GI Distress Relief™ is Body Ecology’s key to high-quality, live probiotic products. 

Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are proven to support a healthy digestive system.  What many consumers don’t know is that not all probiotics are the same. In fact, not all probiotics make it to your gut intact! The type of strains of bacteria and yeasts in your probiotics matter.  You need something strong, resilient, and most importantly, effective.  

Our formula contains a superstar blend of microscopic strains of specific bacteria and yeast. This superstar blend is more likely to survive the acidic journey through the stomach and into the colon, which may help rejuvenate your overall gut health. (1)

Fact: GI Distress Relief™ contains 50 billion good microscopic alchemists per serving. Forty billion Bifidobacteria -- made up of two proven Bifidus lactis (Howaru HN019 and Bl-04) strains -- combined with 10 billion S. boulardii -- a beneficial yeast that helps fight candida -- are ready and able to reach and colonize your GI tract.

Healthy Gut, Healthy Life: Give Your Gut The Support It Needs

Gut health has been connected to digestion, mood, overall health, immunity, and even the way people think!  Taking the time to heal your gut is a sure path to improving overall health.  The first step is to understand what conditions you may be suffering from.  The second step is to take a probiotic that offers the right strains of bacteria and yeast that are known to promote a healthy gut microbiome.

As we continue to learn more about microbiomes (this is the collection of microbes that live inside and on our bodies that keep us healthy), scientists are realizing the complexity of our microbiomes and how certain strains of bacteria in the same species can have significantly different characteristics and properties. 

For example:

• Within the species of Bifidus, the Bifidus lactis strain Howaru has been shown to help resolve irritable bowel disease. (2)
• Not all strains of Bifidus have this ability.

Most importantly, some strains of bacteria, viruses, or yeast in a species can survive the long journey through your digestive tract, and some can’t. Some secrete certain substances that are useful to other microbes living in the same area, and some within the same species can be harmful. This is also true for yeast. When choosing a probiotic, you must choose one that provides strains that can make the journey and support the overall health of your gut. 

For example:

• Candida albicans is a pathogenic yeast, which can lead to unwanted infections.  However,  Saccharomyces boulardii is a wonderful yeast that helps control pathogenic yeast and promotes overall health. 
• S. boulardii may help negate gliotoxin, a nasty toxin that candida and mold make to suppress the immune system. (4)

Different strains of microbes perform different jobs. We have selected our specific strains for their demonstrated effectiveness in supporting healthy guts.  Strain-specific probiotics (with research showing the conditions they treat) are the future.

You can find two superstar strains in Body Ecology’s GI Distress Relief™:

Why We Choose To Focus on B. lactis BL-04 and B. lactis HN019

Bifidobacteria is plush in your system as an infant if you are breastfed.  However, as you age, this essential bacteria diminishes - to almost nothing in the elderly.  The lack of this important bacteria can lead to gut dysbiosis.  Gut dysbiosis is an imbalance of gut microflora, or microbial community, which leads to illness and inflammation.  Simply put, it is when harmful bacteria have overpowered good bacteria in your gut, which can lead to depression, bloating, and other maladies. 

When healthy bacterias are often overwhelmed by harmful bacteria due to antibiotics, stress, poor sleep, hygiene, infections, and especially a chemically-laden, processed-food diet, this can negatively impact your immunity.

Bifidobacteria help fight inflammation, protect your gut lining, and maintain a balanced environment. (3) They're essential in helping to ward off infection and may even protect against the development of disease. (3) This is but one reason why probiotics become increasingly important with each passing year.  This is also why taking GI Distress Relief™ is so important to your overall health. 

As you age, a strain-specific probiotic like GI Distress Relief™ — containing the B. lactis HN019 strain shown to be especially helpful to older people and those with gut infections — can help support both your immune system and your digestive function. (4)

The Journey of Good Health Begins In The Gut

A healthy gut is the root of a healthy life.  A healthy gut directly impacts all aspects of your life, including mood, cognition, immunity, digestion, and overall health and well-being.  If you want a healthy life, functional medical practitioners know “First, fix the gut.” 

Regardless of your health struggles, a healthy gut is key to improving your immune system and finding overall health and wellness.  Your gut is your key to good health.  When you heal your gut, you are empowered to shift your entire wellbeing and positively impact how well you age. 

You have control over what’s happening in your gut! Even when struggling with chronic symptoms and illness, the steps you take to support your gut can lead to overall improvements in your health. Your microbiome is evolving every minute, and can easily be guided to improve. While you may already know that disease begins in your gut, your health also originates there. (5) This is critical to understand. When you help your gut recover, you positively influence your health and your longevity.

