Prebiotics and Ulcerative Colitis / Crohn’s Disease

Prophylactic use of dietary prebiotics such as Prebiotin could benefit patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, based on data from preliminary but promising studies, said Dr. Leo Dieleman of the division of gastroenterology at the University of Alberta, Edmonton.

In contrast to probiotics, which are live microorganisms that benefit their hosts, prebiotics are nondigestible fermentable dietary oligosaccharides that affect the growth and activity of certain types of protective bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract.

Previous studies of probiotics have shown that adding probiotic bacteria to the diets of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) improved their symptoms, Dr. Dieleman said. Certain types of probiotics such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria species, when added to the diet, can be protective against IBD, he added.

Heidi Splete “Prebiotics show promise in Crohn’s and colitis“. Internal Medicine News. FindArticles.com. 12 Nov, 2010. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4365/is_4_41/ai_n29432944/

Prebiotic Comments & Questions from Friends & Family

We now get many such comments and questions from friends. Many are so worthwhile that I put them up here for every one to see.

ANTIBIOTICS, PROBIOTICS and PREBIOTICS

Q- Should I take probiotics and prebiotics when I take on oral antibiotic?

A- Yes, I think I would. A year ago I was uncertain. Now there is enough info getting into the medical literature and practice of medicine, that the potential benefit may outweigh the uncertainty. More to the specifics:

    

Probiotics

Select the ones that have the highest amounts of:

• Bifdo logum
  
• Bifido rhamnosus
  
• Strepto salivarious
  
• Saccharomyces boulardi
  

Use twice a day. (Sorry about the technical names. You can get a full essay at Probiotics)

Prebiotics

Our oligofructose enriched inulin prebiotic fiber supplement (Prebiotin) is the best. I would use2 grams twice a day

When the antibiotic course is concluded, I would use the above for at least 1 week and then continue Prebiotin indefinitely

FINGERNAILS and TOENAILS

Since I have personally been on Prebiotin, I have been quite surprised at the growth and strength of my nails. I have checked with my colleagues and they say the same thing. A person from California says "stronger fingernails". Finally, I have a long standing fungus infection in one toenail. which appears to be clearing.

I have no idea how this may occur or even if there is any effect with Prebiotin. We do know that when the bacteria factory within our colon is functioning optimally, that health benefits occur beyond the colon. Could our finger and toenails be one such benefit? It has not been proven yet, but it will be fun to wait and see.

PERIODONTAL DISEASE

A close friend of mine has been on Prebiotin for over a year. She reports that her periodontist has been amazed that the pockets around some of her teeth have been gradually closing. These pockets of of periodontal disease are caused by bad bacteria getting into these crevices. Could swallowed prebiotics in some manner stimulate "good" bacteria to grow at these sites and displace the bad ones? At this time we can only guess at this possibility since there is no reported research yet in the medical literature. However, since there is no downside to taking these naturally occuring fibers, I would say go for it! Let us know what happens.

ULCERATIVE COLITIS

An attorney friend of mine with ulcerative colitis has told me that since taking Prebiotin, he has been able to reduce his medication, he no longer has foul flatus smell and that he just feels better. How this happens is becoming clear to me. Hydrogen sulfide is the very smelly and nasty gas that is made by certain colon bacteria. Remarkably, almost all UC patients make this gas, so there is something special here. There is suspicion that this toxic gas actually promotes damage to the colon wall in some manner.

These bugs need a neutral enviornment to grow and produce this gas. The do not grow in acid conditions. Prebiotics and more specifically Prebiotin produce beneficial acid substances and so reduce the growth the growth of these bad bugs. We need further good research here, but were I still in practice I would place all my UC patients on Prebiotin along with their standard medical program. There is virtually no downside and, who knows, there may be a significant benefit.

• From Florida: "I love how Prebiotin has helped my daughter's ulcerative colitis".
  
• From Minnesota; "I was diagnosed with colitis.... my symptoms went away and have not returned"
  
• From North Carolina: "It helps my ulcerative colitis symptoms"

CROHNS DISEASE

Crohns disease starts with bad colon bacteria invading the wall of the lower small intestine and/or the colon. We now know who these nasty guys are. When prebiotics such as Prebiotin are taken, certain substances called short chain fatty acids are formed by the good bacteria. In additional to these substances being very good for the nutrition of the colon wall itself, they seem to change the makeup of the bacteria next to the colon wall. The good bacteria grow and the bad ones do not. 

