# Good Bacteria to Colon



## firstone (Jul 21, 2007)

Im just wondering with all these probiotics, specially the ones that targets the colon. how is it possible for the bacteria to actually reach the colon?. I mean the small intestines is like 25 feet long. Assuming it safely passes the stomach acid, how can it still be possible for the bacteria to be intact after passing the small intestines?.


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## Cherrie (Sep 1, 2006)

Hi, I remember Kathleen once explained that some kinds of bateria can survive the acidic process of digestion and reach the colon. It all depends on the characteristics of the bacteria. Everything that can't be broken down will be passing through the small intestine and reach the colon. The difference is that other things move on, while the bacteria stay and colonize the colon (it takes them about 2-4 weeks to do so, but they do colonize it eventually and if you find the right string, they make you feel better).Cherrie


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Lots of different species of bacteria normally survive the passage through the GI tract and colonize the colon.Many bacteria have a spore (kind of like a seed) form that allows them to survive long periods of time in harsh conditions and then start growing again once they reach conditions that is good for the bacteria to grow. What is "harsh" depends on the species of bacteria. Different bacteria have different things that they need to grow and different things that kill them. For a lot of colon bacteria the oxygen level in the air we need to breath is deadly, so they have the spore that is protected from the air to get from one low oxygen location (like a colon or the bottom of a pond) to another one. Usually the more extreme the environment they need to grow the more adaptations they have to get spores from one place to another.The fact that in any randomly selected human being you will find billions of bacteria from hundreds of species demonstrates that it is quite common for bacteria to naturally have adaptations that get them from one human colon to another. I mean consider E. coli and Salmonella and Cholera and other GI infections. You eat undercooked food or contaminated water with these pathogens and they get to the colon just fine, why would normal bacteria that usually reside in there have a harder time? If the fecal to oral route wasn't important for pathogens they wouldn't have to monitor water for fecal bacteria and all those other things they do like that to prevent the spread of disease.Most of what keeps the small intestine having a fairly small load of bacteria is that while it is long, food only stays in there for a couple of hours. People who have had surgery or diseases that disrupt the flow of the small intestine can get colon bacteria growing in there, so it isn't completely hostile to all of the colon bacteria, they just usually don't have the time to come out of "hibernation" and get to reproducing.


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## firstone (Jul 21, 2007)

Ahhh, that makes alot of sense... I guess the right idea is to get different strains in your body to maximize colonization...


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Typically probiotics are species of bacteria (occasionally yeast) that have properties that seem to make them beneficial bacteria to add to the GI tract. Most live in someone at least some of the time, but usually to keep a larger population going you need to "reseed" the colon with them.Some strains seem to have some host-bacteria interactions that might be helpful in some cases.Generally as a group of organisms they metabolize carbohydrates differently than most other bacteria so there is little to no gas produced as they digest the carbs that no human being digests.I can significantly reduce my fart frequency with a number of different probiotic preparations.You may need to find the right species for your system, and some brands are more likely than others to have the bacteria they say they have in the numbers they say they have them. Dietary supplements aren't that well regulated so when independently tested not all brands pass the tests.K.


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## firstone (Jul 21, 2007)

Do you know which are the one thta have been tested and proven to have the actual bacteria in them?


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## pb4 (Jan 15, 2004)

Primadophilus Reuteri made by natures way guarantees intestinal release...google it for more info.


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## 13777 (Sep 5, 2006)

Kathleen M. said:


> Most of what keeps the small intestine having a fairly small load of bacteria is that while it is long, food only stays in there for a couple of hours. People who have had surgery or diseases that disrupt the flow of the small intestine can get colon bacteria growing in there, so it isn't completely hostile to all of the colon bacteria, they just usually don't have the time to come out of "hibernation" and get to reproducing.


Katherine, I had a surgery due to crohn's (resection of ileum). The CD is not active but I have never been quite the same since. I suffer from D constantly. I have tried numberous medications (cholestiramine, elavil, xifaxan, to name a few). I have tried probiotics a few years ago and I am getting ready to try Align now. My question is this: Are most probiotics designed to help with the colon rather than the small intestines? Thanks Be WellKC


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