Last weekend, I was channel surfing and happened on Brenda Watson’s Road to Perfect Health on PBS. This is one of those programs that is win-win for PBS and book authors … the network gets generally interesting programming to use in fundraising efforts, and the author gets great PR for their new book.
I was happy to watch given the description: “the importance of probiotics to good health is explained.” Probiotics are kinda the new antioxidants. Who hasn’t seen Jamie Lee Curtis promoting their use in regulating one’s digestive tract?
Aye there’s the rub, it’s not clear it’s as simple as eating yogurt every day. Supplements seem like a good choice, but how do you know that you are doing anything more than creating expensive pee?
First things first
So I was happy to watch The Road to Perfect Health and hopefully learn something about probiotics. Watson made some interesting points (check PBS’ schedule to see when the program is on in your area). That said, a quick search showed that Watson’s website (and presumably book) conveniently link you to an online probiotics store. I think it’s a safe bet that the products there all conveniently meet her guidelines for probiotics!
So with that caveat emptor, here are some of the highlights from the hour or so long program, with some additional commentary and links provided by moi.
Why is the gut important?
In the first segment, Watson goes over the importance of the gut and good bacteria to our immune system. Basically, the gut is 70-80% of our immune system. And rather than go into detail, I’ll just point you to some summaries of this, one from Watson herself, one from Mark Hyman and one from Mark Sisson (note: the latter also sells probiotics).
According to Watson, a healthy gut is critical because it:
- strengthens your immunity
- helps maintain a healthy intestinal lining
- enhances the body’s ability to detox
- manufactures vitamins B & K
Why are our guts imbalanced?
Per Watson, these are the things that damage our guts and make it hard for the friendly bacteria to thrive:
1) Overuse of antibiotics — Antibiotics can cure what ails us, but they also indiscriminately kill off our friendly bacteria as well.
2) Microbes/parasites — This could be either yeast/candida (which can grow out of control due to antibiotics) or parasites we can pick up from our travels (or from our foods that travel).
3) Overuse of antacids — Interestingly enough, heartburn may actually be a symptom of too little acid in the stomach! All the antacid popping does is make this problem worse, making it hard to digest our food. It also screws up the pH of this part of the gut.
4) Undigested food — Low stomach acid is a common reason. Undigested food, particularly meat/protein, leads to inflammation and potentially to a leaky gut.
5) Environmental toxins — Air, water, food all can contain chemicals and other toxins that can disrupt our gut.
6) Age — After age 50, our friendly bacteria (e.g. bifido in colon) begin to decline naturally.
What to look for in a probiotic supplement
Watson notes that fermented foods like yogurt can help restore friendly bacteria, but she suggests that you’d need something like a gallon of yogurt to get the amount of cultures you’d need each day. So she suggests supplementing our diet with probiotics. But not just any probiotic … per Watson, this is what to look for in a supplement:
1) 15+ billion culture count — In terms of probiotics, more is probably better. Many of the probiotics I’ve checked seem to meet this guideline.
2) 10+ strains — Including multiple strains seems worthwhile, though even 10 is a tiny number considering there are 300-1000 strains in the human gut. Watson recommends getting both bifidobacterium and lactobacillus strains. Buying different brands that complement each other would seem an easy way to get multiple strains.
3) delayed release — This one makes total sense. In general, any probiotic has to make it past the acidic environment of the stomach to be useful. Make sure your probiotic explains how it does this.
4) potency at expiration — A big issue with probiotics is potency when you take it. Better probiotics will tell you on the label how many cultures are guaranteed at product expiration.
Some probiotics require refrigeration (like this one I’ve taken). Be careful where you get refrigerated probiotics. It doesn’t do you any good if they are in the fridge in the store but sat in a hot delivery truck or in a hot warehouse before you bought them.
My current take
At this point in time, research on probiotics is still inconclusive (at least in terms of the claims made by supplement sellers). That said, I find the concept of gut health pretty compelling … especially the idea of the gut-brain connection and a possible link to obesity).
So for now, I am including a probiotic in my diet, tho I also rotate brands to vary the strains I’m getting. I’m also trying to increase the amount of fermented foods in my diet. Finally, I’m also making sure to getting some prebiotics in my diet — some folks think prebiotic-containing foods like the onion could be the new apple (one a day to keep the doctor away).
Do you have a probiotic you like? Or an alternate approach? I’d love to hear it!
Weight Maven is written by Beth Mazur. Beth believes that obesity is more symptom than cause and that the real problem is our Western diet -- especially sugar, refined grains, and industrial oils. Beth writes about nutrition, ancestral health, & food policy. And cats! 
