Can a bacteria toothpaste really fight tooth decay?
It’s not just yoghurts. Now there are ‘probiotics’ in many other products, but...
PROBIOTICS — so-called ‘good’ bacteria — are key to a healthy microbiome: the trillions of microorganisms that live in the colon, mouth and skin, which are linked to digestion, immunity and inflammatory skin conditions. Probiotic products used to come mainly in capsules and yoghurts, but now you can get snacks, toothpastes and drinks, too. JO WATERS asked experts to assess a selection and we then rated them.
CHOCOLATE BALLS
BIOGLAN Biotic Balance Chocballs, €19.49, Hollandandbarrett.ie CLAIM: Dark chocolate balls containing up to three billion live cultures of two probiotics, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis, plus inulin, a ‘prebiotic’ fibre [meaning it is a food source for good bacteria]. There are fewer than 13 calories in each ball and the recommended ‘dose’ is two a day. EXPERT VERDICT: ‘A growing body of high-quality research in humans shows that people who have high numbers of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium have better health than those who have lower amounts,’ says Sophie Medlin, a registered dietitian.
‘They are associated with improved gut health and immunity, but the chances of three billion live cultures reaching the colon are pretty slim. However, the bacteria may benefit the microbiomes in the mouth and the gullet, which may play a role in the immune system.
‘Note, while the front of the packet states there are three billion live cultures in each ball, in smaller print on the back it says “up to three billion”, which is a big caveat. The three billion figure refers to the number of live cultures present when it left the factory, not when you open it: some could have died off in the intervening time.
I also worry that the probiotics would be destroyed by stomach acid. A bag is also expensive.’
4/10
TOOTHPASTE
Oralgen Nupearl Probiotic Whitening Toothpaste, €9.38 for 113g, biovea.com CLAIM: This contains the probiotic Lactobacillus paracasei, as well as sea salt, turmeric, peppermint oil and calcium carbonate. The maker says the product ‘balances healthy oral bacteria’, ‘gently whitens teeth’, ‘fights plaque’ and ‘freshens breath’. EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Lactobacillus paracasei has been shown in studies to inhibit the growth of a bacterium called Streptococcus mutans, which is associated with dental decay, but this effect has not been sufficiently demonstrated yet in humans,’ says Anna Middleton, a dental hygienist.
‘Also, this toothpaste doesn’t contain fluoride, which is toxic to bacteria such as Streptococcus mutans. It does contain whitening agents such as calcium carbonate, which aim to lift staining, but these ingredients may be abrasive. You can get a decent fluoride toothpaste for 50p. I’d advise sticking with that.’ 1/10
POWDER DRINK
Proven Probiotics Fit For School Sticks, €7.54 for 14 sachets, lifepharmacy.ie CLAIM: These sachets of soluble powder you mix with a cold drink contain a combination of 12.5 billion acidophilus and Lab4, a
plus vitamins C and D and a prebiotic. The maker says it ‘reduces school absenteeism by 30 per cent’ (based on a study in 1995 that found Lab4 and vitamin C reduced cough and cold duration). EXPERT VERDICT: ‘The claim of reducing absenteeism will be based on research into vitamin C, which has been shown to shorten cold symptoms in some groups, but there’s no evidence that probiotics alone will reduce the length of a cold,’ says Sophie Medlin.
‘This powder contains a good broad spectrum of probiotic strains, which are more likely to have a beneficial effect because the healthiest microbiomes have greater diversity. It also has a protein coating that protects the bacteria against stomach acid, meaning they are more likely to get to the gut. This could be used with a view to shortening the duration of coughs and colds in children — but based on its vitamin C and D content rather than the probiotics, as those benefits are as yet unproven.’
6/10
SNACK BAR
Vite Body Bar Ginger And Apple Flavour, €29 for 12 x 45g bars, vite. co.uk CLAIM:
Each bar contains five million live probiotics, plus chicory root to provide a prebiotic food source for the bacteria. The maker claims it acts to ‘aid digestive discomfort and encourage optimal gut health’. A bar provides five strains of live bacteria. EXPERT VERDICT: ‘The bar contains a broad range of gut-friendly bacteria, but I don’t think many would survive stomach acid,’ says Sophie Medlin.
