There’s nothing more irritating than arriving at your travel destination with a cold or, worse, the flu. Which is probably why I write about it a lot. Which is certainly why I was sent a couple of packets of Culturedcare probiotic gum to try out.

As I understand it, the gum stocks the mouth and throat with friendly bacteria which attack the unfriendly bugs that cause colds and, as a bonus, bad breath. Whatever, if it reduces the risk of catching a holiday-destroying bug, I’m for it.

Needless to say it’s hard to test such products but my wife and I did try the gum out on a trip to Niue. The peppermint version – the other packet I was sent was mango-flavoured – tasted fine and I can testify that Chris’s breath was fine (I didn’t ask about mine).

More importantly, neither of us caught colds on the way to Niue. Nor, despite the flight being a couple of hours late, did we get one on the way home. That was a big advance on the previous trip when I got colds in both directions.

Of course that doesn’t prove that probiotic gum stops colds. But it certainly does leave open the possibility. And if nothing else it’s a good way to clean your teeth in flight. For further information see CulturedCare.com

(Read the original article at http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10683102)

Professor Howard Jenkinson, from the University of Bristol, explains how oral bacteria can wreak havoc if they are not kept in check by regular brushing and flossing. “Poor dental hygiene can lead to bleeding gums, providing bacteria with an escape route into the bloodstream, where they can initiate blood clots leading to heart disease,” he said.

Streptococcus bacteria commonly live in the mouth, confined within communities termed biofilms and are responsible for causing tooth plaque and gum disease. The University of Bristol researchers, in collaboration with scientists at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), have shown that once let loose in the bloodstream, Streptococcus bacteria can use a protein on their surface, called PadA, as a weapon to force platelets in the blood to bind together and form clots.

Inducing blood clots is a selfish trick used by bacteria, as Jenkinson points out. “When the platelets clump together they completely encase the bacteria. This provides a protective cover not only from the immune system, but also from antibiotics that might be used to treat infection,” he said. “Unfortunately, as well as helping out the bacteria, platelet clumping can cause small blood clots, growths on the heart valves (endocarditis), or inflammation of blood vessels that can block the blood supply to the heart and brain.”

Jenkinson said the research highlights a very important public health message. “People need to be aware that as well keeping a check on their diet, blood pressure, cholesterol and fitness levels, they also need to maintain good dental hygiene to minimize their risk of heart problems.”

The team is using a brand-new blood flow model, developed by Dr. Steve Kerrigan at the RCSI, School of Pharmacy, Dublin, that mimics conditions in the human circulatory system. “We are currently investigating how the platelet-activating function of PadA can be blocked. This could eventually lead to new treatments for cardiovascular disease which is the biggest killer in the developed world,” said Jenkinson.

Source: http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2010/09/jailbreak-bacteria-can-trigger-heart-disease

Note: CulturedCare Probiotic Gum with BLIS K12 has a positive effect on dental hygiene. The friendly probiotic bacteria BLIS K12 has been shown to successfully fight harmful Streptococcus bacteria in the mouth. Dentists and dental hygienists everywhere are now recommending oral probiotics as part of a systemic approach to health and dentistry.

“Probiotics are friendly, health-promoting bacteria,” says Professor John Tagg, a world-renowned microbiologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand. “Everyone knows about the importance of probiotics for the digestive tract. But for good oral health and overall immunity, we also need oral probiotics that are specific to our mouths. “

He should know! As a boy, Professor Tagg suffered from a strep throat infection that led to rheumatic fever, a serious condition that can cause permanent heart damage. He required antibiotic drugs for 10 years. Because of this experience, he devoted his life to finding friendly probiotic bacteria that prevent strep throat and other infections that enter through the mouth. He discovered BLIS K12, a naturally occurring component of the S. salivarius probiotic strain. BLIS, which stands for Bacteriocin- Like Inhibitory Substance, is an advanced oral probiotic.

“My published research shows that BLIS K12 controls the undesirable and diseasecausing bacteria that cause bad breath, strep throat, thrush, and ear and upper respiratory infections,” explains Professor Tagg. “BLIS K12 probiotic bacteria also promote general oral health and help prevent tooth decay and gum disease.”

Professor Tagg’s BLIS K12 probiotic is now made as a gum in Canada by Prairie Naturals, an established, family-owned nutritional supplement company in BC. “

Gum is an ideal way to ‘seed’ BLIS K12 probiotic throughout the mouth and throat, where it can colonize and grow. The gum can provide protection for teeth, gums, throat, and ears,” says Professor Tagg.

Made with proprietary cold-pressed technology, BLIS K12 gum contains the therapeutic dosage determined by Professor Tagg’s research. Its potency and purity are confirmed through independent testing in government-licensed laboratories in Canada, New Zealand, and the US.

Ausra Dalinda is a dietician and nutritional consultant

and owner of Georgian Health Foods, 1295 Mosley St., Wasaga Beach.

(705) 422-1919

(Read the original article at http://www.bodymagazine.ca/ProbioticGum.html)

Study Looks at Why Mum’s Kiss is Good for Baby

by Eileen Goodwin
nzherald.co.nz
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10652667

Encouraging a mother to spit on her baby may not sound like good science, but it is the basis of a world-first study in New Zealand.

The University of Otago study aims to determine if newborns can receive, and establish, good bacteria that have been introduced to their mother’s mouths.

Pregnant women will suck a probiotic lozenge each day of the last month of their pregnancy to colonise their mouths with the bacteria associated with preventing sore throats and ear infections.

