Irritable Bowel Syndrome, commonly referred to as IBS, is a condition that is believed to arise out of low grade inflammatory activity occurring in the small and large intestines, where the immune system has become deregulated. This proposed scenario is noted by a July 2008 "Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology" article, by Emmon Quigley, M.D., to occur following an imbalance between good bowel flora or probiotic and bad bacteria. This occurrence is known as dysbiosis. The article notes that the use of probiotics in this condition is an area of new interest and exploration.
Dysbiosis
It is thought that fifteen-percent of IBS sufferers develop the condition after a presumed infectious illness that caused diarrhea. The 2006 Journal of clinical Gastroenterology notes that the body's adaptation to the bad or infectious organisms leads to inflammation, gas and increased short chain fatty acid, which then affects the motility of the bowels. The symptoms that that characterize this condition include pain, cramping and alterations in bowel movements, namely loose stools.
Probiotics
Probiotics are beneficial bacteria, native to the human gastrointestinal tract that are purposeful in priming the body to what is foreign versus what is natural. Probiotics also support the health of colonic cells, act as a surveillance to potentially harmful organisms thereby keeping their levels low as well as assisting with the production of important nutrients, such as vitamin K. In improving the symptoms of IBS, a March 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, Camilleri notes that probiotics act by suppressing the low grade inflammation, decreasing the production of mucin and fluids that contribute to the episodic diarrhea.
Suggested Use
Much confusion persists regarding proper probiotic use. Shekoufeh Nikfar, researcher and author of the 2008 "Efficacy of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome", notes that probiotics should be used as a supplement to conventional therapy. In Camilleri's 2006 article, he specifically suggests that the species of probiotics known as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria can be used alone or in combination to help treat IBS. The special combination of the two probiotics, known as VSL#3 was able to slow down transit time, thereby reducing diarrhea in IBS patients, without significant changes in overall bowel function. This specific probiotic was also used in an IBS study with children under the directives of Dr. Stefano Guandalini, M.D. of the University of Chicago, notes an October 2008 American College of Gastroenterology article, without any side effects and with better performance than placebo.
VSL#3 Probiotic
The VSL#3 probiotic product is described as a medical food, because it contains very high doses of a number of different subspecies of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. In addition, it also contains another organism known as Streptococcus. It is intended to be used only under the supervision of a physician but appears to have such great research backing it, like Camilleri, because of its ability to survive the caustic environment of the gastrointestinal tract. The VSL3 website proposes that the organisms remain active even in the presence of gastric acid, bile and pancreatic enzymes. The medical food is taken as a flavored powder mixed into four ounces of water, but it can also be purchased unflavored for mixing into yogurt, ice cream or apple sauce.
References
- Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology: "The Efficacy of Probiotics in IBS"
- Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology: "Probiotics and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: rationale, putative mechanisms, and evidence of clinical efficacy"
- American College of Gastroenterology: "How Effective Are Probiotics In Irritable Bowel Syndrome " 2008
- Diseases of the Colon and Rectum: "Efficacy of probiotics in irritable bowel syndrome" 2008
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