Which Probiotic Is Of Most Benefit
With the wide range of probiotic supplements currently on the market, it is important to choose one that is specific for dealing with your health concerns. Many people may be aware of the positive effects of taking a probiotic supplement for their overall health, however, what many people do not realise is that different probiotic strains have different benefits within the body. This means there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to probiotic supplements. Different people will benefit from different probiotic formulas depending on what strains are present. There is one probiotic strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG® that is well recognised for its beneficial effects in eczema. This particular strain of bacteria is one of the most extensively studied probiotics.
Research shows that Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG® can help to reduce the symptoms of eczema such as itching. It may also help reduce the sleeplessness associated with eczema. When given to pregnant and breastfeeding women, studies have found Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG® helps to reduce the frequency and severity of eczema in their children. Inner Health Eczema Shield contains 20 billion Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG® per capsule with a 1 a day dose to help reduce the symptoms of eczema.
Why Are Probiotics Effective In Treating Eczema
Actually, eczema is an auto-immune disorder. Improper immune response leads to inflamed, dry and cracked skin. Maintaining proper immunity helps to control the triggers that lead to eczema flare ups. One of the important factors that play a vital role in maintaining well-functioning immune system is our gut. Because most of the immunity based lymph nodes are present in the gut.
Probiotics are the best solution for the same. The bacterial cells present in it flourish the gut with good bacteria and control the growth of bad bacteria. This helps in improving the gut health and reduce the inflammation.
Which Probiotics May Be Helpful In Treating Baby Eczema
The probiotics that may help treat baby eczema are part of the lactobacillus group of bacteria.
- The lactobacillus group is the most common type of probiotic.
- Lactobacillus bacteria are naturally found in yogurt.
Types of lactobacillus that may help treat your baby’s eczema include:
- Lactobacillus paracasei
- Lactobacillus fermentum
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG
The types listed here seemed to effectively treat eczema in at least one study that involved infants.
If you’re thinking about trying probiotics as an eczema treatment, it’s best to look for these types of lactobacillus in probiotic supplements.
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Where Are Probiotics Found
It wasnt until the late 1990s that probiotics made a massive wave in the Health & Supplement industry. You probably first heard about probiotics from yogurt you know, the trillions of trillions of good LIVE bacteria!
Since then, probiotic awareness has been growing, and according to the Transparency Market Research, the global probiotic supplement market is expected to reach an astonishing amount of $45 billion by 2018!
Those are not yogurt sales.
Probiotic bacteria can currently be found in three main places:
In the body: intestine, gut, digestive system
In foods: probiotic supplements, fermented foods, fermented milk products, fermented teas
In dirt or soil: soil-based probiotic supplements
Research On Probiotics And Baby Eczema
Researchers have conducted studies on probiotics and children’s eczema for years, but results have been mixed.
However, a 2018 review of clinical studies involving infants and toddlers under three years of age, shows promising evidence that lactobacillus may be helpful in treating baby eczema.
This review, conducted by Dr. Mutong Zhao and others, examined seven clinical trials involving 609 children. All the studies were double-blind and randomized, and all the studies used the SCORAD index, which measures the severity of someone’s eczema.
Based on the review:
- Lactobacillus treatments helped babies decrease their SCORAD score .
- Types of lactobacillus that helped decrease SCORAD score include:
- Lactobacillus paracasei
- Lactobacillus fermentum
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG
- Infants with moderate or severe eczema showed greater improvement after consuming lactobacillus than those with mild eczema did.
- Another type of probiotic, known as bifidobacterium, didn’t seem to benefit babies with eczema like lactobacillus did.
- Probiotic treatment seemed to be more effective in babies under 12 months of age than in toddlers 12-36 months of age, but more research is still needed.
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How Can I Reduce The Impact Eczema Has On My Life
Although eczema can be a difficult condition to live with, it is important not to let eczema rule your life. Eczema is often seen in people with a personal or family history of allergies such as hay fever or food intolerances. It is these immune imbalances that must be addressed when looking at the treatment of eczema.
One factor that plays a vital role in the development and maintenance of a well-functioning immune system is a healthy balance of good bacteria within the gut. Good bacteria, also known as probiotics, inhabit the bowel and are responsible for maintaining optimal digestive function, supporting immune function and improving general health and wellbeing. Supplementing with probiotics can help to enhance the level of good bacteria within the gut and restore balance if the microbiome is disturbed.
All Probiotics Are Not Equal
Probiotic trials do not always produce positive results. However, the major reason for these mixed results was clearly demonstrated in a 2008 study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
In this study, the researchers compared the effectiveness of 2 different probiotic strains to a placebo in the prevention of atopic eczema.
They divided the pregnant women recruited for this study into 3 groups. While one group was given a placebo, the other two groups were given either Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001 or Bifidobacterium animalis subspecies lactis strain HN019.
The pregnant women followed these treatments from the 35th week of gestation to 6 months after delivery as long as they were breastfeeding. Their infants were also randomized to receive the 3 treatments until they turned 2.
The results of the study showed that L. rhamnosus but not B. animalis significantly reduced the risk of eczema.
