Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Not all probiotics are created equal! It’s important to understand the quality and purity behind your probiotic formulation. Here’s what you need to know about beneficial bacteria.
Antibiotics save lives. There’s no doubt about it. But there are some issues that can arise when taking them, many largely due to reducing the number of healthy bacteria in your intestines.
mushrooms
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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When we think about the human immune system, we have to understand that it is a very complex series of pathways and different enzymes and reactions that occur to give us the ability to fend off different bacteria, viruses and parasites. It really is in and of itself a very intricate series of steps that occur and so much of this is truly dependent on how we take nutrients in from our diet, as well as supplements we are taking. We know that if we are lacking even just basic vitamins and minerals, this can really impede our immune system’s ability to fend off these types of foreign invaders.†
That’s why I want to talk about different things you can be doing when it comes to optimizing your immune defenses. Specifically, I want to talk about mushrooms. This is really a fascinating bit of information when we look at the science behind mushroom extracts, so not only incorporating mushrooms into your diet, but also utilizing mushroom extract.
We know that when we’re utilizing mushrooms as a dietary supplementation, they provide nutritional support for a healthy immune system. When we talk about all of the ways that the immune system is working, we know that when we incorporate these in, we are now exposing our body to a high amount of antioxidants, polyphenols and flavonoids. Also, mushrooms have naturally-occurring Vitamin D, as well as other vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, all of these things our immune system relies on. By having mushroom extract on board as a supplement, this helps our body in terms of enhancing our Vitamin D status, essential fatty acids and key minerals. All of this has been studied extensively when we look at mushrooms.†
The Benefits of Mushrooms Explained – Invite Health Podcast, Episode 161. Listen Now >>
Other benefits of mushrooms
Aside from benefitting the immune system, mushrooms and mushroom extract have other important roles in the body.
When it comes to anti-aging, for example, Penn State University looked at how mushrooms are packed with all of these antioxidants, which can really help to fend off oxidative stress and damage done at that cellular level. They said that mushrooms contain an unusually high amount of two specific antioxidants that the scientists and researchers at Penn State University believe could help fight off aging and at the same time, bolster health.†
This particular study found high amounts of ergothioneine and glutathione from mushrooms. We know that glutathione is one of our most important endogenous antioxidants. This is really quite key because as we get older, sometimes our natural production of glutathione goes down. We also know that oxidative stress is going to create cellular damage and mitochondrial dysfunction from those free radicals, and when those free radicals do a significant amount of damage, it can alter the true functionality of the cell, which is going to screw up many different functions that the body relies on each and every single day.†
Clinical Studies Say Mushrooms Provide Brain Power – Invite Health Podcast , Episode 168. Listen Now >>
Penn State University also recognized the importance that mushrooms were playing as a prebiotic and how this actually was helping to stabilize blood glucose levels. They’re very much into mushroom research. From this study, what they were analyzing was looking at how mushrooms could actually change the composition of gut microbes, that microbiome that we talk about so often and how that plays an integral role in terms of our immune system and in that gut-brain connection. They realized that the mushroom extracts or the mushrooms that you take in from your diet play a really key role in the production of short-chain fatty acids and it is through that that it works in a sense as a prebiotic. Through that stabilization of the microbiome, they have found that that can actually help to regulate the blood glucose levels.†
Tune into the full podcast episode to learn about more ways mushrooms can benefit the body.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
Let’s discuss changes to your diet and different nutrients that can be incredibly supportive when dealing with irritable bowel syndrome.
For so many of us, wearing a mask has become second nature. But are you noticing your breath may not be as pleasant as you thought? Or are you experiencing breakouts around your chin due to wearing the mask? Natural oral and skin care solutions can help!
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Jerry Hickey. Ph
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On today’s episode, we are going to talk about all of that hand washing you’re doing and all of those disinfectants you are using to keep the Coronavirus at bay. This is not a bad thing! But the problem is that it can impact your good bacteria and actually kill it off. There are trillions living within and on us and there are always some bad and good. Of course, you want the good bacteria to be in control. Here’s why.
What is a Probiotic?
You’ve often heard the term Probiotic. A probiotic is a supplement of good bacteria to help keep the bad under control. This is very important because all of these good bacteria interact with us in very special ways. So, you need the good bacteria to be in charge, not just for regularity and good digestion, but to also help you fight off infections. This is very important during the Coronavirus.
About 70% of your immune cells come in contact with your digestive tract and with your bacteria. If there is bad bacteria, they kind of confuse the immune system and they don’t keep it under control. If its good, this interacts in a very wholesome way with your immune system. This helps to reduce inflammation and redirect the bacteria into what it should be fighting, which are infectious organisms.
Good bacteria has also been shown to be beneficial for:
Now, there are strains of probiotic bacteria that you can take that have been shown to enhance the immune system – Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis. That last strain seems to have the most research behind it, providing evidence that it really helps promote immune system function. For instance, a recent meta analysis (a review of five human clinical trials) shows that within weeks the Bifidobacterium lactis helped restore good immune system function in aging people.
When buying a Probiotic supplement, you will want to look for CFU – colony forming units. This ensures that there is a minimal amount of live bacteria that help to recolonize your digestive tract. You will also want more than one strain in your probiotic supplement and you need at least one billion of each. Adding a prebiotic is helpful, which is food for the good bacteria and helps the bacteria to colonize. FOS is a high-quality and suitable prebiotic.
Staying Healthy During the Coronavirus
We do know that social distancing, wearing your mask outside and washing your hands helps to remove the virus and keep bacteria at bay. But this does impact your good bacteria.
Published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy, researched looked at the Hygiene Hypothesis in Germany. They were studying the differences between allergy trends between East and West Germany and found that exposure to household chemicals can kill off the good bacteria.
What are some of the basic nutrients you need to keep you healthy? Click Here to Learn More! >>
Published in the journal Nature Microbiology, researchers from the University of Oklahoma and the University of California San Diego (and about 20 other academic research institutions) were looking at developing cultures in the Amazonian rain forest, or the level of modern urbanization. What they found is that when they started to urbanize or modernize these cultures, the composition of bacteria in the intestines was impacts. The greater the level of modern urbanization, the greater the degree of change of the bacterial species in the intestines. This was all dependent on the exposure to household cleaning products and anti-microbial agents.
Thank you for tuning in to the Invite Health Podcast. You can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.invitehealth.com/podcast. Make sure you subscribe and leave us a review! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Invite Health today. We’ll see you next time on another episode of the Invite Health Podcast.
