What are phytosynbiotics?
Phytosynbiotics are a new class of health supplements which promote healthy living and help cope with the demands of modern day living by balancing microbes in the gut.
Phytosynbiotics™ are unique formulations of plants with known healing properties fermented with probiotic lactic acid bacteria. During fermentation, beneficial plant nutrients and prebiotics are released, resulting in a synergistic augmentation of the benefits and healing properties of the combination.
PHYTOSYNBIOTICS = PLANT NUTRIENTS + PREBIOTICS + PROBIOTICS
How many phytosynbiotics formulations are there? What are their benefits?
Phytosynbiotics are condition-specific; different combinations of plants can be fermented to produce different and specific beneficial effects.
Currently 3 phytosynbiotics formulations are commercially available. They are:
- ProVie G which is formulated to provide support for glucose and cholesterol levels in the body. It contains the plant combination of bitter gourd and moringa co-fermented with a consortium of lactic acid bacteria.
- Living Logic+ which is formulated to provide support for brain development. It contains the plant combination of almond, ginkgo and ginseng co-fermented with a consortium of lactic acid bacteria.
- Living Genesis which is formulated to provide the vital antioxidants needed by the body. It contains the plant combination of broccoli, kelp and shiitake co-fermented with a consortium of lactic acid bacteria
What are the active ingredients in the phytosynbiotics?
The active ingredients of the phytosynbiotics are:
- Probiotics comprising of a consortium of Lactic Acid Bacteria. Probiotics are live microorganisms which confer a health benefit on the host. More specifically, probiotics can improve digestion of food and absorption of vitamins, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria that cause digestive stress, stimulate the body’s natural defence mechanism – the immune system and help make vitamins needed by the body.
- Prebiotics comprising of manno-oligosaccharides. Prebiotics are indigestable dietary fibers from food (eg oligossacharides and inulin) that stimulate the growth and/or activity of bacteria in the digestive system in ways that are beneficial to health. More specifically, prebiotics can assist the probiotics & plant nutrients to make their way intact through the digestive tract, allowing them to arrive intact in the intestines where they are designed to work. Prebiotics also nurture the growth and reproduction of the probiotics in the intestinal tract thus helping to transform the bacterial environment toward a more balanced & healthy one. Unlike probiotics, prebiotics are not living organisms.
- Plant nutrients or biogenics which are bio-active compounds released from the fermentation of plants. Plants contain a myriad of bio-compounds which are beneficial to the body. These include antioxidants, phytochemicals and polysaccharides. Antioxidants help to delay aging and reduce the risk of onset of diseases. Phytochemicals help to prevent metabolic diseases and fight tiredness & fatigue. Polysaccharides are long-chain sugars that prevent cancer or help existing cancer patients get better faster.
Are fermented phytosynbiotics better than concentrated plant extracts ?
Fermentation significantly enhances efficacy of healing properties of plants by making their nutrients readily available and easily absorbed by the body. Fermentation is able to extract hard-to-absorb nutrients in the raw plants while keeping live enzymes intact which are usually destroyed through processing or extraction. Specifically, fermentation enables the following series of biochemical transformations:
- Unlocking of nutrients and vitamins from raw plants, eg hydrolisation of starch into shorter chains of glucose and dextrose, increasing levels of vitamins particularly thiamine, nictoinic acid, biotin and riboflavin;
- Production of enzymes that aid in increasing the bio-availability of the nutrients so that our bodies can absorb and assimilate them more easily;
- Reduction of naturally occurring toxins in the plants thus rendering them safe for consumption;
- Presence of probiotics and prebiotics to support a healthy gut microbiota and maintain proper digestion function. When digestion is functioning properly and the body is absorbing and assimilating all the nutrients needed, the immune system tends to be better equipped to wage war against disease and illness.
Plant nutrients released through fermentation are superior to those found in plant extracts Fermentation only requires small quantities of raw plants to produce the beneficial effects. On the other hand, plant extracts often contain excessive concentration of compounds which in the long term may lead to the accumulation of unacceptable levels of toxicity in the body.
Why am I chronically sick? Is the gut that powerful to heal me ?
The socio-economic impact of noncommunicable diseases – or NCDs – like heart attacks and strokes, cancers and diabetes, is very high. Every year, NCDs account for over 63% of deaths in the world (1). An estimated 17 million people die of cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart attacks and strokes (2). Globally it is estimated that 382 million people suffer from diabetes (3).
Physical inactivity and unhealthy diet are some of the main risk factors which increase incidences of NCDs. Today’s diet comprises many industrially processed foods which are laden with sugar, fat and salt. New discoveries in science prove that such food is biologically addictive, leading to craving and binging. This leads to profound physiological consequences that drive up calorie consumption and weight gain. This in turn results in profound health consequences such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and even cancer (4).
When you eat, you’re not only feeding yourself, but also the 100 trillion of microbugs that thrive in your intestines (called the gut flora or microbiome). Recent research shows that these bugs not only help us digest foodstuff, ferment carbohydrates and proteins but also affect numerous processes in your body, including your immune system, metabolism, energy production, nutrition, genetic expression and general health. The choice of foods can alter your microbiome in a matter of days, for better or worse (5).
70% of our immune system is located in the gut as a vast network of lymph tissue referred to as GALT (gut associated lymphatic tissue). Disruption of the microbiome, through the use of antibiotics or unhealthy food, would negatively impact our ability to fend off diseases and has been associated with problems such as obesity and malnutrition, diabetes, atherosclerosis and heart disease, multiple sclerosis, asthma and eczema, autism, liver disease, and numerous diseases of the intestines, including bowel cancer (6), (7). There’s even tantalizing evidence that the disruption could extend to the brain, influencing mood, anxiety and cognition (5).