This study shows that not all probiotics are effective in treating or preventing eczema. In fact, the most consistent probiotics are the strains of Lactobacillus.
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Probiotics No Help In Childhood Eczema
Good Bacteria Found in Foods Do Not Reduce Eczema Symptoms, Review Shows
Oct. 10, 2008 — New research shows that the use of probiotics to treat eczema in children is not effective and may carry a risk of bowel damage and infection.
Probiotics are naturally occurring microorganisms. In most cases they are bacteria and are similar to the friendly bacteria found in the gut or skin. Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium are common probiotics that are found in many foods such as yogurt, unpasteurized milk, fermented soy and yeast, and infant formula.
People with eczema have what is believed to be a disorder of cells of the immune system. Probiotics have been used as a treatment for eczema in children. But a Cochrane Collaboration review of 12 studies involving 781 children concluded that there is no evidence that probiotics in supplement form reduce the symptoms of eczema or change its severity.
Hygiene Hypothesis Intestinal Microbiota And Immune Development
Reduced exposure to microbes early in life is suggested to be one of the main mechanisms to account for the increasing prevalence of allergic diseases over the past few decades. Commonly referred to as the hygiene hypothesis, this was originally described by Strachan and associated reduced microbial contact with increased incidence of hay fever. Today, reduced microbial exposures have been attributed to Western lifestyle factors such as diet, antibiotic use, vaccinations, reduced household size, and improved hygiene. Epidemiological studies have shown that children raised on farms during early life have a reduced risk of developing allergic disease such as eczema or asthma , while prenatal farm exposure modulates atopic sensitization later in life .
The human intestinal microbiota represents the most significant microbial exposure for the developing infant. As many as 1015 microbes consisting of 1,000 different strains are said to colonize gastrointestinal tract . Under normal conditions, these bacteria have beneficial roles to the host such as digestion, immune development, and the control of intestinal epithelial cell growth and differentiation . Commensal bacteria are also important in the fermentation of undigestible dietary fibers, a process which produces large quantities of short-chain fatty acids in addition to the release of essential vitamins .
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Probiotic Supplements Safety Have Not Been Thoroughly Studied
Probiotics are being advertised as harmless or miracles for your gut, but there is still no proof that they will work for everyone or what the future consequences could be.
In 2012, countries in the European Union banned the advertising of probiotics in food, due to what they consider fake and outrageous health claims.
Dr. Lita Proctor, one of the leading minds in the studies of the human microbiome, who heads the National Institute of Health Human Microbiome Project quotes,
We are discovering a whole new ecosystem, but I do have some fear we all do in the field that the hype and potential over-promise will all back fire.
This hype is possibly the growing popularity of untested therapies such as DIY fecal transplants, and the wide sale of unregulated probiotics that could pose health threats to the public.
In fact, many scientists and physicians have cast significant doubt about whether probiotic supplements have much effect, especially since relatively little clinical research has been done to test them.
There has also been an issue of safety, as some probiotic strains have the potential to become pathogens.
Before taking a probiotic supplement consider that their long-term risks are still unknown.
While they may work for some people, we do not know everything there is to know about the human biome, and as such we cannot predict how probiotics will ultimately affect us, or how damaging their potential side effects could be in the long run.
Should You Be Worried About Probiotics
Probiotics are deemed safe to use for all ages, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding so there is no need for alarm. And if they have helped your digestive problems and so on, keep taking them as recommended by your health care professional. However, if you experience any adverse effects discontinue use.
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Certain Bacteria Strains Cause Histamine Build
Ive talked about how when your body has too much histamine, it can lead to a histamine intolerance.
Histamine intolerances are becoming more common and can irritate or cause skin conditions such as hives, asthma, rashes, eczema, and migraines.
One of the recognized species that is widely known for histamine production, are lactobacillus casei, lactobacillus reuteri, and lactobacillus bulgaricus, which are found in most of the probiotic supplements on the market.
Its also found in the food yogurt, the all-time favorite probiotic food supplement.
If you have histamine intolerance symptoms, then probiotics containing these histamine producing bacteria, can cause your skin, rashes, and eczema to worsen.
Probiotic Bacteria Don’t Make Eczema Better And May Have Side Effects Study Shows
- Date:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Summary:
- There is no evidence probiotics can relieve the symptoms of eczema, but there is some evidence that they may occasionally cause infections and gut problems. These findings from the Cochrane Library come at a time when use of probiotics to treat eczema is increasing.
There is no evidence probiotics can relieve the symptoms of eczema, but there is some evidence that they may occasionally cause infections and gut problems. These findings from The Cochrane Library come at a time when use of probiotics to treat eczema is increasing.
Eczema is an itchy skin condition that affects more than 1 in 20 people at some time in their lives and is especially common in children. Its cause is complex and not well understood, but sufferers do have different bacteria in their guts compared to unaffected people. Consequently, some nutritionists have suggested that eating live gut-dwelling bacteria, such as those found in probiotic yoghurts and some infant formulas, could be beneficial.
