↑
See also the post on Dannon Activia.
You’ve got to be skeptical about the benefits of Activia when the ad I saw tonight said: “Eighty-seven percent of us report some problems with regularity and can [”therefore” is implied] benefit from Dannon Activia, with bifidis regularis.” That is my paraphrase of what I heard about an hour ago. My instant reaction was that either the 87% includes people with IBS or it doesn’t
- If people with IBS are included, then Dannon is making a medical statement that we can benefit from eating Activia, when it fact it may give us violent diarrhea (on top of “normal” diarrhea) because some of us are lactose intolerant. I don’t think that’s a benefit of eating Activia.
- If only people who don’t have IBS are included in the 87%, then that implies that the remaining 13% is composed of people who never have regularity issues and don’t need Activia, and people who *do* have “regularity issues”–because they have IBS–and *shouldn’t* eat Activia.
My guess is that if the statistic is *real* then what they did was ask, in a survey, “Do you ever have irregularity for any reason.” If that is the basis, then option #1 above applies. Dannon Activia is making a medical statement in promoting Activia as usable and beneficial for everyone in their 87% group, regardless of lactose intolerance. Or did they cook the statistic by weeding out people who had already told them they were lactose intolerant?
Someday we’ll know.
Again, the link to the previous post on Activia, and the comments.
March 22nd, 2008
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, Digesting Information, Dannon Activia Yogurt |
2 comments
Summary
Quick summary of the For My Tummy position:
Probiotics in pills or capsules that protect against stomach acid, GOOD.
Probiotics in food, exposed to digestive juices all the way to the gut, BAD.
Types of Probiotics
That is to say that probiotics such as Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ and Align ™, both reviewed on this blog, are helpful forms of probiotics, and the strains seem to help more than Acidophilus or the multiple strains in the Neutraceuticals products. Both Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ and Align ™ are encapsulated in such a way that they do not need to be refrigerated, as some probiotics do. They also seem to reach the gut and then have the intended effect of improving gut (large intestine) response in the digestion of foods on an IBS diet, and perhaps extend the range and types of foods that can be eaten.
Probiotics in Food
Probiotics as food additives are unlikely to produce such help, because they are unlikely to reach the gut with their probiotic bacteria intact. Dannon’s web site section for health professionals summarizes a study that says that indeed their probiotic travels the entire digestive tract and emerges in the same strength–and then omits all the details that help to judge a study’s validity. Not to mention that people with some digestive problems have lactose intolerance, strong enough that they cannot eat yogurt. The encapsulated pill/capsule form of probiotic stays together and protects the contents, the millions of “colony-forming” GOOD bacteria that will change the digestive activity in the gut in a good way.
Immune System Probiotics
This–the unlikeliness to be helpful–also goes for DanActive, ™ which contains “l-casei immunitas” ™ as its resident strain of bacteria. In contrast, if increased immune function is what you want, search here for the Ganeden Biotech product Sustenex ™. Sustenex provides an encapsulated form of patented probiotics that are designed to bypass digestive juices in the upper digestive tract. I’m holding off on a wholehearted endorsement, just because I haven’t investigated the research, and only know that Dr. Mehmet Oz is a fan.
Further Information
See the many posts here; search on “probiotics” and on “Dannon,” or select the category “Probiotics.”
Feel Welcome to Comment
Thanks for visiting; please leave a comment below, by clicking the “Comments” link.
January 25th, 2008
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, Align, NSI Probiotics, Digesting Information, Dannon Activia Yogurt, Digestive Advantage - IBS, Sustenex |
17 comments
Sustenex ™ is a variant on Ganeden BC ^30 ™, a probiotic used also in the Digestive Advantage ™ line of products for IBS, IBS-C, Crohn’s Disease, and Lactose Intolerance.
Sustenex, however, is marketed as a health-promotion product, rather than as a health-improvement product like the Digestive Advantage line. I cannot find out from the online literature whether there is the same amount of Ganeden BC^30 in each of the Ganeden products. I would be interested to know the differences among their products.