‘I think it’s expensive, too, and at 228 calories, with 7g of sugar in each bar, I wouldn’t even say it was a healthy snack.’ 1/10
HEALTH SHOTS
No.1 Living Gut & Immune Kombucha Health Shot, €23.16 for 10 x 60ml, amazon.co.uk CLAIM: These shot drinks contain two billion active live cultures (of just one probiotic, lactic acid bacillus) and prebiotic fibre in a kombucha base (a fermented fizzy tea). The shot also contains vitamins C and D. The maker says the product ‘supports gut health and immune function’. EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Kombucha [which contains probiotics] is a live culture grown from a “mother” substance called Scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast — which is a bit like a sourdough starter),’ says Sophie Medlin.
‘The probiotic here, lactic acid bacillus, is helpful for gut and bowel function, as among other things it helps to regulate the acid/alkaline balance in the gut.
‘Again, I doubt whether the live bacteria would reach the colon. But it is low in sugar, and one shot has fewer than 22 calories.’ 3/10
WOMEN’S CAPSULES
Canesflor, €21.99 for ten capsules, boots.ie CLAIM: These contain the probiotic Lacto- bacillus plantarum and are inserted into the vagina. The company that makes them says the probiotic strain is ‘selected for its capability to adhere to the vaginal mucosa and protect against vaginal infections, such as thrush and bacterial vaginosis’. One capsule should be taken for six consecutive days, and then one capsule per week for four weeks. EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Good quality research shows that Lactobacillus plantarum taken orally can increase “healthy” bacteria in the vagina, forming a protective barrier on the vaginal walls,’ says Tania Adib, a consultant gynaecologist.
‘This may help to prevent recurrent infections such as thrush [which is caused by an overgrowth of yeast] and bacterial vaginosis [caused by an overgrowth of bad bacteria], both of which can cause vaginal discharge.
‘The probiotic may restore pH balance and prevent the overgrowth of “bad” bacteria, reducing the chances of recurrent infections to which some women are prone. Applying it directly into the vagina may be a more effective way of ensuring that the bacteria reach the place where they are needed. However, this product is not a treatment for infection.’
out of office. But were he to be given it, it would mean, what? An explosion of foolishness after a time? War with Germany?
Monday, June 7
WINSTON told me once, some years ago, when he was intriguing to remove Baldwin from office, that he once went into the small Lobby WCs where there are only two pissoirs; to his embarrassment one was already occupied by the Prime Minister.
It was too late to retreat, as he had been seen, so in he went. As [Baldwin] did up his trousers, he turned to Churchill and remarked: ‘I am glad there is still one common platform upon which we can still meet,’ and walked away. Winston tells it with a wealth of gesture.
Tuesday, July 27
WINSTON spoke [in the Commons] this afternoon warn[ing] the govt of the vast German rearmament.
To hear him is to believe the Germans are arriving tonight. What utter nonsense, but his fear and dislike of them amount to an obsession.
Monday, August 23
[IN BERLIN] Honor and I had tea with Sir Nevile Henderson, the new [UK] Ambassador here. He is proGerman, anti-French, anti-Jew, proItalian and, indeed, thinks along the lines I do. He says there is no German menace — yet! And need never be if only Downing Street and [Foreign Secretary Anthony] Eden will be more open-minded.
Friday, March 4, 1938
WINSTON has written a wicked article half-heartedly attacking [prime minister Neville] Chamberlain. [Winston] is a devil and must never be trusted.
Friday, March 11
I WAS in [new foreign secretary, Viscount] Halifax’s room at 7.30 when the telephone rang. ‘The Germans are in Vienna’— and five minutes later ‘The skies are black with Nazi planes’. We stood breathless, wondering what would happen next. It was like 1914; perhaps more dramatic and less dangerous. By midnight Austria was a German province.
Saturday, March 12
THE world, unaware that Austria is [already] half-Nazi, is shocked and aghast. ‘Czechoslovakia will be next,’ and other parrot cries are heard everywhere.
Thursday, March 24
WINSTON Churchill made his usual attack on Germany. He glared at me.
Tuesday, May 3
IS WINSTON, that fat, brilliant, unbalanced, illogical, porcine orator more than that? Is he the male Cassandra? Is he perhaps right, banging his head against an uncomprehending country and unsympathetic government? I think not, for he is always wrong. All his life he has done much to poison our relations with Germany.
