Q&A with Dr. Perry
Q: Can probiotics help boost my immune health this winter?
A: As you may know, about 80% of your immune system is located in your digestive and gastrointestinal tract or “gut.” So by definition, shoring up your gut health should go a long way to boosting your overall health and immune function.
We now know that maintaining a healthy balance between “good” bacteria and “bad” bacteria is critical for good gut health. Better yet, you can do this by taking a high quality probiotic supplement and consuming cultured and fermented foods.
So which probiotics are best for cold and flu season? Below are the ones that I think have the best scientific backing.
One of the most impressive studies involved the L. acidophilus and B. lactis probiotic strains. This study was published the journal Pediatrics and involved 326 children in China.
As an aside, many of these studies involve children or older adults, since they tend to have weaker immune systems that are more vulnerable to infection and disease.
In this study, it was found that the combination of L. acidophilus and B. lactis allowed the children to remain much healthier throughout winter compared to a placebo.
Specifically, the group taking the probiotics experienced a 73% reduction in the occurrence of fevers compared to the placebo group, a 59% reduction of runny noses and a 62% drop in the incidence of coughing.
Another useful probiotic is L. casei. This strain was studied in 638 young children in Washington D.C. Over 90 days, the children taking the L. casei probiotic experienced 19% less illness – largely less gastrointestinal infection.
Similarly the L. casei strain was studied in Taiwan, along with the L. rhamnosus strain.
This study was published in the journal Vaccine. The researchers found that these probiotic strains reduced overall bacterial infections by almost 200%.
What’s more, gastrointestinal illness was reduced by about 42% and viral infections were reduced by 18%.
You can find healthy doses all of these probiotic strains (L. acidophilus, B. lactis, L. casei and L. rhamnosus) in our TrueLife PB™ supplement. In addition, you get two other valuable strains in L. salivarius and L. plantarum.
Just keep in mind when choosing a probiotic supplement that dead probiotic cells are worthless.
With TrueLifePB™ we’ve taken extra steps to protect the live cells from their major enemies: moisture, air, light and heat above ambient room temperature.
What’s more, we uniquely include “food” for the live probiotics cells in the form of prebiotics.
You see, probiotic cells in supplements die because they are awoken from their freeze dried state (by the elements above) and there is no food for them to eat.
That’s why TrueLife PB™ is made with two potent prebiotic ingredients. So if some of the cells awaken, these cells will have food available help to keep them alive.
You won’t find a better probiotic value than TrueLife PB™!
