*Sponsored Partnership with Meaghers. 

As you know I’m Brand Ambassador for Meaghers and use Symprove every day. In this Blog, we have Oonagh from Meaghers explaining the importance of good gut health and why Symprove is the choice of Meaghers pharmacists.

What is the Microbiome?

You may have heard of the gut microbiome; this is the home for the bacteria in your digestive system. The bacteria help with the breakdown of food and turn nutrients into what your body can use. In the microbiome the good bacteria aids digestion and helps keep your bad bacteria in check. A balance of ‘good’ vs ‘bad’ bacteria can aid wellbeing in a variety of ways. Let’s look at some of the ways the gut microbiome can impact overall health.

…the bacteria in Symprove are Live & Active unlike other probiotics.

Digestion

A healthy gut microbiome influences gut health by communicating with the intestinal cells, digesting certain foods and preventing ‘bad’ bacteria from sticking to the intestinal walls.

The bloating, cramps and abdominal pain that people with IBS experience is linked to an imbalance of the bacteria in the gut. This is because the microbes produce a lot of gas and other chemicals, which contribute to the symptoms of intestinal discomfort and irregular bowel movements. By improving digestion through a healthier microbiome, many of our IBS patients report a marked improvement in their symptoms day to day.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The way your gut bacteria is balanced affects the cells that line your intestines and certain bacteria can irritate the intestines leading to inflammation. Patients suffering from IBS, Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis can suffer from debilitating bouts of inflammation. Rebalancing your microbiome can support a reduction in this inflammation and many of our patients report significant improvements in their symptoms.

Antibiotic Use

Some medicines can damage the gut bacteria.  One round of antibiotics can change your microbiome for up to a year! Antibiotics don’t just kill the bacteria that make you sick, they also kill your helpful gut bacteria which can take a long time to restore naturally. Taking a probiotic during or after a course of antibiotics can help restore your microbiome to what it should be.

Skin

Your microbiome is not only important for digestive issues – we see and hear daily feedback on how using a probiotic has helped reduce many inflammatory skin reactions too.

An imbalance of bacteria can lead to skin problems. For example, an over run of bacteria can lead to acne outbreaks on the skin. Certain atopic skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis are also linked to other types of bacteria. Any inflammatory skin conditions can be aggravated by an imbalance of bacteria also. 

The Gut/Brain Axis

For a long time, it was thought that the gut was mainly responsible for the digestion of food. However it now appears that it actually has a number of roles to play in all aspects of our health. Research over the last number of years has highlighted the connection between the gut and the brain, how a poorly functioning gut can have a negative impact on brain health, and how some neurological conditions may be linked back to our gut. Recent studies have shown that gut health is important in people with Parkinson’s and previous work has suggested that probiotics may improve gut symptoms. Now researchers in a UK-led clinical trial are testing if the Symprove probiotic could improve a variety of symptoms beyond the gut.

Serotonin is a hormone found in our body which is heavily linked to our mood, so much so, that it is often referred to as our ‘happy’ hormone. Low levels of serotonin in the body are linked to conditions such as depression, anxiety and poor sleep. Leading researchers now believe that there is a significant link between the gut and the brain and it is estimated that in fact up to 90% of serotonin in the body is produced in the gut by our “good “bacteria.

How to Help your Microbiome

Simple changes can really make a difference. Diet can have a huge effect on the gut bacteria. High-fibre foods (such as veggies, whole grains, and fruit) feed the helpful bacteria in your colon. They also discourage the growth of some harmful ones. Getting enough sleep, easing stress, and exercising may also improve your microbiome. Including a probiotic to top up your good bacteria can help reset the gut bacteria and balance the gut microbiome which in turn will have a positive impact on your health/wellbeing. Meaghers top pick in a probiotic is always Symprove.

How to Help your Microbiome

Simple changes can really make a difference. Diet can have a huge effect on the gut bacteria. High-fibre foods (such as veggies, whole grains, and fruit) feed the helpful bacteria in your colon. They also discourage the growth of some harmful ones. Getting enough sleep, easing stress, and exercising may also improve your microbiome. Including a probiotic to top up your good bacteria can help reset the gut bacteria and balance the gut microbiome which in turn will have a positive impact on your health/wellbeing. Meaghers top pick in a probiotic is always Symprove.

Why is Symprove our top pick and what makes it different to other probiotics?

Quite simply, the bacteria in Symprove are Live & Active unlike other probiotics. Conventional probiotic supplements which are usually sold in capsules, tablets or powders contain freeze dried bacteria, which renders the bacteria inactive until they can rehydrate in the body and become reactivated. When you consume a probiotic, it will pass through the stomach first, followed by the small and large intestine, where it will then begin to colonise and grow. Unfortunately, the stomach contains very powerful acid which often destroys these freeze dried and inactive bacteria before they even reach the large intestine.  

Symprove is different as it contains live & active bacteria and this means that when you pour your daily dose of Symprove, the bacteria you are consuming are active and ready to go – not freeze dried!! 

It’s all about the Delivery System

We recommend that Symprove is taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, as this helps to protect the bacteria from harm. Upon waking, the acid level in the stomach is at its lowest, however, this will increase throughout the day as your digestive system wakes up or as you eat or drink.

By taking Symprove before breakfast, this helps the bacteria to avoid the harmful acid and reach the gut unharmed. In a recent clinical trial, Symprove was the only probiotic tested which showed the bacteria survived the stomach, arrived in the gut and thrived once it got there.

The bacteria in Symprove are delivered by a Unique Delivery System (UDS) and this means that because the bacteria are contained in a water-based solution, it tricks the body into believing Symprove is only water, which doesn’t trigger acid production.

Why 12 Weeks?

Symprove is recommended as a 12-week programme because the clinical research has indicated that it can take anything up 12 weeks for the good bacteria in Symprove to colonise and ‘reset’ the gut. While some customers may notice benefits after 4, 6, 8 or 10 weeks of taking Symprove, everyone’s body is different and the best way to increase your chances of having success with Symprove is to use the product every day for the full 12 weeks and see how you feel. As a commitment to our customers once you purchase eight weeks of Symprove (either together or in two separate four week batches) we will give you the last four weeks for free to complete the 12 week program and see the optimum results.

To find out more or purchase Symprove click below:

https://www.meagherspharmacy.ie/pages/how-it-works

Oonagh O’ Hagan MPSI