Everyone knows that they should have lots of healthy bacteria in their gut. But what does that mean?

It means you should know how well your intestines support bacteria, and which ones.  One of the most researched gut bacteria is Bifidobacter sp. It has a lot of science behind it, and low levels have been associated with inflammation, impaired metabolism and in disease conditions. 

The great thing is that testing levels of these bacteria, and improving them if they are low, can make real changes in overall health.

This presentation specifically covers:

• Bifidobacter sp. and Lactobacillus sp. are facultative anaerobes and are not assessed well by culture. DNA assessment is the only way to get an actual level of Bifidobacter sp. and Lactobacillus sp. 
• Total Bifidobacter sp. levels have been found to be lower in patients with colon cancer and in infants with allergic colitis.
• Visceral adipose tissue, inflammation of IL-6, glucose tolerance and fasting insulin have all been negatively correlated with Bifidobacter sp. levels in the stool. 
• SCFAs are the result of colonic bacterial action on undigested fiber.  Increasing fiber can increase the amount of SCFA. 
• SCFA are closely related to the nourishment of the colonic mucosa.
• SCFA are known to enhance the growth of lactobacilli and Bifidobacter sp.
• A case presentation on increasing a patients low predominate microbiota is discussed.