Katherine from 00kidney here, welcome to our journey together to a better kidney health.
If your goal is to remove toxins and decrease the workload of your
kidneys - to give them a chance to improve - probiotics can help.
In particular, they can help your kidneys get rid of uremic toxins - the cause of most
symptoms of kidney disease - and in some cases they can even lower your creatinine levels.
And this can take as little as 2 months of treatment!
This is what a recent review of studies on the use of probiotics in CKD patients found out.
Now, navigating the world of probiotics can be tricky,
there are so many brands to choose from, there are dozens of different strains
of bacteria and several products with different quantities of CFUs.
Which one is the right one? Don't worry, today we'll see what
brands work for people with kidney disease and I'll also show you a very easy trick to tell if
the probiotic supplement you're taking ... works! And if you are struggling with your kidney health,
remember that all it takes is doing small steps forward every day.
I've seen many patients getting back their kidney function with an improved diet and lifestyle.
There's a message in particular I want to read you today
Hi Katherine I'm very pleased to let you know that my kidney problem is now
starting to go into remission.
While I had some improvements, taking probiotics made all the difference, according to my doctor.
He says my urea dropped and my creatinine is lower.
I no more have gas and I feel less pain. Thank you for what you have
done for me and many others. Thank you for sharing your amazing story!
And I think I know why probiotics worked so well to lower your creatinine levels!
There is a scientific explanation, actually! According to this review of studies,
kidney disease patients who took probiotics for at least 2 months, had significant benefits in
inflammation and in UREMIC TOXINS. As you can see here.
Researchers are especially focusing on protein-bound uremic toxins here.
These are the kind of toxins your kidneys should remove.
When your kidneys are not working at 100%,
many of these waste products are going to be still in your body.
What happens then is that your gut is going to do a second job of removing
these scores - this is what researchers think. I'm especially talking about excess urea here,
which is known to put a lot of burden on the kidneys.
This is why taking probiotics can help the kidneys more than you may imagine.
Ok guys, if you think this is good news, please share this video with
anyone you know who is facing kidney problems! This information may help them!
And if you are already using probiotics, please let me know in comment section!
Let's talk about the brand you are using and the results you are getting!
Now, as we have seen probiotic supplements have several benefits for people with kidney problems
Probiotics are live bacteria that are good for you, especially your digestive system.
They help keep your gut healthy. They can help balance your
"good" and "bad" bacteria. If your gut doesn't have enough good bacteria, bad
bacteria may take their place and cause symptoms. This is why taking probiotics can reduce uremic
toxins, considerably decrease inflammation, improve blood glucose in diabetics,
and help with gastrointestinal problems. But there are a couple things worth knowing
when taking a probiotic supplement. First of all, you're going to face a
problem when choosing a probiotic supplement for the first time.
The market is actually pretty crowded, you see There's a quantity of different products.
Which one is right for you? This one has 60 billion probiotics
This one 20 billion 900 ... billion? Seriously?
And they also have probiotics just for women Or just for kids
And also for the mood I mean,
this is enough to make anyone's head spin, right?
But don't worry Good news is that you don't need
to buy an expensive brand to get the job done. And also, you don't need a supplement
made for kidney patients. Actually, I've personally
tested several brands and I can tell you that even some of the cheaper ones work.
They have passed the test and this means they can do what they promise.
And they will cost you less than 20$ per one month worth of supplementation.
So, how to find a probiotic supplement that works.
Well, look at the label. The 3 things you need to
find here are the probiotic strains, the CFU and the active cell count.
First of all, there should be enough different probiotic strains.
They should all be listed, and the name should include the genus, the species and the strain.
Now, important, what bacteria are really going to help improve kidney function?
Well, according to this systematic review of study, you want a supplement
containing bacteria belonging to the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera.
These are supposed to give you best results, according to research.
Good news is that many probiotic supplements contain a combination of these genera - because
they are really useful for several health problems.
So you won't have troubles finding a supplement
of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. This study also lists the species and the
strains that have been giving results, but I wouldn't obsess over those.
I'll show you why in a moment. Now, many supplements will also
contain other strains, and this is not a problem. They may also help.
This is because combination of probiotics is usually more effective than a single one.
Probiotics are typically measured in colony-forming units (CFU).
Generally, higher doses have been found to produce the best results in most studies.
Most supplements come in dosages between 15 and 60 million of CFU.
What's more important than the listed CFU number, is the fact that the cultures
are still alive at the moment of use. So check the expiration date on the label.
And also avoid products stating CFU at time of manufacture.
To be effective, the bacteria should be still alive when you take it.
But, unfortunately, the FDA regulates probiotics like foods, not like medications.
Unlike drug companies, makers of probiotic supplements don't have to show their
products are safe or that they work. To make matters worse, heat and bad
storage practices can seriously damage probiotics live cultures.
I mean, they're bacteria and you need them to be alive to work.
But probiotics supplements are often shipped like regular supplements, and maybe they've
been left in the sun for too LONG. So, how can you tell if the probiotics
you just bought work? Easy, do the milk test.
It's really easy. You just need some whole milk, with lactose, two jars and 2 pills of probiotics.
First, pour in each jar half cup of milk. Don't use milk alternatives nor lactose free milk,
bacteria need lactose for this test to work now, add two capsules of your preferred probiotic
to just one of the two jars. The other one is the control group.
just open the two pills into one of the jars now wait for 48 hours.
if it's thickened into a yogurt like consistency after two days the probiotic is
creating enzymes and it's a sign that it'll work obviously, the other jar should be still liquid.
You see, it's thick now, almost looks like cheese or yogurt.
So, we have now an easy way to tell us if the probiotic supplement we have bought actually work!
Now this test has a limit, it only works if the probiotic supplement
contains bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus. But these are among the most used bacteria,
they work for kidney health and have many other benefits, so if you buy a supplement
with multiple strains it should contain them. Lactobacillus bulgaricus in particular is
used to make yogurt, so it's one of the most known probiotic strains.
Now, very important, if you have never taken a probiotic supplement,
you may experience side effects the first days. These are supplements of bacteria after all and
everyone reacts differently to them. The most common side effects are a
temporary increase in gas, bloating and in some cases, constipation.
A good way to minimize potential side effects is to start with a low dose
of probiotics and slowly increase to the recommended dose over a few days.
This also applies if you are starting to use a different brand.
What I usually do is opening one pill and adding just half the content to
food for the first couple of days. Then, I usually increase the dose
gradually until I can take the 2 pills a day most brands recommend.
And, as usual, ask your doctor before starting to use any new supplement.
Bottomline. As we have seen,
probiotic supplements may represent a very powerful ally against kidney disease.
And to get the best you don't need a fancy brand, just one that can provide
you with 15 to 60 billion CFU per day of the Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera.
And that can pass the milk test. And guys, if you are already using
a probiotic supplement, please share with us your experience in comment section.
And, what about probiotics foods? Probiotics foods are not as researched as supplements
and are usually hard to find, because most common food preservation methods
are aimed at destroying bacteria. However, there are some very interesting
food items that are rich in probiotics and that can be part of a healthy renal diet.
A video about them is in the making, so don't forget to subscribe and set the notification
bell to all if you want to see it! As usual, a new video is coming
next Friday - I hope to see you there. In the meantime, keep taking good care of
your kidneys and be good to yourself. Thank you for watching!