“There has been no study like this before,” Professor John Tagg said.

Women would be checked to see if they naturally carried streptococcus salivarius K12, which occurs naturally in 5 per cent of the population.

Why some people had K12 was a mystery; it was random, but there were indications it ran in families.

“What we want is to take the randomness out of it,” he said.

If his theory is right, his method will establish the good bacteria, potentially with life-long benefits.

“When she kisses baby, it should give the kiss of protection to her baby.”

The study is based on the same principle as Blis K12 Throat Guard, which Professor Tagg developed.

Only two participants were signed up for the trial, but Professor Tagg hoped about 50 women would take part over the next year.

Sterile when they were born, babies inherited bacteria from their main carer, usually their mother.

The person who got the most “spits in” passed on their bacteria to the baby. Babies would be checked for K12 at one week, and then at six weeks, to see if the bacteria remained.

The babies would not be tracked as they grew up, but that could be the basis of future research, Professor Tagg said.

Dunedin mother-of-three Anna Wescombe, who is six-and-a-half months pregnant, was pleased to be taking part in the study.

Hopefully her baby would benefit from the “good bacteria”, Mrs Wescombe said.

By Eileen Goodwin

PS – Here’s a video of Professor Tagg on the protective qualities of a mother’s kiss:

Professor John Tagg’s Answer:

The short answer is “yes.”

Awareness of the potential for anti-viral activity associated with the use of K12 preparations first came from some customer’s reports that heavy dosing with the product at the very first (prodromal) signs of an upper respiratory tract infection appeared sometimes to interfere with the customary clinical progression of their infection.

The interferons are cytokines that help trigger various protective defences of the immune system and some of these are especially important for fighting off virus infections. We found that (a)  the exposure of preparations of either mouse splenocytes or human leukocytes to K12 cells and (b) the consumption of large numbers of K12 cells by human subjects resulted in production of substantially elevated levels of gamma interferon. In other studies it has been shown that protection of the human host against virus infection can be triggered by gamma interferon (1) .

More recently (2)  K12 cells were shown to suppress bronchial and other epithelial cell inflammatory responses by inhibiting NF-kB pathways and other important immune cell functions.

My recommendation for those attempting to alleviate the progression of a viral upper respiratory tract infection is as follows -  at the very first signs of infection successively use 3 K12 chewing gums over a period of 10 -15 min and then repeat this another one or two times over the next two hours.

References:

1.  Sethi S.K., Bianco, A., Allen, J.T., Knight, R.A., Spiteri, M.A. Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) down-regulates the rhinovirus-induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on human airway epithelial cells.Clin Exp Immunol 110: 362-9 (1997

2. Cosseau C., Devine D.A., Dullaghan E., Gardy J.L., Chikatamarla A., Gellatly S., Yu L.L., Pistolic J., Falsafi R., Tagg J., Hancock R.E. The commensal Streptococcus salivarius K12   downregulates the innate immune responses of human epithelial cells and promotes host-microbe homeostasis. Inf. Immun 76: 4163-75 (2008)

(Do you have a Probiotic Health question for Professor John Tagg? Email us your question. If your question is not listed in our FAQ’s, we’ll ask Professor Tagg directly, email you back with his answer, AND post it here on our blog to benefit all our readers.)

Reader’s Question:

I read that BLIS K12 Oral Probiotic is indicated for thrush (oral candidiasis). How would I use the BLIS K12 gum to treat this condition?

Professor John Tagg’s Answer:

BLIS K12 is indicated  for oral thrush. At bedtime, thoroughly brush and floss teeth as usual. Rinse mouth well with water. Chew one piece of CulturedCare Probiotic Gum with BLIS K12 for approximately 3-5 minutes. It is preferable to not eat or drink for the next couple of hours. Repeat for seven consecutive nights. Continue nightly as above or (for economical reasons) repeat this protocol every month. If you are using an antifungal to treat oral thrush, begin using the Probiotic Gum two hours after your last antifungal treatment.

Note:  This protocol supports the optimal colonization of the S. salivarius K12 bacteria during the night. Sweetened only with xylitol, isomalt and stevia, CulturedCare Probiotic Gum does NOT in any way contribute to tooth decay or gum disease.

Professor Tagg will also be visiting select health food stores in the Vancouver/Victoria region… PLUS he’ll be appearing on Fanny Kiefer’s TV show “Studio 4″ talking about his discovery of the oral probiotic BLIS K12.

(We’ll be giving away free samples of our CulturedCare Probiotic Gum w/ BLIS K12 at Professor Tagg’s health food store events.)

Professor John Tagg’s May, 2010 Vancouver  itinerary:

Thursday, May 13 – TV appearance on Fanny Kiefer’s Studio 4 (Shaw TV)
Broadcast Live at 9:00 am PST (and again at 1, 4 and 9pm PST)

Monday, May 17 – Instore at Whole Foods / Capers – Cambie
12-1pm
510 W. 8th Ave (at Cambie)
Vancouver BC
778-370-4217

Monday, May 17 – Instore at Nature’s Fare Markets-Langley

2-4 pm
#120-19880 Langley Bypass
Langley BC V3A 4Y7
Phone Number 788-278-1300

Tuesday, May 18 – Instore at The Vitamin Shop
1-3 pm
1212 Broad St.
Victoria BC V8W 2A5

Wednesday, May 19 – Instore at Lifestyle Markets
1-2 pm
180-2950 Douglas St. Victoria BC

Wednesday, May 19 – Instore at Lifestyle Select
2:30-3:30 pm
9769 5th St.
Sidney BC