Hi,
So far I had a hard time finding probiotic with requirement you have recommended. Could you point me in direction of manufacturer which makes this? All I could find is 2 bilion live, and much fewer than 11 strains, and RAPID RELEASE, while you said delay release is best. Thank you for a response.
Krystyna, I’m reluctant to make any specific recommendation for probiotics, as I think there is not a lot of research showing the benefits of commercially available supplements. That said, if you are persuaded by Brenda Watson’s arguments, you may want to try the supplements she endorses/sells. Me, I’m currently taking Primal Flora (and have no financial interest in that company).
Brenda Watson is another person that has a monetary interest in her teaching. She is using Dr Jenny Garth Science. Her Mathematics is interesting at least. She claims that you have 10 trillion cells in your body. Then clams that your colon has 100 trillion cells in bacteria in your colon(s) . That means 90 percent of your body mass is in your colon(s). In fact the number of cells have been estimated at anywhere from 10 Trillion to 100 trillion. Quite a wide range. Then she claims that you need a small pill with 15 billion cell of probiotic. That would mean that it would only take 1000 of these pills to be equal to the human body.
Its a known fact the Colons only contain a few pounds of matter. One of these Probiotic claimants claimed that John Wayne’s colon contained 25 pounds of matter. John Wayne’s colon was never measured. He had no autopsy. She makes all kinds of claims of curing all kinds of ailments but has little proof that has been verified. I agree that certain Digestive ailments can be reversed or cured by changing diet. Even certain allergic ailments may be cured or reversed. The first defense against allergies is to AVOID the allergen.
She also claims that probiotics have only been around 20 years. Again an invalid claim. Probiotic ideas have been around for almost 100 years. The idea of adding ‘bifida’ to cure certain diseases was done by the Pasteur institute in the early part of the 1900′s.
Actually, she’s not the only person suggesting that there are 10x the number of bacteria in the gut than there are cells in the body (see this from a source I respect).
Keep in mind that bacteria don’t exactly have a lot of mass, so even if they represent 90% of cellular units, that doesn’t mean they are 90% of the mass of the body.
Anyways, I agree with your general comment that it’s important to realize that anyone who has a monetary interest in something should be carefully scrutinized!
Hello… In trying to research Probiotics I have ran across several comments that the particular supplement promotes a strong immune system… I have also ran across statements that say not to use them if you have immune system problems… 2 People in my family have immune system problems to the best of my knowledge… 1 has Fibromyalgia and also ITP… The other has Fibromyalgia… They are Mother and Daughter…
So am I reading this correctly that they should not take Probiotics…??
Will, as I mentioned, the research re probiotics is mixed currently. And I’m not familiar enough with immune system disorders to comment with any authority. That said, I did find that the National Fibromyalgia Association seems to promote probiotics for fibromyalgia: “Glutamine plus probiotics are also among the supplements often used for fibromyalgia. These are intended to promote an optimal environment for absorption of nutrients and are based on the theory that fibromyalgia symptoms may be caused by gut malabsorption of nutrients.”
I think it’d be worth finding someone like Chris Kresser who is experienced with this issue.
i do not know how to order on computer. i am 80 yrs old and dont see well can someone help me
Email me at [email protected] and I’ll see if I can help.
Hi Beth,
Thanks for the great article. I’m thinking about giving this a try, specifically the Primal Flora brand you mentioned in your comments. Are you happy with this brand so far, or have you switched? Thanks!
I’m still doing the Primal Flora, but mostly because it came for free as part of my auto-shipment of his Primal Fuel.
When it runs out, I don’t expect (for now) that I’ll be purchasing another probiotic supplement — either PF or another. Instead, I’m going to include cultured or fermented foods at each meal. So yogurt for breakfast, raw apple cider in salad dressing, etc.
I just tried Bubbie’s pickles, which are naturally fermented (no vinegar) and they are da bomb ;).
Hi Beth,
I’m at a loss when you talk about fermented foods.Aren’t the cultures in foods such as sauerkraut killed in the pasturization process.Where do you buy Bubbie’s pickles? What are some of the common fermented foods available to me?
Ed, you’re right, pasteurization does kill off cultures, so to get them via food, you either need to eat food where the cultures are added back in (e.g. yogurt in the average supermarket) or you need to eat fermented foods that aren’t pasteurized.
You can find the latter at smaller grocery stores that tilt organic (I buy mine at MOM’s Organic Market in the DC area). If there’s a store that sells Bubbies near you, they may also carry other fermented foods & veggies.