The reason I have been reading the Sustenex materials at www.sustenex.com is that I received a press release from them (Ganeden Biotech), which is reproduced here, without the main image.
1-800-456-0276 DigestiveAdvantage@GanedenBiotech.com
Dr. Mehmet Oz radio show on Oprah & Friends™:
Date: Thursday, November 15th
Time: 7:00am, 1:00pm and 7:00pm
How to listen to the show: Tune in to XM Radio channel 156 or click here! to sign up for a 30-day free membership.
Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen, renowned doctors in cardiology, anesthesiology, and wellness are also the best selling authors of the YOU series of books. Their latest book, YOU: Staying Young was just released and is on the New York Times Best Sellers List.
Learn more about probiotics >>
Learn more about GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans), our patented strain of probiotics >>
I am traveling out of town, and may not get to listen. Would you like to write a guest review of the radio show for the blog? Contact me tummyblogger [at] gmail.com?
And, to find out more about probiotics, especially for tummy problems such as IBS-C and IBS-D, and even IBS-A, read the following articles on this blog:
Originally from October 2006, on promising medical research:
http://www.formytummy.com/2007/04/20/medical-research-on-probiotic
Recommended Reading on Probiotics:
http://www.formytummy.com/2007/07/08/recommended-reading-on-probiotics-and-prebiotics/
And the series on Probiotics 101 and 102, as follows:
That even funnier word, SYNbiotics, is covered in this article:
http://www.formytummy.com/2007/07/09/prebiotics-plus-probiotics-synbiotics/
Don’t forget PREbiotics, described in this article:
http://www.formytummy.com/2007/07/09/prebiotics-plus-probiotics-synbiotics/
November 14th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, general, Digesting Information, Sustenex |
one comment
Background
As I’ve mentioned before, I received free samples of Digestive Advantage-IBS (DA-IBS) ™ from Ganeden Biotech. The understanding with them was that I would write weekly reviews, in similar fashion to those I’ve written while sampling Align. They would not, and Procter & Gamble, who makes Align, did not, have any say over what I might write.
The Wrinkle
The complicating factor is that Ganeden Biotech makes two versions of Digestive Advantage-IBS. ™ I started with the form that is in a tiny caplet for swallowing. Then, after four weeks, I switched to the form of DA-IBS ™ that comes in chewable tablets. The reason for putting the chewable tablets second was that they contain a tiny amount of sucralose, the ingredient name for Splenda ™. Sucralose “works for me,” as one of the IBS triggers. It turned out that taking only that small amount of sucralose every day was no problem.
Report
I have already reported, after four weeks of taking the caplets, that Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ is my choice for probiotic. See this post.
BUT
After a couple of weeks taking the chewable tablets, I felt that they weren’t as strong or effective as the caplets. I often wound up taking two chewables a day. Then I would take one DA-IBS chewable in the morning, and “cheat” and take one DA-IBS caplet in the evening.
Then I just thought–this is not a clinical trial, after all. What I want is the caplets, not this solution that doesn’t quite work for me. So I stopped taking the chewable form of Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ completely.
Now I take one, or occasionally two, DA-IBS caplets every day. I think the difference is not the sucralose content. My theory is that the chewables are far less likely to deliver the probiotic ingredients–yes, the good bacteria–to the large intestine, which is where I need them. This is the criticism often made of products such as DanActive ™ and Activia ™, and it may work equally well for Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ Chewables.
Availability
If the form of Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ that is available at your pharmacy/ drugstore/ apothecary is the chewable form, and you would like to try the caplet, either ask the pharmacist to order the caplets or order DA-IBS ™ caplets online from Amazon.com. It’s shipped directly from Amazon.com, not from an allied store, so should be available and fast.