Thursday, May 12
I SUBSCRIBE, I am afraid, to the totalitarian view that England is on the decline. We shall dwindle for a generation or so; we are a tired race and our genius, I believe, is dead. We produce nothing new, whereas Germany and Italy are seething with vigour and life; we have only choruses of cranks! Democracy is absurd.
Sunday, May 22
I RUSHED to the Foreign Office, where I found an atmosphere of suppressed excitement. The Germans were moving troops; their rage against the Czechs is almost boiling over. A shiver has passed through every chancellery in Europe. I stood in the window, gazing out on the Horse Guards Parade and wondered, was the world to commit suicide?
Wednesday, May 25
I SAW Anthony Eden, looking a bit bohemian, in the Lobby. He cuts me. Winston, too, cuts me now.
Friday, June 17
IT HAS got out that we are entertaining the Prime Minister to luncheon on Monday next and all the jealous cats in London are meowing.
Wednesday, June 22
THE Duchess of Kent whispered to me that she had a secret to tell me: we share the same political views, and I asked her how the King and Queen felt. She replied noncommittally that they are not ‘very Continental’. I have reason to know, however, that the King is sound, and against Anthony Eden.
Thursday, June 23
MY ADMIRATION, even affection, for the PM [Chamberlain] knows no bounds. He will save us still.
Tuesday, July 5
OLD Winston Churchill [is] now the most dangerous man in Europe.
Thursday, September 1
[ARTIST] Johnny Churchill, having painted a zodiacal fresco on the orangerie and turned [my wife Honor’s] bathroom into a coconut grove, has now left. He is a dear, gentle creature, far cleverer really than any of the Churchills. Will Winston go down in history as Johnny’s uncle?
Friday, September 2
SPENT the day at the Foreign Office. I am convinced that Hitler is too canny to risk a war. He is always right, always the greatest diplomat of modern times.
Tuesday, September 13
THE news is bad. Hitler has staked his claim; the Czechs won’t budge, and the French say they will march if an inch of Czech territory is violated. I don’t believe it.
Wednesday, September 14
NEVILLE [Chamberlain], seeing war coming closer and closer, telegraphed to Hitler, asking him to have an immediate rendezvous. The German govt surprised, flattered, instantly accepted. It is one of the finest, most inspiring acts of all history! Of course a way will be found now. Neville has saved the world.
Friday, September 23
THE PM had a stormy meeting with Hitler yesterday on his arrival; and this morning Chamberlain remained in his hotel, instead of proceeding to his rendezvous with the Fuhrer. It is grave, a bad omen that their talks did not proceed.
Saturday, September 24
THE PM returned today to London. Peace hangs by a hair.
Wednesday, September 28
WINSTON as PM would be worse than a war, the two together would mean the destruction of civilisation. The newspapers made harrowing reading!! The fleet mobilised! Trenches dug in Hyde Park! London semi-evacuated.
I went to the H of C [House of Commons], where the PM rose and in stately, slow English began the breathless tale of his negotiations with Hitler. He told how Hitler had invited him to Munich tomorrow morning, that Mussolini had accepted the same invitation.
The House rose and, in a scene of riotous delight, bellowed their approval. [Chamberlain] walked out of the noisy, frantic Chamber alone. The Saviour of Peace, the greatest man since Christ, got smilingly into his car, umbrella and all.
Thursday, September 29
ENGLAND has had a severe attack of the ‘jitters’; people enlisting, others in hundreds or thousands evacuating London.
Friday, September 30
BY MY side lay the newspapers — ‘Agreement signed at 12.53 in Munich’. So it is peace, and a respectable gentleman’s peace. The whole world rejoices whilst a few malcontents jeer. Chamberlain [has] saved the world. [BRITAIN declared war on September 3, 1939, following Hitler’s invasion of Poland.]
O EXTRACTED from Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries 191838 (Volume 1) by Chips Channon, to be published on March 4 by Hutchinson at €40.45. © Georgia Fanshawe, Henry Channon and Robin Howard as Trustees of the diaries and personal papers of Sir Henry Channon 2021. Introduction and notes © Simon Heffer 2021.