You can also buy fermented products online (I’ve not bought from these folks, but a classmate of mine has raved about them).
You can make them yourself (I’ve been meaning to try this 30-second fermented salsa for a while).
Lots of folks like to incorporate fermented drinks into their diets (e.g., kefir or kombucha), but I’m trying to avoid drinking calories, so I stick to yogurt, Bragg’s apple cider vinegar, and fermented veggies.
BTW, if there’s a WAPF chapter near you, they will probably be able to help you find fermented foods or teach you how to make them!
I buy the Brenda Watson’s brand “Renw Life Ultimte Flora Adult Formula 15 Billion” at my local Walgreens. I had been on antibiotics for a long time and really believed that it helped get my system back on track.
You have to be careful of fermented foods as they can reverse the benefits. Fermented foods can cause candida, the very thing you don’t want. Also, yogurt doesn’t have nearly enough acidophylis to do the trick. Probiotics is nothing new. It works. It has all but cured acid reflux in many people I know and one women doesn’t get yeast infections anymore after years of suffering with them. Probiotics work.
Rennah, I don’t find the candida idea credible. And everyone’s mileage may vary, but I tend to give more weight to traditional foods over manufactured/industrial probiotics. As with many supplements, the devil is in the details (are you *really* getting all those live cultures or were they killed off due to poor handling before you purchased them etc).
That said, I don’t think there’s harm in experimenting with probiotics, especially given the importance of gut health.
We’ll have to disagree wholeheartedly, with due respect. There are easy ways to purchase “quality” probiotics and other supplements. The food on the market today is greatly lacking in nutrients, therefor “quality” supliments are necessary. Most people eat crap, anyway i.e., processed, white flour and yeast based starches along with sugar and many fermented items which all cause candida, the root of so many sickenesses these days. I’m far beyond experimentation as are a huge part of the nutritionally educated (self taught or otherwise) people who’ve completely cured many an ailment once their candida was addressed. In case you haven’t heard this, candida leads to cancer. Cancer grows where there is little oxygen, hence the need for antioxidents in our diet. I deal with MD’s who also treat patients alternatively, the best kind of doctor one can have in my opinion, and other practitioners in the health field who’ve warned about candida for many years and only now are the masses just beginning to get this information. Western medicine is far more interested in the almighty buck and the drug companies who court them daily. Usually when you get sick you either are given drugs or undergo surgery. It takes critical thinking and research to stay healthy. In the case of probiotics this has already been done. No need to reinvent the wheel. Peace.
From my reading, the research (i.e., real clinical trials, not anecdotal) re probiotics is mixed and that devotees are overselling the benefit. Feel free to leave me some citations if you like.
I’m not a shill for Western med (far from it), but just am cautiously skeptical. The biggest problem in my mind is that too much of the information comes from the people who are poised to make money from it (case in point: Brenda Watson).
But I’m completely with you that people need to stop eating crap. Far better to do that than to keep eating sugar and refined grains and think a couple of pills will solve your issues.
Eating habits must change but we need some help along the way. Changing diet does wonders, no doubt, but some need more than that. You believe in Vitamin C suppliments, don’t you? I don’t think the message was to take a couple of pills and forget the rest, do you? I watched and didn’t get that at all.
I take a probiotic every evening before bed and never have heartburn. Yes, we all go off the track occasionally and things we shouldn’t. We’re human. Probiotics are far better than taking some prescription drug. Also if you’ve been on atibiotics then you really need to replenish your system after you’re done with the prescribed dosage. Brenda should have been more elaborate in her advice there. If you take probiotocs while taking antibiotics, well just read the two words and you know what I mean. The antobiotics won’t work if you’re trying to introduce new bacteria at the same time. As far as your comment about candida, are you saying you don’t believe it is a problem?
I think candida can be a problem for some people. But 1) I doubt that fermented veggies or yogurt aggravate it and 2) my comment was actually asking if you had a link to any clinical research trials that show the benefits of probiotics wrt treating it.
I don’t have a link nor do I need one. I’m 54 and have plenty of proof it works both personally and with countless people I know and know of over the years. You are the only person I have ever come across who’s questioning the benefits of such a simple and well known thing such as acidopholis. I’m perlexed is all.
I’m not questioning the benefit of probiotics; I’m questioning whether you can believe all the claims of supplement manufacturers and I’m not the only one (e.g., Probiotics: Research is Promising, But Few Products Can Be Trusted).
Happy it works for you tho.
