Acidophilus: Lactobacillus Acidophilus ABC

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a lactic acid producing bacteria. Some scientifics think that acidophilus have beneficial effects on digestion and overall health. Acidophilus can be found in yogurt and other dairy products, which named acidophilus as probiotics.

Acidophilus aids digestive system, because different factors decrease the number of lactic acid producing bacteria that live and work in the gastrointestinal tract and protect us from harmful disease-causing bacteria. Among these factors, it is possible to find narcotics, alcohol, diet deficiencies, aging, antibiotics, drugs, medications, nicotine, and stressful living.

The digestion of food begins in the alimentary canal, mouth and stomach, and finally in the intestines, where millions of microorganisms, working simultaneously, metabolize the partially-digested food. Digestion can be impaired, short-changing us of the full nutritional value from foods, if there is too small a colony of L. acidophilus and other friendly bacteria, such as L. bulgaricus and L. bifidus. Also a fewer quantity of key vitamins will be synthesized and the immune system may be rendered less effective.

According to some health professionals, acidophilus aids the digestive process, helps correct constipation, diarrhea, mucous colitis and diverticulitis. It also reduces blood cholesterol, enhances the absorption of nutrients, sweetens bad breath, treats acne and other skin disorders, conquers harmful bacteria and certain viruses, helps alleviate candidiasis and other vaginal infections, and may even prevent cancer.

There is no solid scientific evidence for these claims according to some experts, but lactic acid-producing microorganisms, such as L. acidophilus, have been called a “second immune system”, because they put the brakes on growth of disease-causing bacteria, such as shigella-caused dysentery and salmonella and various types of diarrhea.

Acidophilus: Acidophilus May Help Patients with Small-Bowel Obstruction Acidophilus: Acidophilus May Help Patients with Small-Bowel Obstruction

A study carried out by the National Taiwan University Hospital and the National Taiwan University, College of Medicine in Taipei, determined that patients with partial bowel obstruction may improve with oral intake of laxatives, acidophilus, and simethicone.

According to some specialists, patients with partial adhesive small-bowel obstruction are usually managed conservatively, receiving intravenous hydration and nothing by mouth. “Previous studies have suggested that this approach is associated with longer hospital stays and an increased risk of delayed surgery”, as reports Shyr-Chyr Chen, MD, from National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine in Taipei, and colleagues.

From 144 consecutive patients with adhesive partial small-bowel obstruction that was admitted between February 2000 and July 2001, 128 met the inclusion criteria and were randomized to either the intervention group -IV hydration, nasogastric (NG)-tube decompression, and oral therapy with magnesium oxide, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and simethicone- or to the control group (IV hydration, NG-tube decompression, and nothing by mouth).

Most of the patients were men, whose age was 54.4 ± 15.9 years in the control group and 53.9 ± 16.3 years in the intervention group. A 91 per cent of patients in the intervention group and 76 per cent of patients in the control group had successful treatment without surgery.

“Oral therapy with magnesium oxide, L. acidophilus and simethicone was effective in hastening the resolution of conservatively treated partial adhesive small-bowel obstruction and shortening the hospital stay," the authors write. "Further trials with larger patient samples are needed to verify the value of oral therapy for partial adhesive small-bowel obstructions observed in this study”, the experts report.