Living probiotics are organisms that contribute to the balance and overall health of our intestinal tract; also referred to as the good bacteria which when ingested acts to maintain a healthy intestinal tract and help fight disease and illness.
Good microflora in your intestine can provide a protective effect only when a proper balance is maintained among all the different bacteria that normally reside in your intestine. If your normal bacteria become depleted or the balance is disturbed, potentially harmful bacteria can overgrow and become established, causing digestive and other health problems. Harmful bacteria are known as pathogenic bacteria, and they have the ability to cause gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea or abdominal pain.
The most frequently used probiotics are acidophilus which is a group is a group of probiotics, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium species, Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus salivarius subsp, thermophilus and bulgaricus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. The potential mechanisms of their action include competitive bacterial interactions, production of antimicrobial metabolites, mucosal conditioning, and immune modulation.
The emerging use of living probiotics has contributed to the application of an ancient fermentation process that is called “Poten-Zyme™”, which incorporates a multitude of living probiotics cultures and their enzymes used to pre-digest each raw material, thus creating novel compounds as a by-product of the microorganism’s interaction with the substrate. The proliferation of lactobacillus, and other lactic acid-producing microorganisms, during fermentation enhances assimilation and increases vitamin levels. These beneficial organisms produce numerous helpful enzymes as well as antibiotic and anti-carcinogenic substances. Their main by-product, lactic acid, promotes the growth of healthy flora throughout the intestines. The ancient Greeks understood that important chemical changes took place during this type of fermentation. Their name for this change was “alchemy”.
The Poten-Zyme™ process serves as a targeted delivery system, thereby creating Body Ready™ nutrients. Unlike other processing techniques, such as isolation of key components, Poten-Zyme™ liberates and creates compounds within the substrate of the foods or herbs, including compounds such as antioxidant enzymes, which are then dried at low temperatures to preserve enzymatic activity and pressed into UltraZorbe™ caplets to ensure thorough breakdown and assimilation. Asian ginseng, for example, is shown in laboratory assays as having no anti-cancer compounds in and of itself. However, when ginseng is fermented using lactic acid producing microorganisms, there are at least four anti-carcinogenic compounds present. The Poten-Zyme™ culture is the only known culture to combine aerobic, anaerobic and photosynthetic microorganisms together, to provide comprehensive pre-digestion and potentiation of nutrient compounds. The fermentation is designed to replicate the human digestive process at an even temperature close to body temperature and lasting from 7-32 days. The resulting product is rich in antioxidant enzymes such as Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase, in addition to liberating phytonutrients such as beta-glucans and phytosterols.
Nutrients in their pre-digested form have a profound effect on people with weakened digestive function such as those on strong medications like corticosteroids and chemotherapy. These are the individuals who could most benefit from high quality nutraceuticals, but often times their compromised systems can’t utilize these formulas unless they contain effective delivery systems. A prime example is the superfood algae Spirulina platensis. This microalgae is used in many nutraceutical formulations to provide nutrients and compounds to enhance health. However, Spirulina can be very difficult to digest in humans. Research suggests that with its tough cell wall it may only be 20% digestible by the human body, whereas pelicans on the other hand can completely digest it. When Spirulina undergoespre-digestion by the Poten-Zyme™ process, its nutrients become almost completely bio-available. Spirulina, which is blue green in color, is very rich in beta-carotene. However, the beta-carotene is dominated by the deep blue green pigments chlorophyll and phycocyanin. After fermentation, the color of the Spirulina is still blue green, but with definite orange undertones. This suggests that the microorganisms in the fermentation process are activating the carotenoids and converting them into more usable substances. The different species of microorganisms in the Poten-Zyme™ process are able to extract water, lipid and alcohol-soluble nutrients while retaining live enzymes. This cannot be said of virtually any other extraction or concentration method, including popular full spectrum extractions such as super-critical fluid extraction.
The foods and herbal ingredients are dried using a proprietary method that subjects each particle to drying for only three to five seconds at a temperature of below 90 degrees Fahrenheit and which requires no additional filler ingredients. This captures the nutrient content and provides for minimal oxidation. The absence of filler and standardizing ingredients such as maltodextrin, lactose and starch, makes the end product more suitable for those with sensitive digestive tracts. This drying technique has distinct advantages over other methods such as freeze-drying, spray drying, drum drying, room drying and window refractance drying in its ability to retain valuable nutrients as well as enzymes and probiotics.
Living Probiotics And The UltraZorbe™ Capletting Process
Designed by an engineer specializing in pharmaceutical delivery systems, the UltraZorbe™ (Ultraabsorption) capletting process enables these formulas to retain their enzymes and probiotics to ensure proper delivery of nutrients. Each caplet provides up to twice the active ingredient as other formulas due to their compact nature. Great respect is given to disintegration and dissolution times. Many encapsulated formulas have a tendency to become encased in a gelatin-like blob that is never fully broken down, thus causing the nutrients to pass through the digestive tract unabsorbed. Most conventionally produced caplets use ineffective binders and excipients that can cause similar problems.
Since most products on the market are simply the same ingredients used over and over again with different labels, it is important to differentiate truly unique and effective formulas. This is why Garden of Life have chosen to sponsor laboratory, animal and human studies on their formulas. They have even gone as far as to sponsor studies on competing formulas to show how they compare. Garden of Life have had the privilege to work with some of the finest scientists and researchers with expertise in immunology and microbiology from around the world, to compile this research.
The next section to visit is the Clinical Studies. What you are about to read is a culmination of research and Garden of Life’s effort to provide what they and we believe to be some of the finest and most effective nutraceutical formulations available.
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