By Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S.

It is important to cultivate and maintain a healthy colony of bacteria in the GI tract.  Ideally, the microflora colony in the digestive tract should be composed of 85 percent friendly bacteria to 15 percent harmful bacteria.

Within every human being is a flourishing, living colony of approximately four pounds of bacteria.  Most of these bacteria reside in the human digestive tract, although some are found elsewhere.  Without a sufficient number of friendly bacteria known as probiotics, human life could not exist.  When a human fails to maintain a sufficient number of good bacteria in the body, disease will occur and death will be likely to follow.

The human body, although created with a proper ratio of good to bad bacteria, frequently alters the ratio of bacteria as a result of today’s modern lifestyle.  The use of antibiotics inhibits not only bad bacteria but also good bacteria, thus permitting bad bacteria to invade the GI tract and multiply in high numbers that disturb the delicate balance between the good and bad bacteria.  This balance also is upset by the use of oral contraceptives, steroids, exposure to radiation through X-rays and radiation therapies, excessive consumption of chlorinated water, the consumption of refined sugars and other refined foods, poor digestion, poor elimination of waste, stress, and an unhealthy diet.

Scientists have determined that when the delicate balance between good and bad bacteria is adversely altered, the body is overloaded with toxins and disease.  According to healthcare professionals, toxins emanating from the GI tract are the cause of most chronic diseases and illnesses.

Scientists also have determined that there are many negative health effects that stem from the loss of probiotics, including the lack of recirculation of female hormones such as estrogen, and the overgrowth of detrimental disease-causing bacteria and yeasts such as Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Yersinia enterocolitis, Clostridium difficile, etc.

The presence of too few probiotics encourages the production of endotoxins in the GI tract, which contributes to lupus erythematosus, pancreatitis, psoriasis, and other skin conditions.  A shortage of probiotics allows partially digested proteins to enter the bloodstream, contributing to eczema, nervous system disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and a variety of other immune system disorders.

GI tract problems such as leaky bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, spastic colon, and irritable bowel syndrome are contributed to by a loss of probiotics and the appearance of detrimental bacteria.  Specific strains of detrimental bacteria are known to cause severe health problems.  For example, E. coli may lead to problems with insulin and blood sugar function.  Yersinia enterocolitica produces substances that cause the overproduction of the thyroid hormone.  This detrimental bacterium reportedly also contributes to various autoimmune diseases.

We now know that even antibiotics, one of the wonder drugs of the 20th century, have their limitations and the frequent use and misuse of antibiotics often lead to ill health.  A growing number of microorganisms have developed partial or total resistance to some antibiotics.  Further, wide-spectrum antibiotics cannot distinguish between the “bad” and “good” bacteria and they kill both the good along with the bad.  This indiscriminate killing of bacteria may be the worst side-effect of antibiotics.

Iichiroh Ohhira, Ph.D., is a renowned microbiologist at Okayama University in Japan. Dr. Ohhira has dedicated his life to the study of human bacteria and how to improve human health by ensuring the presence of adequate colonies of friendly bacteria in the colon and elsewhere.

I recently discovered a new breakthrough dietary supplement product for the recolonization of the intestinal tract that is now available in the United States.  The product is known as Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics.  It is named after Dr. Iichiroh Ohhira, a renowned microbiologist from Japan.  This award-winning formula was recognized as the best product of the year by the Japanese Food and Dairy Association, which also named Dr. Ohhira as “Best Scientist of the Year.”  In my opinion, his probiotic is the most unique one in the world today.

Dr. Ohhira has dedicated his life to the study of human bacteria and how to improve human health by ensuring the presence of adequate colonies of friendly bacteria in the colon and elsewhere.

After more than 20 years of scientific research, Dr. Ohhira concludes that good health prevails when the friendly bacteria in the GI tract are properly colonized, and ill health often is the result of too great a colony of bad bacteria.  He found that the consumption and short-term presence of good bacteria alone does not lead to good health unless the digestive tract is free from the onslaught of the harmful bacteria.  This beneficial condition can only be realized by reconditioning the colonic pH.  Simply introducing friendly bacteria in large numbers will not resolve the situation, because an unfavorable colonic condition has already been created.  Such a condition is conducive to the proliferation of harmful bacteria.

Probiotics can be essential to establishing and maintaining optimal immune health in pregnant women and lactating mothers and their children.

The colonization of the friendly bacteria in the GI tract begins at birth.  Dr. Ohhira and other scientists observed that a high percentage of children nourished on mother’s milk enjoy good health and a stronger immune system when compared to bottle-fed infants.  He also observed that these children acquire a larger number of friendly strains of bifidobacterium when compared to bottle-fed children, who have few or none at all.

Dr. Ohhira noted that the acidic colon condition of breast-fed babies remained within a constant range of pH 5.5 to 6.5.  His studies have established that the lactic acid bacteria that colonized the colon of infants created this acidic condition.  The organic acids produced by the lactic acid bacteria present in the colon prevent the survival of harmful bacteria in the baby’s intestinal tract.  This inherent condition forms the first line of defense for the baby against any form of illness.

