The Synergy of Berries and Probiotics
Dear Friends,
The research demonstrating the importance of diversity of plant polyphenols in our diet and their medical benefits continues to proliferate. As of August 2015, PubMed database contains 78,524 studies that research flavonoids alone. Likewise, the mounting research as to the importance of the makeup of our gastrointestinal microbiome and its relationship to the overall health of our body is accumulating exponentially.
What is fascinating is the bi-directional communicative nature of the relationship between the plants we consume and the bugs in our gut.
Cardona et al. 2013. Benefits of polyphenols on gut microbiota and implications in human health. J. Nutr. Biochem;24(8):1415-22, shines important light on this subject.
Cardona maintains that the microbial profile of ones GI tract microbiome determines the bioavailability and bio-efficacy of polyphenols and their metabolites. At the same time the composition of the dietary intake of polyphenols may in turn modulate and cause fluctuations in the proportions of the microfloral populations in our GI tract.
Apart from the inter-individual variation in daily intake of polyphenols, inter-individual differences in the composition of the gut microbiota may lead to differences in bioavailability and bio-efficacy of polyphenols and their metabolites.
Recent studies have suggested that both the phenolic substrates supplied to the gut bacteria through different patterns of dietary intake and the aromatic metabolites produced may in turn modulate and cause fluctuations in the composition of the microflora populations through selective prebiotic effects and antimicrobial activities against gut pathogenic bacteria.
This is a topic we will be focusing on more fully over the next several months.
Sincerely yours,
Seann Bardell
BioImmersion.com
Clinical Note:
Phyto Power provides a wonderful and powerful array of flavonoids from Alaska’s wildcrafted berries and dandelion.
Supernatant Synbiotic formula brings in a diverse collection of proven Bulgarian strains of pedigreed probiotic organisms.
Take one capsule of each twice daily.
Green Facts
The Marion Institute is very special. It is a root cause solution based non-profit that acts as an incubator for programs and seridipity projects.
Round the Bend Farm- a Center for Restorative Community is one of their important projects, and Desa Van Laarhoven is its director. Hear her keynote speach—Desa’s story.