November 9th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, IBS Triggers, Align, Dannon Activia Yogurt, Digestive Advantage - IBS |
one comment
Reviewing Digestive Advantage-IBS and Align
After approximately ten weeks of using Align ™ probiotic caplets, and filing my objective reports of the experience, I thought it was a pretty good product with some real problems in pricing and supply. {See my Align reviews}
Four weeks ago this past Monday, I started Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ (DA) in caplet form. {See my earlier DA reviews.}At that time, and for a year at least before then, the caplets were readily available through Amazon.com and other online sources, and the chewable tablets could be purchased at the CVS across the street. The price of DA was about half that of Align ™. I knew that DA had the problems of pricing and supply licked.
Problems with GERD on Align
What I didn’t report, in the ten weeks or so that I took Align ™, was that I had ever increasing (and recurring) problems with GERD. After all, Align was a probiotic aimed at affecting digestion in the large intestine. Toward the end of the time on Align, I was taking Prilosec ™ OTC as well as Ranitidine 150 mg. on a daily basis to control GERD.
Prilosec ™ is only supposed to be taken for two weeks, and I had just started DA when the two weeks were up. My GERD was under control for the moment, so I thought, I’ll continue with the Ranitidine and wait and see on the Prilosec, expecting that “any day now” I would need Prilosec again.
IBS and GERD All Clear, on Digestive Advantage-IBS
The “WOW!” in the title is that during the four weeks on Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ I have never needed to go back on Prilosec ™. Align ™ gave me ever-increasing problems with GERD; the NSI probiotic 15-35 that I took before beginning Align also gave me problems with GERD. I thought it went with the territory. Four weeks plus without GERD is amazing to me.
Otherwise, Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ (plus diet, exercise, all that good stuff) has controlled my IBS tummy very well. I have begun to add fruits and vegetables–sometimes cautiously, sometimes not,. When I’ve added a fruit or vegetable that doesn’t work too well for me, and have an evening of a slightly rocky tummy, I take a second DA caplet. Generally in a half hour, and certainly by morning, I’m fine.
Subjective vs. Objective
My report is only subjective, and certainly not a scientific study. In spite of reports to the contrary, Digestive Advantage-IBS does have adequately controlled scientific studies that show significant results for IBS pain and bloating. In addition, my comparison of Align ™ with DA indicates that, while both are a little bit constipating to my system (with IBS-C), DA is slightly more so, making it potentially better for people with IBS-D. The constipating effect can be countered, if desired, by half a teaspoon more of Heather’s Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber ™ or Fibersure ™ or a guar gum Soluble Fiber Supplement.
Summary: A Probiotic for IBS *and* GERD
So, for the purpose of taking a probiotic, and for taking a probiotic that is easily available, and for taking a probiotic that is cheaper than most others on the market, I have a summary comment below.
Bottom Line
Not only a Digestive Advantage, but also a competitive advantage.
October 19th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, Align, NSI Probiotics, Digestive Advantage - IBS |
6 comments
Introduction
I would like to clarify the underlying principles to the IBS food recommendations that I make on ForMyTummy (FMT). When I first started ForMyTummy.com, over a year ago, I thought the principles were the same as, or similar to, those of Heather Van Vorous, of the HelpforIBS.com web site. Upon reflection, after a year of writing tips and recipes and articles, there are some specific features to my approach which can be stated as, ta-da!, the following Principles.
Principle 1
NEVER EAT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH
This means that when you wake up, the first thing you put into your mouth is a soluble fiber, such as Heather’s Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber ™ or FiberSure ™. Later in the day, the first thing into your mouth will be either a small amount of gentle starch like rice or soy crackers, or another part of your daily dose of a Soluble Fiber Supplement (SFS).
Principle 2
GET ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN FOOD SHOPPING
This is because you are in a learning process yourself. To try to tell someone else who is buying or preparing your food what it is that you want/need, and what has to be or not be on the food label is to create more interpersonal stress than you really need. Negotiate to be part of shopping trips, or change your food service (lunch place, wherever) to “vegan,” or ask for gift certificates to Amazon and lay in your own stock of oatmeal or soy noodle soup or something else that you like.
Principle 3
READ ALL FOOD LABELS IN THE STORE!
