Although these unfriendly bacteria are natural residents in the healthy intestine, they become a problem when their growth is unrestrained. An overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria can give rise to gastrointestinal infections, particularly in children. This putrefaction also releases a variety of toxic substances that invade the body and affect the overall health. In reality, the ratio of friendly to unfriendly bacteria is often reversed, so that the friendly organisms are outweighed by pathogenic organisms. This gives rise to problems such as excessive gas, bloating, intestinal toxicity, constipation and poor absorption of nutrients.
Several factors are responsible for the imbalance of intestinal flora.
They include stress, disease, an overabundance of food proteins, foods contaminated with bacteria, yeasts and pesticides and, in particular, antibiotics. Repeated courses of antibiotics kill off large numbers of friendly bacteria as well as pathogenic bacteria. Dophilus Plus for adults incorporates active cells of L. acidophilus, L. bifidus and E. faecium. This formula may be used preventively to help maintain the healthy balance of the intestine, or therapeutically when the delicate balance has been interrupted by ill health, stress or antibiotics. Of interest to people with cardiovascular problems is the fact that yogurt has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol 5 to 10 percent in a week.