Support your gut’s repair with these standout ingredients in GI Distress Relief™:

• Bifidus lactis - These two scientifically-supported strains, B. lactis Bl-04® and B. lactis HN019, have a long list of benefits. B. lactis Bl-04® may help improve hay fever, allergies, and immune response while helping to decrease side effects from antibiotics. (6,7) B. lactis HN019 may promote better immunity and bowel elimination while helping to relieve constipation. (8,9)
• Saccharomyces boulardii - S. boulardii is one of the few probiotic yeasts that scientists have studied in the context of type 2 diabetes. (10) In animal studies, researchers found that S. boulardii may help minimize liver damage and inflammation. It also safeguards against diarrhea and can break down toxins from pathogenic bacteria, including the anthrax toxin. (11)
• Sunfiber - This unique prebiotic (fiber) is essential to our gut-soothing formulation. Tasteless, colorless, water-soluble, and gluten-free, Sunfiber successfully feeds Bifidus. It’s also safe for those who may have SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), SIFO (small intestinal fungal overgrowth), IMO (intestinal methanogen overgrowth), and histamine intolerance. (12)

If you have digestive problems, autoimmune issues, mood disorders, and aren’t happy with how you’re aging, or if you find yourself dragging through your day more often than you used to, a strain-specific probiotic like GI Distress Relief™ can help. Of course, you’ll want to remove the cause or causes of your gut dysbiosis — especially inflammatory foods and infections like candida. Then, focus on establishing a healthy microbiome in your small and large intestines. 

*This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References:

1. Prasad J, Sazawal S, Dhingra U, Gopal PK Detection of viable Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 (DR10TM) in stools of children during a synbiotic dietary intervention trial. Intl Dairy J. 2013;30:64-67.

2. Waller PA, Gopal PK, Leyer GJ, et al. Dose-response effect of Bifidobacterium lactis HN019™ on whole gut transit time and functional gastrointestinal symptoms in adults. Scandinavian J Gastroenterology. 2011;46:1057-1064.

3. Lau, Amy Sie-Yik, Jin-Zhong Xiao, and Min-Tze Liong. "Bifidobacterium for Infants: Essence and Efficacy." Beneficial Microorganisms in Medical and Health Applications. Springer International Publishing, 2015. 39-72.

4. Miller LE, Lehtoranta L, Lehtinen MJ. The Effect of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis HN019 on Cellular Immune Function in Healthy Elderly Subjects: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2017 Feb 24;9(3):191. doi: 10.3390/nu9030191. PMID: 28245559; PMCID: PMC5372854.

5. Fasano A. All disease begins in the (leaky) gut: role of zonulin-mediated gut permeability in the pathogenesis of some chronic inflammatory diseases. F1000Res. 2020;9:F1000 Faculty Rev-69. Published 2020 Jan 31. doi:10.12688/f1000research.20510.1.

6. Ouwehand AC, Nermes M, Collado MC, Rautonen N, Salminen S, Isolauri E. Specific probiotics alleviate allergic rhinitis during the birch pollen season. World J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jul 14;15(26):3261-8. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.3261. PMID: 19598302; PMCID: PMC2710782.

7. Ouwehand et al, (2014) ‘Probiotics reduce symptoms of antibiotic use in a hospital setting: A randomized dose response study’. Vaccine, 32(4):458-63.

8. Arunachalam K, Gill HS, Chandra RK. Enhancement of natural immune function by dietary consumption of Bifidobacterium lactis (HN019). Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000 Mar;54(3):263-7. doi: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1600938. PMID: 10713750.

9. Ibarra A, Latreille-Barbier M, Donazzolo Y, Pelletier X, Ouwehand AC. Effects of 28-day Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis HN019 supplementation on colonic transit time and gastrointestinal symptoms in adults with functional constipation: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, and dose-ranging trial. Gut Microbes. 2018;9(3):236-251. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2017.1412908. Epub 2018 Feb 8. PMID: 29227175; PMCID: PMC6219592.

10. Everard, Amandine, et al. "Saccharomyces boulardii administration changes gut microbiota and reduces hepatic steatosis, low-grade inflammation, and fat mass in obese and type 2 diabetic db/db mice." MBio 5.3 (2014): e01011-14.

11. Pontier-Bres, Rodolphe, et al. "The Saccharomyces boulardii CNCM I-745 Strain Shows Protective Effects against the B. anthracis LT Toxin." Toxins 7.11 (2015): 4455-4467.

12. Ohashi Y, Sumitani K, Tokunaga M, Ishihara N, Okubo T, Fujisawa T. Consumption of partially hydrolysed guar gum stimulates Bifidobacteria and butyrate-producing bacteria in the human large intestine. Benef Microbes. 2015;6(4):451-5. doi: 10.3920/BM2014.0118. Epub 2015 Feb 12. PMID: 25519526.