Probiotic for irritable bowel
IRRITABLE bowel syndrome ( IBS) is defined as a group of bowel disorders in which abdominal pain or discomfort is associated with defaecation or a change in bowel habit.
The symptoms of IBS are very common, including abdominal pain/ cramp, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, flatulence, an urge to defaecate and incomplete bowel emptying.
You may be suffering from IBS if you have recurrent symptoms for at least three days a month in the past three months.
According to a survey published in the
in 2003, one out of six Malaysians suffer from IBS, with a female predominance.
To date, the exact cause of IBS is unknown. Several factors such as food intolerance, gastrointestinal infections, stress and medications might put one at greater risk of developing IBS.
Although there is still no cure for IBS, it can be managed through lifestyle modification, dietary changes, medication and psychological treatments.
Regular exercise and stress management may also help ease IBS symptoms. Try to eat small and frequent meals and avoid foods that contain fructose, lactose, sorbitol and fructan.
Typical IBS treatments only temporarily relieve symptoms but do not tackle the root cause of IBS.
For example, laxatives are used to treat constipation and antidiarrhoeal medicines are used to treat diarrhoea.
IBS symptoms can be alleviated by taking a probiotic that has been recognised by the World Gastroenterology Organisation as an adjuvant in managing IBSrelated symptoms – Lactobacillus plantarum 299v ( Lp299v).
Lp299v is a probiotic that was first used by a group of surgeons, microbiologists and nutritionists in the early 1990s in Sweden.
Lp299v is a strain of lactic acid bacteria that is now patented throughout the world for its positive effect on gastrointestinal health, especially on IBS.
Lp299 has characteristics that are not found in other strains of probiotics.
According to European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Lp299v is able to displace intestine wall- bound harmful bacteria and continue to facilitate the function of the intestines by adhering to the intestinal wall for up to 11 days with its specific adhesion mechanism.
The Lp299v has demonstrated its efficacy in alleviating all IBS symptoms through 20 years of intense clinical trials: 95% of patients experienced overall IBS symptoms improvement within four weeks with 20 billion CFU ( colony- forming unit) of Lp299v.
Lp299v is one of the few probiotic strains that have binding for a mannose- specific receptor.
This intestinal binding prevents attachment of pathogenic bacteria to the intestinal wall, thus allowing Lp299v to communicate with the host, which then strengthens the intestine and gut immunity.
Also, it is able to stimulate the growth of good bacteria, produce short- chain fatty acids to nourish the gut, and modulate immune response.
All this explains the Lp299v probiotic strain’s contribution to balanced gut microflora and healthy gut functions, especially in relieving IBS.
Consult your pharmacist before taking probiotics.
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