Kick gut health into touch
Take a long hard look at what weeks of World Cup viewing has done to your digestion
If you did spend the last month, as Cyprus Mail sports editor Soteris Charalambous suggested (seven June 4-10), with the TV remote, cold tinnies and pizza, keeping up with every match and celebrating every loss or win, now’s the time to assess your gastric health and do something about it. It’s still a good idea even if, like me, you’re a football-free zone.
Could it be that your jeans reveal an unattractive roll of new fat peeking over your belt? Maybe indigestion has been plaguing you and you can’t face another takeaway or rich meal?
If I had to recommend only one gastro-intestinal supplement right now, it would have to be a probiotic. In 1910 Russian biologist Metchnikoff coined the word, meaning ‘in favour of life’. Probiotics are made from cultured lactic acid bacteria and repopulate the gastric tract with the ‘friendly gut flora’ that should naturally be there but nowadays often aren’t in sufficient quantities – often due to antibiotics, alcohol and stress.
Among the health benefits of a good probiotic are improved resistance to bacteria like E. Coli, and Salmonella; prevention of some auto-immune diseases; enhancement of cholesterol metabolism; and improved digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and fibres. That’s why it’s my World Cup choice!
Cyprus pharmacies and health shops stock probiotic acidophilus supplements, but don’t store them in a fridge, which is where I prefer to find them. A few don’t need refrigeration – Lifeplan Culturecare sachets for instance (brand available in Cyprus) or Tigon’s HealthBac. I prefer the latter because it’s formulated to resist stomach acid and deliver nine ‘friendly’ bacteria to the intestines. Dr Peter D’Adamo has written a nutritional book called Eat Right for your Blood Type and a recent study, extrapolated from his theory that the different blood groups have affinities with certain foods, suggests that ‘friendly’ probiotic bacteria also form alliances within blood groups. It’s a very complex subject but, in brief, indicates that a supplement with nine different lactobacilli and bifidobacteria has an improved chance of matching up with the complex sugars they need to fuel them in the gut, over a supplement with only a single strain.
A word, too about ‘probiotic’ drinks on supermarket cold shelves. Don’t be confused; full of empty sugar calories, they’re a waste of time and money.
So, all gut conditions will benefit from the addition of daily probiotic supplementation; acid indigestion is no exception. For this I’d also introduce another new-based-on-old supplement, Gastronex, containing herbs, spices and enzymes that are a natural antacid formula.
Probably the most painful and serious of gastric problems are ulcerative colitis and diverticular disease. I recently found a supplement, Acitan, which has been tested on various groups of sufferers and come out with excellent results. Made from the pseudo stem of the banana plant, it is jam-packed with nutrients and has tested well against a number of inflammatory gastric conditions. E-mail me for an Acitan FAQ sheet ([email protected]).
Finally, another new supplement for those with chronic gastric problems and malabsorption/malnutrition, is Nutri-Sense. A completely natural source of vitamins, minerals, protein, essential fatty acids and dietary fibre, it can be added to meals for invalids or disguised in smoothies for picky little eaters who are not getting ‘the right stuff’. Ideal also if you’re trying to shift that World Cup bulge by lowering your calorie intake without suffering nutritionally.
HealthBac, Gastronex and Nutrisense are all available mail-order from www.oliveleaf.co.uk or by calling Derek on 0044 116 236 6841.
Your questions answered
Are wonder products really worth the money?
I was sold an expensive bottle of Noni juice for my arthritis at a show this year. What’s your opinion of it?
Mr JR Paphos
Firstly, did it work? I presume not as you’re writing to me!
Noni juice was banned in UK/EU for some years, the opinion being that there was no evidence for the extravagant claims made for it. I’ve had the ‘hard sell’ – probably at the same show! – and heard some claims the multi-level marketing company (MLM) distributors make. Nothing convinced me it’s an effective anti-inflammatory for arthritis. Worse, the internet (see below) documents that someone taking Noni – and nothing else – over a period of time was diagnosed with acute hepatitis through herbal toxicity.
Himalayan Goji Juice is another MLM ‘wonder-product’ to avoid. It markets itself as an anti-ageing supplement by juxtaposition ie. Goji grows in the Himalayas/tribes in the Himalayas enjoy great longevity. Not QED for me!
Secondly, US-based MLM companies are under investigation. Put ‘noni juice MLM’ into Google and go to the fourth entry www.noni.worldwidewarning.net/ which will give you loads of background. It’s possible that many Utah-based MLMs may be connected to the Mormon sect in Salt Lake City and that the huge profits the organisations make – because the products sell at outrageous prices – go to support that organisation.
For arthritis, you’ll need to amend your diet to exclude as many acid foods as you can – red meat, dairy fats and processed foods; always end the day with an alkaline gut (probiotic HealthBac does this AND supports your useful intestinal flora – see main article). For serious pain, try Cortaflex by mail order www.cortaflex.co.uk or call Phil Middleton of Equine America (UK) Ltd on 0044 (0)1403 255809/255511. A truly excellent product.
Nikki Dake’s column appears every four weeks. If you have a query contact her on [email protected], Tel: 22818585 or PO Box 21144, 1502 Nicosia
