Why is gut microbiome so important?

What is the Gut Microbiome?
In recent years the awareness of the importance of what is now commonly called the “gut microbiome” or “gut biome” has grown tremendously.

In simple words, the gut biome is all of the microbial life that exists in your digestive tract. This microbial life strongly affects every system in your body.

What is a pathogenic microbe?
Pathogenic microbes are bacteria that can cause disease or infection. Although most bacteria are harmless or often beneficial, some are pathogenic, with the number of species estimated as fewer than 100 that are seen to cause infectious diseases. By contrast, several thousand species that are not harmful also exist in the digestive system.

What are probiotics and how do they assist with your health?
“Probiotics are live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.” (WHO, 2001)

The basic premise of probiotics is that there are “good” microbes and “bad” microbes.

This is perhaps an oversimplification but it is true that all probiotics are aiming to affect the gut biome in a way that advantages the “good” bugs that support well-being at the expense of “bad” bugs that do not help you to thrive.

Why is digestive health so important?
The majority of your immune system is focused on your digestive tract because most of the pathogenic or “bad microbes” likely to challenge your immune system are consumed via food or water.

“Good” or “probiotic” microbes, in addition to not being pathogenic themselves, are often quite good at killing or limiting the ability of “bad” microbes to take hold.

How does the gut health affect the immune system?
There is an abundance of research showing the potential that the “good” microbes have in stimulating and moderating the immune system not only within the gut but also throughout your body.

In this context, “good” microbes are sometimes said to stimulate the immune system.

This general stimulation and moderation of the immune system may be responsible for indirect benefits outside of the digestive tract, such as improvements in chronic skin conditions, mood and behaviour, and allergies.

LiveBrew Before and After

Why does having access to good microbes improve your health?
Your gut is normally protected by a slimy layer, called a biofilm, which is actually a complex community made up of many different microbes.

When this layer is damaged or broken down, which happens through stress, antibiotics, or illness, the tissues of the gut are left exposed to irritation and can lead to so-called "leaky gut" syndrome which can have significant effects throughout the body. BioBrew’s live microbes and metabolites can contribute to the presence and rebuilding of this biofilm.

What defines a probiotic product?
First and foremost, probiotics are alive.

They consist of microbes that are understood by science to be both safe and beneficial for healthy gut function. A probiotic product, to be effective, must deliver a sufficient number of the appropriate type of live microbes to that part of the gut where they are capable of delivering a benefit to you.

Unfortunately in many places, including New Zealand, the term “probiotic” is not regulated in any way and a manufacturer can (and some do!) call anything, alive or dead, a probiotic.

What about freeze dried probiotics, don’t they work just as well?
The most common source of confusion about probiotics is the number of microbes present in a product. The overwhelming majority of manufacturers, including most of those making freeze-dried products, declare only the number of live microbes present at the time of manufacture.

What is most critical to define is the number of microbes that will actually survive shelf-stabilization and the “reanimation” process to finally produce effects in the gut.

The majority of products sold today as probiotics are actually freeze-dried microbial cultures.

Evidence exists supporting the proposition that freeze-dried cultures can provide some beneficial effect, as demonstrated by the abundance of studies undertaken by the companies selling these products. But many of the cells are damaged and less than 10%, (and often less than 1%) of the microbes survive the drying/rehydration process, especially given the harsh conditions found in the gut.

Further, “waking up” takes time and the freeze-dried microbes will pass through at least a part of the gut before they can begin to produce a probiotic effect.

What is different about LiveBrew?

We created a unique production method that keeps the probiotic bacteria alive and active in our fresh liquid product through the entire shelf life shown on the bottle.

The microbes in BioBrew products are selected to survive the rigours of the digestive system, including stomach acids and bile salts. Unlike freeze-dried products, the microbes in LiveBrew are active and working from the moment they are ingested.

BioBrew Ltd., is the only manufacturer of fresh probiotic products that combine multiple strains of live, active probiotic microbes with the beneficial metabolites (e.g., organic acids) produced by those microbes with the viability guaranteed throughout the shelf life period.

The results speak for themselves…