“Some doctors are recommending probiotics as a cheap treatment for eczema, but having carried out a systematic review we have found no evidence that they work for treating eczema,” says lead researcher Robert Boyle of Imperial College, London, UK.
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How Probiotics Can Treat Eczema
Your gut bacteria is extremely complex. Imagine being back at high school in a year of over 100 people. You might just about know all of them by face, but definitely not by name if you did, let me in on your secrets eh. Scientists are still uncovering the complex gut microbiome. We dont yet know how all these players interact, who the cool kids are, the intellectuals or the in-betweeners. What we do know is this
Taking probiotics for eczema and specifically probiotics of bifidobacteria aka Bifidobacterium looks set to be able to reverse the biology changes that cause your body to over react to things. Aka become allergic, attack itself and develop autoimmune diseases.
The science is still catching up to understand the exact theory behind why taking probiotics for eczema can help to relieve this itchy skin condition. Its a bit like knowing chocolate makes you feel good, without knowing that its because ingredients found in cocoa cause feel good hormones like serotonin to be released. Pinning down the reasons why is a work in progress, but it looks a little like this.
Probiotics Can Prevent Eczema
A growing amount of evidence shows that skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis can be linked to an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. So if you are prone to eczema or you have a family tendency to eczema we would strongly urge that you supplement your diet with good-quality probiotics. The studies suggest that Lactobacillus rhamnosus is the best strain of friendly bacteria to exert a protective effect against the development of atopic eczema.
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The Science Behind Probiotics And Eczema
So far, research on the use of probiotics in treatment of eczema has yielded mixed results.
For instance, a 2008 report published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology found that probiotics show some promise for the prevention and treatment of atopic dermatitis . Looking at findings from 13 previously published clinical trials on probiotics and AD, the report’s authors found that probiotics appear to be effective for AD prevention. But while about half of the reviewed trials showed that probiotics helped reduce the severity of AD, the majority of trials found that probiotics failed to reduce AD-associated inflammation.
What’s more, another research review published the same year in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found that probiotics were no more effective thanplacebo when it came to reducing the severity of eczema symptoms. Including 12 clinical trials with a total of 781 participants, the review also found that use of probiotics “carries a small risk of adverse events” .
Should You Use Probiotics to Treat Eczema?
More research needs to be conducted before probiotics can be recommended as a treatment for eczema. However, it’s possible that increasing your intake of probiotic-rich foods may be of some benefit to your overall health.
If you’re considering the use of probiotic supplements for treatment of eczema , make sure to consult your physician before starting your supplement regimen.
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Major Things To Consider Before Taking A Probiotic Supplement
Probiotics are powerful good bacteria that live in your body and help to keep the bad bacteria at bay!
But what about the ones put into a supplement?
While probiotic supplements can be helpful, keep in mind that they are still a relatively new concept in the medical world, and much of our knowledge about probiotics and they way they affect the gut is limited.
Consider the following before taking a probiotic supplement:
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Eau Thermale Avne Xeracalm Balm
This lipid-replenishing cream directly targets itching, redness and irritation for skin prone to atopic dermatitis and eczema. Formulated without any preservatives, parabens or fragrances. This moisturizer contains a thermal spring bacteria called Aquaphilus Dolomiae. Over 2,800 patients each year visit the Avène Dermatological Hydrotherapy Center to treat skin conditions including rosacea, psoriasis and eczema with the use of treatments and products formulated with Avène Thermal Spring Water.
Babytime Episencial Soothing Cream
All natural scent-free formula with calendula, raspberry butter, probiotics and neem oil can be used to soothe eczema, dermatitis, cradle cap, baby acne or diaper rash. This soothing cream contains Lactobacillus Ferment which has been frequently used as a natural antimicrobial in the production of skin care, hair care and cosmetic formulations. In addition to its application as a natural antimicrobial, Lactobacillus Ferment also helps to condition the skin.
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Probiotic Supplements Arent Proven To Work For Eczema
Ive been asked a lot if I recommend taking probiotics for eczema. Ive even been approached by companies asking me to promote their probiotics for eczema!
As most of you know, my approach to eczema is known for the gut-skin connection, and while I would love to find you something that could work like a magic pill for your gut, the truth is that immune system health needs more than just healthy bacteria.
No matter what the Drug and Supplement Companies claim, relying on a supplement wont get you long-term results.
In regards to probiotics for eczema, for me there just isnt enough evidence that SOLEY taking a probiotic supplement works.
Consider this if youre looking into probiotics for eczema:
In a case study in Asia, probiotic supplementation were given in the first 6 months of life to infants. Researchers found that early life administration of a cows milk formula supplemented with probiotics showed no effect on prevention of eczema or allergen sensitisation.
Another study on probiotics preventing food allergies to eczema showed that prevention of eczema with probiotics seemed to work until age 2.
Also, in a randomized controlled trial, pregnant women and their infants-age 6 months, received daily either a probiotic or a placebo. However, the results of the study did not provide evidence that the probiotic either prevented eczema or reduced its severity. The incidence ofeczema in the probiotic group was found similar to that in the placebo group.