiber found in non-starchy vegetables such as green beans, Asian vegetables, dark green leafy vegetables, summer squash and cabbage family vegetables like broccoli, kale and brussels sprouts.
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Benefits
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High colonies of Bifidobacterium longum in the bowel are associated with a lower incidence of allergies in children. Foods that contain Bifidobacterium longum are used as home remedies for diarrhea, vaginitis and irritable bowel syndrome. A study on rats with colon cancer showed that Bifidobacterium longum prevented the cancer from spreading and stopped tumors from growing. The addition of inulin, or plant fibers, more than doubled the beneficial effects of Bifidobacterium longum against cancer growth. There is also evidence that with the addition of fiber and Bifidobacterium longum, a reduction in harmful organisms in the bowel takes place and inflammation associated with colitis and Crohn's disease is markedly reduced. An increase in Bifidobacterium longum colonies is also associated with lower cholesterol levels in blood.
Considerations
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By eating large amounts of fiber-rich vegetables it is possible to increase colonies of Bifidobacterium longum in the large intestine, as this provides the "inedible" fiber that research has shown these beneficial organisms thrive on. In this manner, the plant fiber inulin serves as a "prebiotic," or catalyst for proliferation of healthy bacterial colonies. Supplements of Bifidobacterium longum, especially in combination with other beneficial organisms and inulin added to a fiber-rich diet, hold the best hope for preventing colon cancer and other types of digestive malignancies.
Warnings
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Adding inulin and other types of fiber to the diet should be done gradually to prevent digestive upset in systems not accustomed to large amounts of fiber. Fiber increases the bulk of stools and assists movement of matter through the intestines; drink extra fluids to ensure a smooth process.
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