Probiotics SLASH cardiovascular disease risk?

A healthy gut microbiome is a critical ally for achieving overall good health.

After all, the gut is the largest immunological organ there is. And the bacteria that reside there play a crucial part in mediating your body’s responses to all sorts of threats.

That’s why I’m always writing about the many benefits of adding a high-quality probiotic supplement to your regimen.

So, today, let’s look at how a probiotic strain can protect your heart.

Health-promoting yogurt?

In a new study, researchers found a probiotic strain—Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Inducia—reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after just eight weeks of consumption.

Scientists examined data from two studies. Participants included 240 normal and overweight people.

In both analyses, participants were randomly assigned to eat a yogurt with or without the bacterial strain daily for eight weeks.

Ultimately, they found those consuming the probiotic-enriched yogurt experienced “significant reductions” in cholesterol levels. And, for healthy weighted subjects with borderline cholesterol levels, reductions were seen after just four weeks!

In addition, researchers discovered reductions in the inflammatory markers, TNF-alpha and IL-6—which is key to reducing many chronic diseases, including CVD.

(To learn more about how taming inflammation can fight deadly disease, check out my Essential Guide to Combating Inflammation.)

And that’s not all…

Researchers noted even more benefit to overweight participants. They experienced a reduction in blood glucose (sugar) levels and an antioxidant effect. (Antioxidants help reduce or prevent the effects of free radicals—harmful substances that can damage cells and promote illness, including CVD.)

Follow my three-step plan

As a reader of mine, you might not be surprised to read that a probiotic strain was linked to impressive health benefits.

But you might be surprised to hear me talking about yogurt.

After all, I believe it’s another one of those gimmicky foods marketed as a health food.

So, instead of storming the grocery store, looking for a type of yogurt that includes a very specific probiotic strain, here’s what I recommend instead…

Reach for a high-quality, multi-strain probiotic supplement. This will help boost your supply of good bacteria, get your gut back on track, and ward off disease.

Here’s my three-step plan to ensure you’re taking the most effective probiotics:

• Remember that bigger is not better. A lot of probiotic products on the market try to wow you with the number of colony forming units (CFUs) they deliver. But billions of CFUs are not good for you. In fact, ingesting too many of any one type of bacteria can trigger an autoimmune response and cause complete havoc in your body.
• The most important thing is getting the right bacteria—and not too many of the same kind. That’s why you should look for products with multiple strains of probiotics. With trillions of different types of bacteria cells in your body, a supplement that only has a single strain (or even just a few) won’t be much help.
• Choose a probiotic that also contains prebiotics, which are basically “food” for probiotics, and postbiotics, which are generated by probiotics. All three will make your supplement more effective and longer lasting.

Until next week,
Dr. Fred

Source:
“Probiotic strain may help manage CVD risks.” Nutra ingredients, 01/16/2023. (nutraingredients.com/Article/2023/01/16/Probiotic-yogurt-may-help-manage-cholesterol-blood-sugar-levels)