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From The June 2001 Issue of Nutrition Science News
Lactobacillus GG A Premier Probiotic
by Anthony Almada
While lactobacillus species are plentiful in the gut and stomach, one standout bug that is particularly effective in maintaining a healthy intestinal tract is the nonacidophilus Lactobacillus GG (LGG; the strain GG is named after co-discoverers Barry Goldin, Ph.D., and Sherwood Gorbach, M.D.).1 A study was conducted on 18 healthy subjects who took indomethacin, a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Subjects who drank a dairy beverage with 2.4 billion live LGG cfu/day (plus two other lactobacilli) prior to taking the NSAID experienced a significant reduction in stomach permeability (no intestinal leakiness). 2
In another study, 10 healthy subjects took a combination of LGG (40 billion live cfu/day for seven days) and an oral vaccine for salmonella. Researchers observed a boost in the salmonella-specific antibody response compared with either placebo or an unspecified strain of Lactobacillus lactis.3 In a third study, 60 subjects with asymptomatic Helicobacter pylori infection (the bacterial ulcer perpetrator) used LGG (12 billion live bacteria/day) during H. pylori eradication therapy. Subjects using LGG experienced significantly fewer side effects, all of which were less severe compared with placebo. 4
Anthony Almada is a nutritional and exercise biochemist and has collaborated on more than 50 university-based clinical trials. He is the co-founder of EAS and founder and chief scientific officer of IMAGINutrition.
References
1. Capasso F, et al. Aloe and its therapeutic use. Conway PL, et al. Survival of lactic acid bacteria in the human stomach and adhesion to intestinal cells. J Dairy Sci 1987;70:1-12.
2. Gotteland M, et al. Effect of Lactobacillus ingestion on the gastrointestinal mucosal barrier alterations induced by indometacin in humans. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2001;15:11-7.
3. Lee YK, et al. Quantitative approach in the study of adhesion of lactic acid bacteria to intestinal cells and their competition with enterobacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2000;66:3692-7.
4. Armuzzi A, et al. The effect of oral administration of Lactobacillus GG on antibiotic-associated gastrointestinal side effects during Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2001;15:163-9.
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