As Dr. Ohhira delved further into the science of good health, he discovered that certain naturally fermented foods consumed in Asia are a rich source of lactic acid bacteria.  After years of studying the known strains of lactic acid bacteria occurring in fermented foods indigenous to Southeast Asia, Dr. Ohhira developed an award-winning probiotic that recolonizes the microflora in the digestive tract and enhances good health — a product that is several technological generations ahead of other probiotics.

Ingredients include 92 types of natural crops including special leaves, bark, herbs, and fruits which grow wild in a vast region of the Kibi Highlands and Hiruzen Highlands of the Chugoku district in Japan, as well as several kinds of seaweed and various organic vegetables.  This proprietary blend is combined with 12 strains of lactic acid bacteria, which include the most prominent strain of bacteria possessing the highest proteolytic power in the world.  In fact, scientists have established that the TH10 strains of lactic acid bacteria contained in Dr. Ohhira’s probiotic is 6.25 times stronger than any naturally-occurring lactic acid bacteria.

The emergence of new antibiotic resistant strains of “super” bacteria posed a significant challenge to Dr. Ohhira and his team.  To combat these new harmful invaders, they developed a special transient TH10 strain of friendly lactic acid bacteria that was successfully isolated from the Malaysian food tempeh.  This special TH10 strain has been found during in vitro studies to be effective against the most potent antibiotic- resistant MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) super bug, as well as the E. coli 0-157 and H. pylori bacteria, the cause of most peptic ulcers.

The transient, combative TH10 bacteria may be the most important strain of bacteria in Dr. Ohhira’s probiotic because it kills and eliminates harmful bacteria found in the colon.  It also aids in the removal of toxins produced in the colon by the bad bacteria.  After consumption, the TH10 bacteria reside in the GI tract for an extended period of time, where they flourish and coexist with the “colonizer” bacteria like the lactobacillus and bifidobacterium strains that inhabit the intestinal walls.  The colonizer bacteria aid in digestion and the absorption of nutrients, while along with TH10, they form a barrier against the invasion of bad bacteria.

The special TH10 strain of bacteria, as well as the 11 other strains of live lactic acid bacteria, are created during a five-year natural-temperature fermentation period.  During this time, only natural ingredients are added to the fermentation pot.

During the fermentation process, the creation of the four organic acids — acetic, formic, fumaric, and lactic — are carefully monitored.  Inspections are conducted to determine the pH and nutrient levels in the fermentation product and guard against contamination.  Inspections also assure compliance with stringent Japanese good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards.  When the product accumulates a scientifically preordained level of organic acids, the raw paste is ready for encapsulation.

In human trials conducted at Okayama University from 1979 through 1991, 1250 subjects were randomly chosen from a sample of 5000 persons and studied.  The following research findings were confirmed for those persons consuming Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics:

• Improved digestive functions

• Decreased incidence of digestive ailments

• Decreased incidence of stomach ailments

• Decreased incidence of bloating and heartburn

• Improved liver function

• Improved circulatory function

• Improved bowel function

• Decreased incidence of constipation or diarrhea

• Improved joint and muscle function

• Improved resistance to allergies

• Increased nutritional absorption

• Improved vitamin synthesis

• Increased energy

• Decreased presence of yeast infections

• Decreased incidence of various infections

• Decreased incidence of oral cavity infections

• Better lactose tolerance

• Improved sleep functions

• Improved appetite

A special enteric-coated capsule permits the product to remain highly viable, having a stable shelf life of more than three years.  The fermentation process also assures that the 12 strains of lactic acid bacteria are not hostile to each other, as occurs when certain strains of the bacteria are artificially mixed together.  Unlike other probiotic products, it contains 12 strains of friendly “live” lactic acid bacteria that number in the billions, as well as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, organic acids, naturally developed fructooligosaccharides (FOS), and important natural byproducts such as hydrogen peroxide.

Dr. Ohhira’s probiotic is a 100-percent natural, non-dairy, vegetarian formula.  Chemicals, preservatives, artificial additives, coloring agents, and animal byproducts are never used.  Only naturally maturing organic fertilizers are used in the growing process.  Chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides are not permitted.  Mountain spring water is the only liquid used in the product.

Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., C.N.S.
Ms. Gittleman is internationally recognized as a pioneer in beauty, environmental and women’s health issues. She is the author of the best-selling books The Fat Flush Plan, Eat Fat, Lose Weight, Super Nutrition for Women, Beyond Pritikin, Before the Change, The Living Beauty Detox Program. She is one of the foremost nutritionists in the U.S.

Republished with permission from TotalHealth Magazine, 2004.

For Further Reading:

Probiotics:  A Critical Review, edited by Gerald W. Tannock.

Probiotics & Prebiotics:  Scientific Aspects, edited by Gerald W. Tannock.

Probiotics and Prebiotics:  Where are We Going, edited by Gerald W. Tannock.

Probiotics in Food Safety and Human Health, edited by Ipek Goktepe.