Skip to content

Lactobacillus acidophilus

Acidophilus

At the end of the 1990s, the first milk products with so-called "probiotic cultures" appeared in our stores. Yoghurts with such exotic additives as acidophilus and bifidus have been on the refrigerated shelves ever since. All these yogurts contain certain specially enriched lactic acid bacteria. It has long been known that probiotic bacteria and foods containing these substances are good for our digestion. Even hundreds of years ago, when nobody knew anything about lactic acid bacteria, lactic acid fermented products were considered healthy. It is primarily lactic acid bacteria, such as acidophilus and bifidus, to which we owe these positive effects. It was therefore only a matter of time before these lactic acid bacteria were not only offered in food supplements, but also added to normal foods (e.g. yoghurt) in order to enhance the quality of these foods and improve their health value. Acidophilus and Bifidus are therefore probably the best-known probiotic bacteria due to the intensive advertising of some yoghurt manufacturers. Probiotic lactic acid bacteria already occur naturally in the human intestinal flora. They are therefore well adapted to our intestinal environment. Once they enter the digestive tract, they can attach themselves to the intestinal cells and assert themselves in the intestine against the prevailing flora. However, they can hardly colonize in the long term as they are displaced by other bacterial cultures. In order to colonize the intestines permanently, they must therefore be supplied regularly or our diet must be changed to a suitable diet. This can be dairy products of all kinds or lactic acid fermented foods. It is also important that the bacteria survive the passage through the stomach as unscathed as possible, as the environment there is extremely unfavorable due to the production of hydrochloric acid. Only around 10 to 40 percent of probiotic bacteria reach the intestine alive if they are not protected from the acid attack. The acid-resistant bacteria are the lactobacilli acidophilus and casei as well as bifidobacteria (bifidus).

Why is an intact intestinal flora so important?

The gastrointestinal tract is the largest area of human contact with the environment. It is naturally colonized by a wide variety of microorganisms. There are different types of germs in the individual sections of the digestive tract. Their numbers increase sharply from the stomach to the small intestine to the large intestine. The main task of the physiological intestinal flora is to support and stimulate the intestinal defense system in addition to breaking down food and digestive components and producing vitamins (biotin, B12, pantothenic acid). At the same time, the intestinal flora prevents the colonization of pathogenic germs. Various environmental factors are responsible for the different colonization with over 400 types of bacteria in the entire gastrointestinal tract: the composition of the food, the pH value, mechanical factors and, above all, competition mechanisms between the individual species. These competitive mechanisms normally lead to a healthy balance. This "normal state" is referred to as eubiosis, while the state that deviates from the norm is called dysbiosis. The causes of dysbiosis can be

  • incorrect, unhealthy lifestyle
  • malnutrition
  • malnutrition
  • unbalanced diet
  • Environmental pollution through toxins
  • stress
  • unfamiliar food when traveling
  • use of medicines
  • bacterial or viral infections.

Common symptoms are diarrhea, meteorism, constipation, poor general health, vitamin deficiency or poor skin condition.

How do lactic acid bacteria, e.g. acidophilus, work in the intestine?

Scientific investigations in many studies have shown that the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus has numerous positive effects.

Its function as a precursor for healthy intestinal flora has already been discussed. Lactic acid bacteria excrete substances that kill off harmful bacteria. The colonization of pathogenic germs in the intestine can therefore be suppressed. Due to their strong lactic and acetic acid production, lactobacilli produce an acidic environment. In particular, introduced bacteria that prefer a neutral or alkaline environment have a hard time. Only a perfectly functioning intestinal flora guarantees an intact immune defense. What many people don't know is that the gut and the microorganisms it contains play a crucial role in strengthening the body's natural defenses. Numerous clinical studies have proven the influence of lactic acid bacteria on the immune system. Lactic acid bacteria stimulate mechanisms of the intestinal immune system that make infection with pathogens less likely. A large proportion of the lactose in our food is broken down into lactic acid by lactic acid bacteria. Many people who cannot tolerate lactose because they lack an enzyme for processing lactose are therefore free of symptoms thanks to lactic acid bacteria. The lactic acid bacteria practically replace the enzyme that is no longer produced in humans. The lactose can therefore be broken down in the small intestine, which is otherwise not the case with lactose intolerance. Lactic acid bacteria can prevent certain types of diarrhea or shorten their duration. The first observations of this kind were made at the end of the 19th century with fermented milk products. In the meantime, medical studies have confirmed these effects both for yoghurts and for probiotic bacteria in tablets. The effect of probiotics can certainly be compared to that of antibiotics, but with the decisive advantage that probiotic germs only work where they reach, i.e. in the intestine, and therefore do not affect the colonization of all other mucous membranes. Most studies were carried out with isolated bacteria (including acidophilus). The patients were given high-dose tablets with live cultures for several weeks. Various studies clearly show that lactic acid bacteria inhibit the development of carcinogenic compounds. The risk of cancer development and the growth of cancer cells in the intestine is also reduced. The probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus casei reduce the activity of enzymes that convert food residues in the intestine into carcinogenic substances. This may explain why an increased intake of dairy products protects against colon cancer.

Lactic acid bacteria are the most important germs in healthy intestinal flora

The most natural way of restoring the intestinal flora is to recolonize the affected sections with the corresponding physiologically desired bacteria. The group of lactic acid bacteria is the most important class of natural intestinal inhabitants. Lactic acid bacteria include very different genera of microorganisms such as lactobacilli (Lactobacillus acidophilus), streptococci, propionibacteria or bifidobacteria (Bifidobacterium bifidum). Not all of them are useful, but what they all have in common is the production of lactic acid through the fermentation of carbohydrates. They thus acidify the intestinal mash and prevent coli bacteria from ascending from the lowest sections of the intestine. Coli bacteria are only desirable in the large intestine. Where they utilize indigestible food components, produce vitamins and contribute to the formation of faeces.

The very useful lactic acid bacteria include Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum, as they are scientifically known. Usually only acidophilus is used, the latter is colloquially simply called bifidum or bifidus. Lactobacillus acidophilus is a rod-shaped lactic acid bacterium that can only be observed under a microscope. It needs oxygen to grow. It can therefore only colonize the upper part of the intestine. Bifidus bacteria are anaerobes, i.e. they also grow in the absence of oxygen in the lower small intestine. Bifidus bacteria are usually present as rods or branched filaments and are an essential component of the intestinal flora of breastfed infants and adults. Lactic acid bacteria grow on a variety of substrates. In the human intestine, lactic acid bacteria grow particularly advantageously if the diet includes frequent dairy products. These can be cow's milk, buttermilk, soured milk, yoghurt, quark, kefir, whey, etc. Mare's milk is particularly beneficial for human nutrition as it is low in fat and very rich in nutrients. It therefore provides optimal conditions for the natural colonization of the intestine with reduced calorie intake. The production of many dairy products (sour cream products, cheese, sourdough, sauerkraut) is based on the fermentation activity of lactobacilli. Some specific strains are used in food technology for the production of yoghurt, kefir or cheese. The health-promoting effect of consuming fermented products, primarily dairy products, was recognized as early as the end of the last century. There is now unanimous agreement that the health-promoting properties of lactic acid fermented products are manifold and can be attributed to various biochemical, physiological and antimicrobial effects.

Side effects

The most common side effect could possibly occur for the first week until the body has become accustomed to the bacteria. After the first week, however, it subsides. Acidophilus helps

  • with an unbalanced diet (fast food, diets)
  • weakened immune system
  • pale, sagging skin
  • poor general condition
  • after antibiotic treatment