This means take your reading glasses with you to the grocery store, or read the food labels online–Amazon is pretty good at publishing the labels, and many product web pages have them available. You want to know two things:
- The list of ingredients, and
- The nutrition information, particularly carbohydrate and fiber content
Principles 4 and 5 are to be applied in sequence.
Principle 4
START WITH AN ELIMINATION DIET
This means that you begin by eliminating all foods that occur on the List of IBS Triggers. In addition, at the beginning you will avoid most fruits and vegetables, unless they are pureed (as in baby foods), or starchy, such as potatoes and sweet potatoes without skins and butter. In cutting out caffeine, cut your daily intake in half, in half again, and in half again if you are a heavy user. Then cut out all caffeine.
This also means that you will have to switch to available foods that are based on soy beans or rice. Rice is both binding and calming to the tummy; that means that if you have IBS-C, base your NEW diet on soy, and add small amounts of rice.
Principle 5
EMPHASIZE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FOR ADDED FOODS
This means that you build your NEW diet up from the “rescue” diet that eliminated fruits and vegetables, by cautiously adding new fruits and vegetables, preferably one at a time. Fruit should be skinned and cut up; vegetables should be steamed. Maybe you will try out steaming fruit as well–that’s my next experiment. See the New Food Pyramid for more information about a pyramid built on fruits and vegetables.
Principle 6
MOVE AND GROW
This means several things:
- Get off your duff and do something about your IBS, or
- Include physical exercise, or
- Grow thinner or fatter, whichever you need to do, or
- Move through the process of self-help for IBS and grow as a person.
Principle 7
ADD THESE TO YOUR NEW DIET
- Enough soluble fiber supplement (SFS)- See the Fiber 101 posts, starting with Fiber 101a, and the articles in the category “Prebiotics.”
- A good probiotic, Digestive Advantage-IBS ™ caplets or Align ™ caplets are ones that supply the probiotic in effective amounts; they are reviewed in the category “Probiotics.”
Principle 8
VARIATIONS
This means that you can pick from these principles according to the extent of your IBS “damage” in the slang sense. Principle 1, 2, and 3 apply to everyone, with 2 and 3 being ones you can take on gradually. The Principles 4 and 5 involve radical dietary change for most of us. You need to be really committed to change, really miserable with aspects of IBS, to take this on. Principles 6 and 7 should be added to Principles 1, 2, and 3 as well as used with the full dietary changes of 4 and 5.
COMMENTS?
How would you use these principles? Are there any others that you would want to express? Please comment using the Link below, that says “No Comments” if you are the first to write in–otherwise the linke says “1 Comment” or “2 Comments,” and so forth.
October 11th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
fiber, Probiotics, Soy Products, Prebiotics, IBS Diet |
2 comments
reminder: In addition to using the following probiotic, I also follow a diet free of known triggers for IBS (except caffeine in small amounts), exercise, and especially important, take 20 grams/day of Heather’s Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber ™ and another 20-25 grams of fiber/day, most of it soluble fiber. This fiber is “prebiotic”–it supplies a suitable growing medium for the “probiotic” that is the subject of this report.
Second Week on Digestive Advantage-IBS
During the second week on Digestive Advantage-IBS, I got adventurous. As you may recall, I had had an upset stomach late one day in the first week, and discovered that if I took another DA-IBS caplet, I soon felt fine–translated into IBS-speak, that means my tummy was soon mellow.
So in the second week, because I felt more control over symptoms, I tried adding more fruit to my diet. That is, more than the ever-present bananas. Kiwis worked well; I came a cropper on a new fruit called “pluot,” a cross between a plum and an apricot. I skinned it, and sliced the fruit into bits that were a cross between a slice and a chunk. Pluot pie might be interesting, but the raw fruit–not so much. That was also a night I took a second caplet of DA-IBS. I don’t know for sure that my body wouldn’t have handled the pluot by morning, but I really did not want to wake up with an aching gut. Other fruits that worked: watermelon, raspberries, and seedless grapes!