I came across Brenda Watson’s show today on PBS. I was amazed because I was just reading “Let’s Eat Right To Keep Fit” by Adelle Davis. As Ms. Watson has 20+ yrs. as a Nutritionist, Ms. Davis had spent her life as a nutritionist who worked with many doctors. She was called “one of the nation’s best-known authorities on nutrition” by the New York Times. Her findings are very similar to Ms. Watson’s with the only difference being that Ms. Davis adjusted and healed with vitamins. Changing what we eat and the supplements we take to resolve health issues. Ms. Davis passed away in 1970!!! She was recommended by PREVENTION Magazine, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, TIME Magazine, just to name a few. Is this a coincidence? I think there is truth to what they are saying. God didn’t create us with prescription drugs in hand. I believe there are many things we can cure naturally, without medications. Have you read the side effects of most meds? What side effects are there on vitamins and probiotics? Hmmm. I’ll take the more natural approach. What have I got to lose?
Although she was very popular with the public in general in the 1970s, none of her books were recommended by any significant nutritional professional society of the time. Independent review of the superficially impressive large number of citations to the scientific literature in her books found that the citations often either misquoted the scientific literature or was contradicted by or unsupported by the proposed citation, and that errors in the book averaged at least one per page. One review noted that only 30 of 170 citations in a sample taken from one chapter accurately supported the assertions in her book. Additionally, the 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health labeled her probably the single most harmful source of false nutritional information. Adelle died at age 70 of multiple myeloma. She may possibly have taken larger amounts of supplements than was needed. When reading her books years ago I was uncomfortable with her recommendations and felt she was over the top, i.e., too much of a good thing could hurt you.
I’ve taken the Lady Soma Candida Cleanse product for some time and I can tell you it definitely works. Even with the first dose, it immediately improved the PH of my intestinal tract, I stopped having trouble with diahrrea and loose stools. It takes several months to fully get a good case of candida under control. The product is pleasant tasting and easy to take. The directions say it also contains ingredients to cleanse the colon of the dead and dying candida organisms. This is very helpful and I recommend it.
I have always heard that probiotics must be encapsulated in order for them to remain active during their shelf life and while you are taking them. I have not heard anyone mention them in these discussions. I take an encapsulated probiotice from Dr. David Williams and was just wondering if anyone else had heard this or had an opinion on it.
Thanks,
Two problems with trying to get probiotics through yogurt is that a) yogurt simply doesn’t have a very high quantity of them, and b) many yogurts — even plain — have added sugar (eating refined sugar defeats the purpose of consuming probiotics). Realistically for most, it’s nearly impossible to get an acceptable level of probiotics in their diet without supplementation.
With regard to the previous commentor’s remarks about Adelle Davis, I would very strongly caution against conflating her advice with Brenda Watson’s. Ms. Watson is pretty much by-the-book as far as a scientific basis for her philosophies, while Ms. Davis, though impressively educated, was widely criticized as a dangerous quack and even a fraud (many of her books’ and articles’ bibliographic references turn out to be fake or simply unrelated to the topics at hand). She sometimes recommended excessive amounts of supplementation that turned out to be dangerous.
Granted, Ms. Watson can indulge in a little hyperbole, and she does sell supplements which gives the appearance (correct or not) of conflict of interest. But in her defense, she never ever mentions any specific brands or shills her own products on her PBS programs, and the criteria she gives for selecting supplements are always general in a way that you can find many brands meeting them. Also, and I think this is important, she’s a great speaker and educator, but she never says anything that’s outlandish or doesn’t ring true, or even that really conflicts with other credible nutritionists.
i personally knew adelle davbis. she told me- i was a young guy and we met at a health food restaurant in nyc that she made money through the back door through money from the ditary supplement industry. brenda watson is the new adelle davis. really the ny times should do an investigation on brenda watson. i think shje is scamming like perricone . i love pbs but they are going too far. this is not du wop music. i will be contacting the ny times to do an inmvestigation perricona was an ewmbarrsment like barnum said a sucker is born too often. staying away from sugar and salt is de rigeur and tv dinners if given for free should be toosed into the trash bin. notice how every supermarket in america runs special on processed poisons. i am a naturalpathic pyhsian call me anytime dr. bill laker 775-348-7990 people from the media can also contact me shame on pbs. but she is an attractive 60 year old women. while her theories are bs she is a looker-dr. laker.
As I’m reading all the comments about wheather probiotics are good or not and and the claims thats made……The best probiotics you can take is keifer. the best keifer to use comes from keifer grains. There are are grains that you put in milk and grains that you put in water. These ARE NOT SUPPLEMENTS, they are the real deal. They keep your gut healthy which in turn keeps you healthy.