There is no doubt that not all yeasts are your friends, but this one really is! Saccharomyces boulardii is a true “biotic” which has been shown to have beneficial affects by improving intestinal microbalance.
Specifically, S. boulardii functions in the modulation of both the innate immunity by activating the complement system, and the adaptive immunity by boosting the intestinal secretion of IgA.
In addition, S. boulardii secretes soluble factors demonstrated to reduce inflammation by lowering the NF-KappaB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). It also enhances the secretion of mucosal factors that protect against enteric pathogens and improves tight junction structure to protect against leaky gut.
A couple of very practical uses of S. boulardii are to use with antibiotics (natural or pharmaceutical) to protect against antibiotic related diarrhea, and also when traveling to protect against traveler’s diarrhea. And, of course, because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it should be considered for anyone with inflammatory bowel conditions.
One of the very interesting properties of S. boulardii is that oral administration achieves a steady state concentration within three days but it does not actually colonize the intestinal tract. Typically, it will be cleared from the intestines within 2 to 5 days after discontinuing use. Therefore, S. boulardii is a very useful yeast indeed!
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