Third Week on Digestive Advantage-IBS
The second week on Digestive Advantage-IBS had gone well in exploring fruits, basically. For the third week on DA-IBS I decided to try more vegetables. The problem with vegetables is, often, that I buy them fresh and then don’t want to take the time to prepare them. So they go bad and have to be thrown away. But this week I got enough that there was always something I could fix.
The vegetables that were easy successes were summer squash and tiny tiny carrots, both steamed. I also steamed broccoli florets, right in the bag, and they were soft and delicious and great! I steamed carrot chips (Bolthouse Farms); a big bag gave me enough for several days of carrot snacks and carrot side dishes. With carrots, be sure to chew thoroughly any carrot pieces or tiny carrots that are still pretty firm, not almost mushy.
Coming Up Next
I have not yet done the packaging, delivery, and convenience kinds of commentary for Digestive Advantage-IBS that I did in the reviews for Align. So one of the next posts will be a review of that aspect of the Digestive Advantage-IBS experience.
Also, look for me to switch, and spend the second 32 day period reviewing a slightly different DA-IBS product, the chewable tablets that are what you would frequently find on the shelves of your friendly neighborhood large chain drugstore, like CVS or Walgreens.
Comments Wanted
And, just below this post, there’s a link to a comment form, if you would like to tell us about your experience with DA-IBS. Click on the “No Comments” part of the tags to be the first to add your comment. If someone else is weighing in, the tag will say “1 comment” or “2 comments” and so forth. Shall we try for “5 comments” on this post?
October 9th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, Food for IBS, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Digestive Advantage - IBS |
3 comments
An Eventful Week
The first week of Ganeden’s Digestive Advantage-IBS (DA-IBS) has been eventful, including the frantic repair of this web site, so this post is a bit late in coming.
On one day, I wound up at the end of the day with a classic upset stomach. From something I ate? I’m not sure. I didn’t have anything else on hand, the stores were all closed, and I was curious about how it would work, so I took an extra caplet. I was very surprised that within forty-five minutes my tummy was feeling mellow once more.
Overall Impressions
Overall, the two days of more gas when starting DA-IBS were shorter than adapting to Align. The tummy-mellowing effect of DA-IBS seems, subjectively, to be stronger. That is, as I got more DA-IBS in my system over the week, my tummy felt better than it has for a long long time. I call that feeling “mellow.”
I do have enough gas that I am reminding myself to have some of Heather’s Organic Tummy Tea ™ - Fennel, which has always seemed to me to break up gas into smaller, quieter bits than simethicone capsules or drops or chewable tablets.
September 27th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, IBS, Align, Digestive Advantage - IBS |
no comments
For some time there has been a Page Title — in the upper right hand corner of the header menu — called “Window Shopping.” If you clicked on it, you would see a browser window that goes directly to the Best Life International website, and their “Soy Amazing” ™ Meal Replacement shake.
That was it. No blurb, no explanation, just the browser window.
I have now added several more browser windows, for products mentioned here that are not available at Amazon.com. The full list of products:
Two soy shakes mentioned here:
-
Soy Amazing Meal Replacement Shake, ™ from BestLife International–high soluble fiber content, high protein
- Revival Soy ™ Chocolate Daydream Shake — no fiber content, high protein.
Two probiotics for IBS reviewed here–windows to their web sites.
- Ganeden Digestive Advantage - IBS ™: currently serializing a review.
- Align. ™ Series of reviews, completed.
Use the Google site search, or the Category listings, for more information.
September 25th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Breakfast, fiber, Chocolate, Revival Soy, Probiotics, Food for IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, IBS food, Align, Soy Products, Soy Amazing, Online sources, BestLifeInternational, Digestive Advantage - IBS, IBS Diet |
2 comments
Digestive Advantage-IBS Probiotic
The week I chose to start Digestive Advantage–IBS turned out to be more stressful than I expected. This web site went down, for reasons that are not yet clear. I had meetings two days in a row in different parts of town, and transportation was disrupted by demonstrations. I promised two people copies of a report and wasn’t able to deliver them. Tuesday I had a tooth pulled, and had to take 4 amoxicillin capsules, against inflammation/infection. Amoxicillin always gives me diarrhea. You’ve all had weeks like this.
