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Probiotics and Prebiotics: The oh-so-good bugs and carbs!. Andrea Dmytrash Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology ald4@ualberta.ca. What the heck is IBD?. IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract
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Probiotics and Prebiotics:The oh-so-good bugs and carbs! Andrea Dmytrash Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology ald4@ualberta.ca
What the heck is IBD? • IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) • Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis • Inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract • Inflammation: A localized protective reaction of tissue to irritation, injury, or infection (bacteria!), characterized by pain, redness, swelling (immune cells enter tissue), and sometimes LOSS OF FUNCTION.
What the heck is IBD? • May lead to decreased nutrient and water absorption • Malnutrition • Frequent watery stools • Fatigue, Pain, Decreased Quality of Life • Affects 1 in 200 people in Canada
Where do Bugs fit in? • Bacteria in the intestine play a role in the modulating the immune system and influencing intestinal health • Your own personal intestinal microflora determined within the first two years of life!
Probiotics and Prebiotics • Probiotics are bacteria that benefit intestinal health • Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., some Streptococcus spp., some E. coli • Prebiotics are non-digestible oligosaccharides • Selectively stimulate growth and/or activity of a limited number of bacteria in the colon (ie. Probiotics, especially Bifidobacteria spp.) Ms. BacMan!
Prebiotics • Oligofructose • Short chain • Inulin • Long chain • Found naturally in chicory, artichokes, onions, leeks, garlic, etc. Glucose Fructose
How do we study IBD? • Cell Culture • One type of cell • Animal Models • Genetically modified to get intestinal inflammation • People! • Try new treatments in IBD patients
Okay, but do they Really Work? • YES!!! • Probiotics have been shown to work in: • Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease • Gastrointestinal infections / infectious diarrhea • Clostridium difficile (opportunistic pathogen) Healthy Untreated Prebiotic-treated I know… All I see is Purple Dots too!
Alright, Smarty… How? • Probiotics and probiotic products (DNA, proteins, short-chain fatty acids) signal to the host and cause changes in the host’s cells • Prebiotics stimulate the growth of the good bacteria • My work is currently focusing on prebiotic actions with and without bacteria present
Why do we do these studies? • IBD cannot be cured, only treated • Medications: side effects, expensive, many cannot be taken during pregnancy • Surgery: unpleasant, lost work time, expensive, not curative • The hope… • Some patients may get relief/enter remission • Isolates from probiotics may be turned into a “drug” • Prevention
You’ve Convinced Me, I’m Hooked, Now How Do I Get ‘em? • Probiotics • Yogurt • Kefir(Milk is cultured, the lactose fermented. The result is a sour, carbonated, slightly alcoholic beverage) • VSL#3 (probiotic supplement) • Clinically proven • what we use in lab • www.vsl3.com • Prebiotics • Health food stores, online
Websites to Check Out • www.vsl3.com (VSL#3) • www.ccfc.ca (Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada) • http://users.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html#what-is-kefir (Kefir info) • http://www.cmaj.ca/news/26_01_06.shtml (C. difficile outbreak news release)