Saccharomyces boulardii – From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Saccharomyces boulardii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Phylum: | Ascomycota |
| Subphylum: | Saccharomycotina |
| Class: | Saccharomycetes |
| Order: | Saccharomycetales |
| Family: | Saccharomycetaceae |
| Genus: | Saccharomyces |
| Species: | S. boulardii |
| Binomial name | |
| Saccharomyces boulardii Henri Boulard |
|
Description of the Saccharomyces boulardii
Saccharomyces boulardii is a tropical species of yeast first isolated from lychee and mangosteen fruit in 1923 by French scientist Henri Boulard. It is called a “probiotic,” a friendly organism that helps to fight off disease-causing organisms in the gut such as other bacteria and yeast. Saccharomyces boulardii is a unique, non-pathogenic yeast supplement that has been utilized worldwide as a probiotic to support gastrointestinal health.
Saccharomyces boulardii does not colonize the human intestinal tract and is not a normal inhabitant of the intestines. It passes through the intestines after eaten and does not attach to the mucosal lining, but does have beneficial effects moves through the gastrointestinal tract.
There is some confusion between Saccharomyces boulardii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. They are not the same. S. boulardii is a wild, tropical yeast while S. cerevisiae is commonly known as brewer’s or baker’s yeast. They are closely related and S. boulardii is officially classified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae var boulardii Hansen CBS 5926. They have different genetic makeup and enzyme profiles
It is very resistant to heat and acid and secretes several unique physiologically active factors. Only S. boulardii has proven gastrointestinal supportive effects.
Saccharomyces boulardii is not the same as the yeast that causes yeast infections or overgrowth, those are Candida albicans, C. tropicalas, C. krusie and other Candida species.
The Candida species reduce the acidity of the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts, making them more susceptible to infection. The S. boulardii and other probiotics do the opposite by increasing the acidity through the production of lactic acid.
Health Benefits of Saccharomyces boulardii in Brief.
Treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal disorders such as diarrhoea, including antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, travellers’ diarrhoea, and during AIDS treatment. Other GIT disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn’s disease.
Some people use Saccharomyces boulardii for lactose intolerance, urinary tract infections (UTIs), vaginal yeast infections, high cholesterol levels, hives, fever blisters, canker sores, and teenage acne.
Therapeutic uses of Saccharomyces boulardii
Gastrointestinal Tract
S. boulardii has been used to maintain and restore normal gastrointestinal function in the following situations:
- antibiotic therapy;
- diarrhoea during or following antibiotic therapy;
- children and adults with acute diarrhoea;
- traveller’s diarrhoea;
- Clostridium difficile bowel disorders (pseudomembranous colitis);
- AIDS-associated diarrhoea;
- tube-fed patients with diarrhoea;
- children with autism;
- and people with inflammatory bowel diseases.
Inflammatory bowel disease
S. boulardii has benefits for inflammatory bowel disease patients and has been prescribed for the prevention of relapse in Crohn’s disease and the treatment of ulcerative colitis patients currently with moderate symptoms.
Saccharomyces boulardii is also used for general digestion problems, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBD, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis), Lyme disease, a bowel disorder called relapsing Clostridium difficilecolitis and bacterial overgrowth in short bowel syndrome.
HIV/AIDS-associated diarrhoea
S. boulardii has been particularly exciting for AIDS patients who showed to significantly increase the recovery rate of stage IV AIDS patients suffering from diarrhoea. The patients receiving S. boulardii gained weight while the placebo group lost weight over the 18-month trial. No adverse reactions were observed in these immunocompromised patients.
Anti-inflammatory effects
This is in line with our model of the immune system. The microbiota of the gut controls the regulatory (anti-inflammatory) response of the immune system, help to reduce autoimmune diseases such as asthma, eczema and psoriasis.
Antibiotic Treatment
Because Saccharomyces boulardii is a yeast one of the biggest advantages is that it is not affected by antibiotics. Therefore, it can help to keep pathogenic (disease-causing) microbes and yeasts such as Candida from overwhelming your body when the antibiotics kill most of the good bacteria and most, but not all, of the bad bacteria in your GI tract.
How does Saccharomyces boulardii work?
It has several modes of action, examples are inactivating bacterial toxins, preventing toxins from binding to intestinal receptors and reduces inflammation due to the toxin.
The second mode of action is to prevent or reduce the ability of harmful microorganisms to adhere to and invade intestinal cells. S. boulardii does so by stimulating the immune defences. It produces lactic acids that change the ph of the GIT combating potentially harmful microorganisms. The S. boulardii stimulates the cells of the GIT to release intestinal enzymes that enhance nutrient digestion and absorption assist in mineral absorption and nourishing of the colon.
Anti-fungal agents
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p style=”text-align: justified;”>Saccharomyces boulardii cannot be taken with the antifungals, just as other bacterial probiotics cannot be taken with antibiotics. They must be taken at least an hour or two after taking the anti-fungal agent. You cannot take it before! If you think about it, probiotics do not get absorbed they are organisms that live in your GIT. If they are there at the same time as an antibiotic or in this case an anti-fungal, they will be destroyed. Taking them an hour before the agent will ensure that they get killed and a therefore useless to you.