Symptoms
My changing probiotics from Align to Digestive Advantage-IBS meant that Monday and Tuesday nights were a little uncomfortable with gas pains. Wednesday morning, knowing I would have a stressful day, I took two Digestive Advantage-IBS caplets. I had no more pain, although sitting through a long meeting I was aware of silently passing gas.
By Thursday, I had dropped back to one caplet, and in a different meeting with different people I still silently passed gas a couple of times. (I don’t know about the “deadly” part because I do not have a well-developed sense of smell–makes for a certain amount of serenity!)
Thursday night, still another meeting, and then making one of those huge copies against a deadline, I had a very quiet tummy, and it is continuing today. No diarrhea from the Amoxicillin. That looks good for Digestive Advantage-IBS, so far.
Schedule
I’ll continue to report once a week, approximately on Friday.
September 21st, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Digestive Advantage - IBS, IBS Symptoms |
no comments
Amazon is, or customers are, tagging some of its products with “IBS,” and hoping to generate some sales. As one of their “other” ads, they have a one-line ad for Digestrin which runs as follows:
Suffering From IBS? — Attack The Bacteria That Causes IBS And Eliminate The Sumptoms Today — www.digestrin.com
While there is potentially much to critique here, from grammar to the claims made, I will confine myself to pointing out that none of the literature about IBS, in a wide range of opinions, has ever said that there is a single bacterium that causes IBS and its multiple symptoms. To support of its observation, the ad itself links to the www.digestrin.com web site. The web site has a pitch for their expensive product. Nowhere in the pitch materials do they ever again say any of the following:
- That a bacterium causes IBS , or any symptom of IBS
- That Digestrin acts upon this causative bacterium
Repeat: Nowhere in the pitch materials is the claim about a bacterium that causes IBS ever made again!
The one-line ad does its damage, though. It skilfully suggests that bacteria make IBS happen, that the way to get over IBS is to get rid of the bacteria, and that their product will do just that.
How to wipe out their growing competition from probiotics like Align and Digestive Advantage in a one-line ad on Amazon!
September 11th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, Amazon, general, IBS, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Online sources |
no comments
Agony of August–NOT
I finished the month of August without my annual bout of extreme IBS, either D or C, and credit the combination of IBS diet and the fact that I was taking the probiotic Align ™ for this amazing difference from the past “agony of August.”
Then, in the beginning of September, I had some C, the result of missing a dose of Heather’s Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber ™. Just goes to show you that all elements need to be in place for your tummy or mine to be on its best behavior.
Elements of IBS Therapy
So, to remind readers of these reviews, to use a probiotic for best effect on IBS, you also need the following daily elements:
For me, a year ago in July and August 2006 those things were not in place yet, and the probiotics I tried did not work for me. This year, I had both elements in place, and the Align ™ probiotic I reviewed worked great throughout August.
Conclusion of Align ™ Review
Align works as promised, at least on a well-prepared tummy. During the period I took Align ™ I also began to sample some fruits and vegetables, with good success except for broccoli.
The distribution system for Align ™ does not appear to be in place yet, and that affects the credibility of the main source of information, the Align ™web site. For example, the web site has a “sticker” update that says “Now available in pharmacies,” which is not true. There *may* be limited availability in warehouses, if a pharmacist knows to ask and is willing to order it. There is no distribution that has hit the shelves of a large chain pharmacy near me (CVS), in contrast to Digestive Advantage - IBS ™.
Promo Code for Align ™
The promo code to use for a $5 discount when ordering Align from the aligngi.com web site is AlignWOM. Look for a place on the web site called “promo code” and enter it there.
September 6th, 2007
Posted by
tummyblogger |
Probiotics, IBS, IBS therapy, IBS Triggers, Align, Heather's Organic Acacia Tummy Fiber (tm), Adjuncts, Digestive Advantage - IBS |
2 comments
