Caroline Bonds, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Superior Probiotic is a multi-strain probiotic and prebiotic blend that boosts immune health, reduces the risk of C. diff, diarrhea, and yeast infections while taking an antibiotic. It contains 7 strains of probiotic as well as a fructo-oligosaccharide prebiotic. A probiotic should be taken to combat the side effects of an antibiotic and can possibly reduce anxiety and depression.
Why should I take a probiotic? When a patient is taking an antibiotic, the goal is to kill off the “bad bacteria” that is causing the infection; however, the antibiotic cannot distinguish between “good” or “bad” bacteria. This is where Superior Probiotic supplement comes into play. Solutions Rx Superior Probiotic replenishes the gut of “good bacteria” to promote metabolic and immune health and other bodily functions.
Immune cells are everywhere in our body; however, the intestines hold more immune cells than any other part of the body. Part of this is due to the gut bacteria where the good bacteria interact with the walls of the intestines. Lymphocytes are signaled by the good bacteria to produce immunity. A signal is then sent to produce antibodies that protect the immune tissues in the intestine. Without enough good bacteria, the body cannot produce a healthy immune response and can be the cause of many autoimmune diseases.
Dysbiosis is the term used when the bad bacteria outweigh the good bacteria (Ubeda & Pamer, 2012). Good bacteria help to break down chemicals in the food we eat. When the chemicals do not get broken down, they leak through the intestinal walls and enter the bloodstream. When the chemicals are flowing through the bloodstream, the immune cells attack them and cause inflammation. This attack not only reduces immune health but can also cause inflammatory and invasive diarrhea.
Possible mechanisms of this invasive diarrhea are dependent upon the effect of antibiotics on the intestinal mucosa (Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea in Children: An Overview, n.d.). These changes lead to alterations in the gut microbiota where an abundance of Clostridium difficile resides. Other types of bacteria that cause infectious diarrhea are Salmonella, E. coli, Staphylococcus, Candida, Enterobacteriaceae, Klebsiella, and L. monocytogenes. These strains invade the mucosa, which then signals an inflammatory response and damages the epithelium (Diarrhea, n.d.). There are lower absorption rates of water and ions, so the water passes through rapidly, carrying with it mucus, blood, and white blood cells in the watery stool.
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract microbiota stimulates the immune system, metabolizes food, filters out toxic components, and produces vitamins and amino acids. Each organism’s microbiota makeup affects their immune responses and sensitivity to pathogenic infections in the intestine. The cells found in the intestinal epithelium interact with commensal microbes and prevent pathogens from entering the gut lumen. Specialized cells can then secrete antimicrobial peptides which are expressed by the commensal microbes in the gut. The antimicrobial peptide functions in the intestinal cells strongly depend on the makeup of the commensal microbes (Lambring et al., 2019). Hence, this is more proof that your own gut can keep you from getting sick.
What if I told you your anxiety and depression aren’t just in your head; It’s in your gut? Evidence shows that the microbiota found in the gastrointestinal tract is associated with anxiety and depressive disorders. A biochemical pathway driven by communication between the gut and the central nervous system, called the gut-brain axis, determines cognition and mood by various reactions (Simpson et al., 2021). Gut microbiota regulates the activity of neurotransmitters and their antecedents as well as secreting and upregulating proteins and metabolites necessary for hormone release. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis controls reactions to stress and may be controlled by the gut microbiota.
In anxiety and depressive disorders where the HPA is in disequilibrium, higher cortisol levels and inflammatory mediators are possible. Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is responsible for many of the body’s functions. The most prominent function of cortisol is to assist the body when it is in distress. Most people produce more cortisol than is needed; however, the gut microbiota regulates cortisol levels (It All Begins in the Gut: Bacteria’s Role in Overall Health, 2017). For those in stressful situations, Superior Probiotic could help to lower cortisol levels.
Bibliography
Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea Diarrhea in Children: An Overview. (n.d.). https://www.slideshare.net/whiteraven68/10-ac-diarrhoea-vomiting-rec-abd-pain.
Diarrhea. (n.d.).
It all begins in the gut: Bacteria’s role in overall health. (2017, November 17).
Lambring, C. B., Siraj, S., Patel, K., Sankpal, U. T., Mathew, S., & Basha, R. (2019). Impact of the microbiome on the immune system. Critical Reviews in Immunology, 39(5), 313–328. https://doi.org/10.1615/CritRevImmunol.2019033233
Simpson, C. A., Diaz-Arteche, C., Eliby, D., Schwartz, O. S., Simmons, J. G., & Cowan, C. S. M. (2021). The gut microbiota in anxiety and depression – A systematic review. In Clinical Psychology Review (Vol. 83). Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101943
Ubeda, C., & Pamer, E. G. (2012). Antibiotics, microbiota, and immune defense. In Trends in Immunology (Vol. 33, Issue 9, pp. 459–466). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.it.2012.05.003