To stay healthy and disease-free, it is important to maintain good gut health or re-balance a disrupted microbiome. Optimizing gut health is about maintaining an ideal balance of beneficial to pathogenic bacteria in your gut which is about 85 percent good bacteria and 15 percent bad. One convenient way of doing this is to selectively foster beneficial bacteria by adding bacteria via food or supplements directly into the gut (8).
I am type 2 diabetic. Why should I supplement ?
If you become type 2 diabetic, the first thing to do is to get the foundation right, that is, to control diet, exercise and seek medication.
The current modalities of treating type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) consist of administering oral drugs as a first recourse. This is termed as the non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) status. More than 80% of diabetes patients are already taking prescription medications to help control their blood sugar. About 58% use one or more oral diabetes drugs, such as sulfonylureas (eg, Glucotrol, Micronase) and meglitinides (eg, Prandin, Starlix) that stimulate insulin release; biguanides (eg, Glucophage, PrandiMet) that decrease glucose production by the liver; alpha-glucosidase inhibitors (eg, Precose, Glyset) that block the breakdown of starches; DPP-4 inhibitors (eg, Januvia, Onglyza) that keep a blood sugar-controlling compound called GLP-1 active longer; and thiazolidinediones (eg, Avandia, ACTOS) that improve insulin action.
However, T2DM is a progressive disease. Although there is a wide range of medication available, evidence is showing that T2DM in the majority of patients is still poorly controlled. This failure to achieve optimal glycemic control partly results from the limitations of current therapies, which in most cases target the symptoms of the disease but not its underlying causes. The oral treatment eventually fails when the diabetic patient progresses to an advanced stage, and treatment using insulin has then to be prescribed. This is termed as the insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) status. 26% of patients use insulin alone or in combination with oral agents. However, using insulin is cumbersome as it needs to be injected, and insulin patients may skip injections and develop side effects such as depression.
Furthermore, there has been no new class of diabetic drugs launched in the market in the past 20 years.
It is in this context that dietary supplements play an important role. Dietary supplements are needed to complement the conventional treatment method of controlling diet, exercising and taking medication. It is a fact that certain food and dietary supplements do lower blood glucose but not all dietary supplements are created equal. It is important to evaluate and choose dietary supplements wisely.
How do phytosynbiotics work ? What is the science behind it ?
In every human being, and especially in the gut, dwells the microbiome: 100 trillion bacteria of several thousand species. This is 10 times more than the number of cells in the human body. This microbiome maintains health and performs beneficial functions such as food digestion, making vitamins and keeping bad organisms at bay.
Disrupted microbiomes have been associated with problems such as: obesity and malnutrition; diabetes; atherosclerosis and heart disease; multiple sclerosis; asthma and eczema; liver disease; numerous diseases of the intestines, including bowel cancer; and autism [1,2].
The active ingredients of the phytosynbiotics help to stablise the upset microbiomes. If the upset microbiome causes illness, stablising it may resolve it.
The Human Microbiome theraupetics is one of the most exciting discoveries of this century. In fact, it is considered by the World Economic Forum to be one of the top 10 emerging technologies in 2014 and is poised to revolutionise the treatment of diseases in the coming years.
To learn more about the Human Microbiome, click here.
What is the effect of taking phytosynbiotics?
Within days, the phytosynbiotics will modify your microbiome for the better and most people will notice positive improvements in their body. You will sleep better at night, feel more energetic & less tired, develop regular bathroom habits, become more vibrant and overall you feel better. Within one month, you will start noticing improvements in your metabolic conditions.
Are phytosynbiotics scientifically tested?
In the mid 1990s, we conducted a scientific study of 166 diabetic patients in a hospital with PSB-G – the technical name of ProVie G. The study demonstrated that PSB-G is as effective as insulin. PSB-G also reduces bad cholesterol while significantly increasing good cholesterol.
To download the study results, click here.
I am currently taking medication. Can I still take the phytosynbiotics?
Yes, the phytosynbiotics are dietary supplements and they are actually food. So, they can be taken within the recommended dosage even if you are on medication. If there is improvement in your condition, your doctor will decide on the course of your medication.
What is the Human Microbiome?
Inside our bodies and especially in the gut, dwells the microbiota: 100 trillion bacteria of several thousand species. This is 10 times more than the number of cells in the human body. These microbes maintain health and performs beneficial functions such as food digestion, making vitamins and keeping bad organisms at bay.
In recent years, studies have shown that when the gut microbioa is disrupted, we become ill. Disrupted microbiota have been associated with a host of problems such as type 2 diabetes, obesity and malnutrition, atherosclerosis and heart disease, multiple sclerosis, asthma and eczema, liver disease, numerous diseases of the intestines including bowel cancer, depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism and alzheimer’s disease. These studies also showed that health could be restored when “microbiome modulators” are used to re-balance disrupted gut microbiota.
Links: The Human Microbiome
> ASM FAQ Human Microbiome
> The Economist: Me, Myself, Us
> The Economist: Microbe Maketh Man
> The Scientist: Microbial Menagerie
> How bacteria in our bodies protect our health
> Could Research into the Human Microbiome Lead to a Revolution in Human Health?
> The New York Times: We are our bacteria
> Gut Bacteria in Health and Disease
Links: Video
> The Invisible Universe Of The Human Microbiome by NPR
> How our microbes make us who we are: Rob Knight at TED Video
> The gut flora: You and your 100 trillion friends: Jeroen Raes at TEDxBrussels
> TED Ed: You Are Your Microbes
> TED Talk: Jonathan Eisen – Meet Your Microbes
> Mind-altering microbes: how the microbiome affects brain and behavior: Elaine Hsiao at TEDxCaltech