• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

making a PRObiotic chart -- Bifido spp only!!

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
I can't keep the prebiotics and probiotics straight. What acts as a substrate for what? What is produced? Or reduced? Which bugs are friends or enemies with which other bugs? etc.

I can't come up with this chart myself (or I wouldn't need one) but I am willing to try to organize a way for us to make one together.

Let's start with the various species of Bifidio bacteria. No mention of anything else on this thread. Types of bifido, what they do, brands, who they are friends or enemies with ...
 

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
To get us started....

Bifido infantis

Is one of the first probiotics that babies get.
Question: anyone know if bottle fed babies are low in this compared to breast-fed? Or do we get "seeded" with this in the birth canal (assuming no c-section)?

One brand is Align.
-- It is available in pharmacies across Canada. They are now advertising it here on tv.
-- Question: is it available in stores in other countries?

-- Also available online. Question: anyone have a link?
-- Does NOT need refrigeration.
-- contains only one strain, quoting from the box:
" Only Align contains Bifantis™ (Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis 35624), a pure-strain probiotic bacteria that was developed by Gasteroenterologists"
-- box contains 28 capsules (1 month supply) for around $35
 
Last edited:

helen1

Senior Member
Messages
1,033
Location
Canada
Custom Probiotics has a 5 bifido product which includes bifido infantis, so that's another place it's available. I've taken 2 bottles of that and it did appear to contribute to my increase in bifido strains on stool tests. It's very expensive though. On their website they have this, although they don't include research to back it up:

Immune stimulation: Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. casei, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, L. delbrueckii, L johnsonii, Bifidobacterium bifidum

Antibiotic-associated diarrhea: L. rhamnosus, L. acidophilus. L. bulgaricus, Saccharomyces boulardii, B. longum, Enterococcus faecium

Travellers diarrhea: L. rhamnosus, L. acidophilus. L. bulgaricus, B. bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus, L. johnsonii, S. boulardii

Recurrent C. difficile colitis: L. rhamnosus, S. boulardii

Anti-tumour: L. acidophilus, L. casei, L. plantarum, L. delbrueckii, L. gasseri, B. longum, B. bifidum, B. adolescentis, B. infantis

Rotavirus diarrhea: L. rhamnosus, B. bifidum, S thermophiles

Acute diarrhea: B. bifidum, L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus, E. faecium, L. rhamnosus, L. reuteri

Balancing of intestinal microbiota: L. acidophilus, L. casei, B. bifidum, L. plantarum

Lactose intolerance: L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. rhamnosus, L. johnsonii

Lowering faecal enzyme activities: L. rhamnosus, L. casei, L. gasseri, L. delbrueckii, L. acidophilus

I've also read that
b. infantis reduces oxalate levels by up to 60% and reduces IBS symptoms
b. lactis adheres to GI mucosa, colonizing very effectively & scavenges harmful bacteria
b. longum activates neutrophils and NK cells
b. bifidum colonizes the large intestine
 
Last edited:

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
Custom Probiotics has a 5 bifido product which includes bifido infantis, so that's another place it's available. I've taken 2 bottles of that and it did appear to contribute to my increase in bifido strains on stool tests. It's very expensive though.
I took a quick look at their website here
They have quite a collection of combination products as well as many individual strains and say they can create custom blends with the strains they carry.

Company is located in California. Also have a Canadian (Toronto) shipping facility and a UK distributor.

Products are temperature stable for 2-3 weeks. Refrigerate when you get them. Good for 1 yr.
 

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 modulates host inflammatory processes beyond the gut.
Free text article. :thumbsup:

The abstract states in part:
"... assessed the impact of oral administration of B. infantis 35624, for 6‒8 weeks on inflammatory biomarker and plasma cytokine levels in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) (n = 22), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (n = 48) and psoriasis (n = 26) in three separate randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled interventions. Additionally, the effect of B. infantis 35624 on immunological biomarkers in healthy subjects (n = 22) was assessed..."

and "B. infantis 35624 feeding resulted in reduced plasma CRP levels in all three inflammatory disorders compared with placebo. Interestingly, plasma TNF-α was reduced in CFS and psoriasis while IL-6 was reduced in UC and CFS."
 

WNM

Messages
25
Location
UK
Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 modulates host inflammatory processes beyond the gut.
Free text article. :thumbsup:

The abstract states in part:
"... assessed the impact of oral administration of B. infantis 35624, for 6‒8 weeks on inflammatory biomarker and plasma cytokine levels in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) (n = 22), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) (n = 48) and psoriasis (n = 26) in three separate randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled interventions. Additionally, the effect of B. infantis 35624 on immunological biomarkers in healthy subjects (n = 22) was assessed..."

and "B. infantis 35624 feeding resulted in reduced plasma CRP levels in all three inflammatory disorders compared with placebo. Interestingly, plasma TNF-α was reduced in CFS and psoriasis while IL-6 was reduced in UC and CFS."

This is a great study. However it is worth noting that the dose they used of B. infantis 35624 is 10x higher than what you get in Align. Also, probiotics exert strain-specific immuno-modulatory effects, so you won't necessarily get the exact same results with other B. infantis strains in other probiotics; although there should be similarity. B. infantis 35624 was selected from amongst others some time ago because it demonstrated particularly potent ability to modulate the immune system. It's ability to skew DCs to promote Treg differentiation seems to be most important (review). Also, similarly to all other Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria containing probiotics, it is only a transient inhabitant of the gut (study), so will need continuous supplementation.
 
