Guest guest Posted August 27, 2004 Report Share Posted August 27, 2004 [No mention of how diet interacts with Lactobacillus and yeast. No mention of dietary sources of Lactobacillus. Also, note the emphasis on probiotic supplements being clinically proven in controlled studies - of course, because the scientists interviewed hold patents on their developments. Getting it from homemade sauerkraut? what's that? --David] Good bacteria after bad http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040827/HBACTERI\ A27/TPHealth/ Two Canadian researchers believe their patented strains of common bacteria will prove an effective natural treatment for infections in women By CHRIS LACKNER Friday, August 27, 2004 - Page A13 Most people don't go to the drug store to pick up a bottle of bacteria. But two Canadian researchers and a Danish manufacturer are hoping to change that. For more than 22 years, microbiologist Gregor Reid and urologist Andrew Bruce have sung the praises of Lactobacillus, bacteria they say can help keep women free of bladder and vaginal infections. Together, they have isolated and patented two strains of the beneficial bacteria that essentially fight the " bad " microbes that cause the infections. Approximately one million Canadian women suffer from bladder and vaginal infections annually. Symptoms include the recurring urge to urinate and soreness in lower abdomen, back or sides; typically, urination is difficult, painful and tinged with blood. While a faculty member at Queen's University in 1973, Dr. Bruce began to examine what distinguished healthy woman from those with reoccurring bladder infections. He determined that healthier women had higher levels of Lactobacillus, naturally occurring bacteria that travel from the rectum to the vagina along the outer skin. Once Dr. Reid joined the project in 1982, the duo devoted themselves to isolating and testing strains of the bacteria. " Women are exposed to many bugs on a daily basis -- some are beneficial and some are harmful, " Dr. Reid said from his office at the Lawson Health Research Institute, an affiliate of the University of Western Ontario. " Woman who get fewer infections or none at all have [more] Lactobacillus. . . . What we are essentially doing is topping off the good bugs, " Dr. Reid said. Two beneficial strains of Lactobacillus -- GR-1 and RC-14 -- were the focus of the researchers' clinical trials. Participants either inserted the bacteria vaginally or took it in oral form. The oral product consists of sealed capsules containing dry, powdered Lactobacillus. After ingestion, the bacteria travel from the bowel to the rectum and finally to the vagina. While in the vagina, Lactobacillus inhibits the formation of yeast and prevents harmful bacteria from multiplying and entering the bladder. Today their natural remedy is being put into capsules and sold to women in Malaysia and Hong Kong. Each capsule contains more than five billion Lactobacillus bacteria and needs to be taken daily to fend off infections. The probiotic, called Urex-Cap-5, costs $18 (U.S.) for a package of 30 capsules and is produced by a Denmark-based pharmaceutical firm, Chr. Hansen. The remedy could be available to North American consumers within a year, pending approval by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Reid said. With 15 clinical trials behind it, the researchers believe their remedy will be given a quick green light as a dietary health supplement. The researchers' most recent studies found that daily oral use of the probiotic restores Lactobacilli in the vagina and reduces yeast, E. coli and other harmful organisms by more than 50 per cent. Dr. Reid said no side effects have been documented because Lactobacillus is a natural bacterium that helps maintain a balanced vaginal flora. " When you come in with antibiotics [to treat an infection], it's a serious challenge to the human physique -- it's a chemical substance foreign to the human body, " he said. " Our [remedy] doesn't cure infection, but the question is, can you have one infection a year as opposed to six? " While skeptical at first, May, a 44-year-old from London, Ont., who asked that her last name not be used, took part in the researchers' clinical trial in 2000 that tested Lactobacillus's effect on women who were also taking antibiotics for bladder and urinary tract infections. The woman, who suffered from chronic urinary tract infections, said antibiotics usually cured her bladder condition but caused painful yeast infections. She said the oral Lactobacillus began to ease her pain during the first three days of her 10-day trial and prevented any side effects from her antibiotics. " The idea of swallowing bacteria kind of makes you wonder, but I felt better than I had in a long time, " she said. Dr. Reid said beneficial bacteria in women can be depleted through antibiotics, menstruation, the use of spermicides and exposure to multiple sexual partners. Antibiotics offer a proven cure to vaginal and bladder infections, but do not reduce infection rates. Dr. Reid believes the health industry needs to focus on prevention as well as treatment. He estimates that probiotic products could eventually save Canada's health-care system more than $100-million a year. For two decades, the researchers have faced resistance from both the scientific community and pharmaceutical industry. But they say growing public interest in natural remedies and probiotics has changed their fortunes. The two men formed a company, Urex Biotech Inc., in 1988 to control their intellectual property, and currently hold 35 patents on their natural remedy. They licensed their product to Chr. Hansen this year. But medically unproven products claiming to be probiotics often give their genuine brethren a bad name, Dr. Reid said, adding: " A probiotic has to be proven to confer a health benefit in a clinical study. " A professor emeritus of urology from the University of Toronto, Dr. Bruce is currently a consultant to the Lawson Institute. A $500,000 grant to Dr. Reid from the federal Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council has helped fund their work for the past two years, although early on the two had to tap their own resources because government agencies were " skeptical. " " This has been my baby for a long time, " Dr. Bruce said. " It was my conception, but it's been hard to get it to birth. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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