Will this be a benefit for the Crohns patient? We will have to wait and see, but there are researchers who are cautiously optimistic. As with ulcerative colitis were I still in practice I would advise my Crohns patients to try adding these natural plant fibers to their medical program.

• A Prebiotin user from Pennsylvania says "not as many flare-ups of my Crohns".
  

We get many other positive comments, but I will save these for another day.

Frank Jackson MD

Important new information on Ulcerative Colitis

THE SHORT VERSION

The smelly flatus that most ulcerative colitis (UC) patients have is not merely an embarassment or annoyance, it is likely a real problem. 

The malodorous scent comes from hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), a gas made by certain nasty bacteria in the colon. In addition to being very pungent, hydrogen sulfide is also very toxic - as deadly as hydrogen cyanide in the same concentrations! 

Now there is evidence to show that ulcerative colitis patients don't seem to handle H2S very well. Many medical researchers now feel that H2S damages the colon's cells in those people who are genetically susceptible to UC. So, it makes sense to get rid of H2S if at all possible. 

And now, we know how this is possible:

First, reduce sulfate or sulfur in the diet. Your colon bacteria can not make hydrogen sulfide without getting lots of sulfur from the foods you eat. You can learn which foods are high in sulfur by going to my essay Dietary Therapy for Ulcerative Colitis.  Specifically, meats are very high in certain amino acids that contain sulfur. So reduce meats and other animal protein in your diet very significantly. If it were me, I would stop them entirely for a month or so. Cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cabbage, Brussel sprouts et al) are also high in sulfur. Alas, these very healthy foods may be contributing to H2S production in the colon. So, I would stop these, too, for 8 weeks.

Second: acidify your colon. I know that between heart-burn, acid-reflux and such, people have a poor perception of "acid" - but in the colon, an acidic environment is a good thing. The colon bugs that make hydrogen sulfide need a neutral environment to grow. If there is a lot of acid around, they do not grow and make H2S. Pretty simple. 

How do you do this? Not by eating acid foods such as citrus fruit. You do this by inducing beneficial bacteria in your colon - the Bifidobacter and the Lactobacillus ones - to make acid substances called short chain fatty acids (SCFA).

These SCFAs are incredibly useful substances in the colon, especially for ulcerative colitis patients. They are the very nutrients that the colon's own cells use for healthy growth. So, by stimulating the growth of these Bifido and Lacto good guys, you prevent the formation of H2S and you also nourish your own colon cells, the very ones that are damaged in ulcerative colitis. The best way to do this is to consume a good amount of prebiotic fiber. (Prebiotics are the plant fibers that these good bacteria use to grow themselves.) I recommend a daily dose of Prebiotin for this purpose.

Which brings me to oligofructose enriched inulin: Prebiotin. These special plant food fibers do the trick. 

In my experience and those of my family and friends, the maloderous smell of flatus simply disappears, indicating that H2S is no longer being produced - a nice benefit even for those of us without ulcerative colitis. But more important than this is that my friends who have ulcerative colitis have seen very significant improvement in their symptoms when they did these two things-reduce high sulfur containing foods in their diet and take Prebiotin to acidify their colon. 

So, this is what current medical research is showing us. Were I, a trained gastroenterologist, still in practice, I would start every ulcerative colitis patient on this very simple dietary program and a daily prebiotin regimen. Simply by smelling their flatus, a patient could tell if they are having a good effect. 

The fact is that most GI doctors now know that bacteria bugs in the colon are a major factor in ulcerative colitis, but till now we did not know exactly how this happened. Now, I think we do. 

So this is the "short version" of my own dietary treatment for UC patients. In the near future I will write a longer version which will address the medical evidence to support the above recommendations. Most people, I suspect,  just want to know what will work and what are the side effects. There are no side effects with prebiotics except an increase in the volume of odorless flatus if too much prebiotic is taken. Simply cut back to an acceptable level. 

I would dearly love to hear from UC patients who give this program a try. You should know that you may be on the cutting edge a very new and effective, additional way to treat this very troublesome disorder. What an amazing idea! Taking dietary control of your own medical problem!