Last edited:

WNM

Messages
25
Location
UK
I think Bifidobacteria are pretty important to gut health; I researched them a lot last year. They are the predominant bacteria in healthy babies where they are acquired during birth from the vaginal microbiota and supported by the indigestible oligosaccharides in human breast milk. There is a shift in the microbiota when the baby is switched to normal feeding where Bifidobacteria decrease and other genus increase (e.g. Clostridia and Bacteriodes). I think Bifidobacteria normally make up about 2-5% of the adult gut microbiota. They remain really important to health throughout life. In lots of animal and human studies gut Bifidobacteria levels seem to inversely correlate with systemic markers of gut barrier function (i.e. blood LPS), inflammation (e.g. cytokines and CRP) and metabolic syndrome (e.g. insulin resistance and increased blood lipids). Bifidobacteria are also likely important to brain function via modulation of the gut-brain axis (see).

Diet is probably the biggest determinate of Bifidobacteria levels in healthy people. Bifidobacteria can break down indigestible carbohydrates (e.g. resistant starch and oligosaccharides) into simple sugars which are used to generate energy via anaerobic fermentation. They release acetate or lactate as waste products which support the growth of other bacteria and the generation of important SCFAs like butyrate. There is recent research which has shown that dietary polyphenols (another indigestible plant component often responsible for their colour) can also boost Bifidobacteria levels (see). Overall, a diet with lots of indigestible plant components (i.e. resistant starch, fibre and polyphenols) will probably boost Bifidobacteria as well as other beneficial bacteria.

In terms of supplements I favour prebiotics to boost Bifidobacteria. Most prebiotics available support the growth of Bifidobacteria, but GOS is probably the most selective; note human breast milk contains GOS. Some researchers have developed a second generation prebiotic called B-GOS (commercially Bimuno) which is even more selective. Enzymes from Bifidobacteria bifidum were used to create B-GOS and underlie its selectivity. This prebiotic has been shown to favourably modulate the gut microbiota and systemic immune and metabolic function in several human studies.
 
Last edited:

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
This is a great study. However it is worth noting that the dose they used of B. infantis 35624 is 10x higher than what you get in Align. Also, probiotics exert strain-specific immuno-modulatory effects, so you won't necessarily get the exact same results with other B. infantis strains in other probiotics; although there should be similarity. B. infantis 35624 was selected from amongst others some time ago because it demonstrated particularly potent ability to modulate the immune system. It's ability to skew DCs to promote Treg differentiation seems to be most important (review). Also, similarly to all other Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria containing probiotics, it is only a transient inhabitant of the gut (study), so will need continuous supplementation.
I started taking Align 2 weeks ago. I start my 3rd week tomorrow. The box says to take 1 capsule daily but that is for relatively healthy people. Given the dosage in the study, perhaps I should increase to 2 capsules per day? Should I take them together or spread it out over the day.
 

WNM

Messages
25
Location
UK
You could take it morning and evening, not sure it will matter though. Taking it with a prebiotic like GOS might help. Unfortunately regular GOS is quite hard to come by, but Klaire labs do a product called galactomune. Also taking it with certain Bifidogenic foods might help like green tea, apples and blueberries; some of these have been shown to promote the growth of B. infantis.
 

TigerLilea

Senior Member
Messages
1,147
Location
Vancouver, British Columbia
Life Extension Magazine have an article in their May 2014 edition about probiotics and they list CFS as one of the chronic diseases that could be the result of poor gut bacteria. I'm wondering if anyone here has found supplementing with probiotics and changing their diet helped at all with reducing any of their CFS symptoms?
 

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
@TigerLilea I started on Align 2 weeks ago. One capsule per day is the dosage. WNM pointed out that Align is only 1/10th of the dose the participants took in the study (post #7) so I decided to increase to 2 capsules at the start of week 3. I had not noticed any difference in how I felt for the first 2 weeks.

Yesterday started on 2 capsules. I expected hoped it would help with the constipation. Still waiting ...
It did give me sore glands, pain in some joints, put me to sleep, increased tinnitus and brainfog.

Today is even worse. About 1/2 hr after taking the capsules (I've been taking them together) I felt like someone had punched me in the face, right between the eyes. Pain in my nostrils, nasty taste in mouth, some facial twitches, pain in my teeth and jaw, tinnitus way worse. Have a headache.

My muscles are screaming at me. Everything aches. I can feel my quads burning even though I'm just sitting on the chesterfield. My spine hurts. Can barely walk up the stairs (6 steps). I got really cold, had chills. Right now I'm getting hot, nauseated. I can barely think to write this ...

It seems as though it has taken me back to when I first got sick. Had these same kinds of symptoms. I wonder if it has activated my immune system or changed it. Not enjoying the trip down memory lane.:depressed:

The good news is that I've burped several times. So b. infantis is making me proud of myself when I burp, just like an infant :rolleyes: Looks like it's gonna be a long night.
 

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
@Little Bluestem, thanks for asking. I had several very rough days but I started to pull out of it. Not doing well tonight though but that is because the plumber was loaded with scented something and stunk up the house.
 
Messages
8
@Aileen thank you for all this info and starting this thread. It is very helpful. How are you? Are you feeling better (I HOPE!)? Do you continue to take Align? Thank you, I hope you are well.
 

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
@HNjane I added 3 other probiotics as well as Larch arabinogalactan, a prebiotic fiber, to my protocol. I began getting headaches within a few hours of taking them so I stopped all a few days ago.

When things calmed down, started back on the prebiotic yesterday. So far, so good. If I'm not feeling too bad tomorrow I'm going to restart one of the probiotics. Not Align because that is what I started with before. Going to try a different one first to see how it goes.

Thinking I may need to take some kind of digestive enzymes along with the pre and probiotics. Just starting to look at that.

Anyone experimenting with Align, or other bifido species, have anything to report?