During the dark winter months it’s really important to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D and restore a healthy gut by promoting the growth of the beneficial probiotic bacteria. As well as dietary and lifestyle measures, there are hundreds of vitamin D and probiotic supplements on the market. This page explains why it’s very much better  to combine vitamin D and probiotics in one supplement, not only for cost efficiency but to harness their amazing synergistic properties.

Vitamin D

This essential vitamin is not just important for helping to maintain healthy bones, it is linked with multiple health benefits ranging from cancer prevention, slowing prostate cancer progression, fertility, avoiding obesity, dementia and even enhancing the effect of the covid vaccine.

Studies are emerging that low vitamin D increases the risk of viral respiratory tract infections including covid. This is because vitamin D enhances production of proteins that lower viral replication. It also improves immune defence and regulation of excess inflammation, which if severe is called the “cytokine storm” [Read article].

 

Lactobacillus probiotics

A leaky, poorly functioning gut, as well as causing bloating and indigestions, leads to fatigue, joint pains, low mood and poor concentration. In time, this contributes to chronic diseases ranging from arthritis, dementia, Parkinson’s,  high cholesterol, osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease [Read more]. Together with dietary measures probiotics and prebiotics help restore gut health by promoting healthy bacterial growth and have been linked to a lower risk of excess inflammation and a leaky gut [Read more].

Depleted healthy strains of commensal bacteria such as Lactobacillus have been reported in the majority of patients with Covid especially those with long Covid. Numerous interventional studies have shown probiotic supplements help improve mircrofloral biodiversity, correct GI symptoms and improve immune efficiency. More recently,  studies have shown regular intake of live Lactobacilli strains, shortened the incidence duration and severity of upper respiratory tract infections including Covid [Read full paper].

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Combined vitamin D and lactobacillus probiotics

Manufactures are creating vitamin pills with ever increasing doses on vitamin D but research is showing us that it’s not the amount in the gut but how much is absorbed which matters. If you have the the wrong type of bacteria, or an inflamed gut wall, your absorption of vitamin will be very low. Low vitamin D levels, along side a leaky gut, both leading to chronic inflammation, is a perfect storm for ill health.

Several clinical trials have reported that oral Lactobacillus probiotic strains resulted in significantly increased serum vitamin D3 levels. Researchers have shown that the likely mechanism for this is increased lactic acid production from the probiotic bacteria, which in turn increases the enzyme responsible for vitamin D absorption and synthesis.

As well as the benefits mentioned above, vitamin D and probiotics have been shown to increase the effectiveness of anti-viral (flu) vaccines – this is why Yourgutplus+ has been selected for the UK covid vaccine enhancement study.

Yourgutplus+ was selected for the UK National Nutritional Covid intervention study, the first paper was published in Nov 2021 and found a link between this lactobacillus blend with enhanced recovery from early and long covid [Read full paper].

References

  • Singh P et al. The  role of vitamin D as a gut microbiota modifier in healthy individuals.Sci Rep 2020; 10, 21641.
  • Singh P et al. Role of Lactobacillus acidophilus in chronic fatigue syndrome: Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2012; 24(4):366
  •  Yoon S et al. Probiotic regulation of vitamin D receptor in intestinal inflammation. Gastroenterology. 2011;140:S–19.
  • Wu S et al. Vitamin D receptor pathway is required for probiotic protection in colitis. Am J Physiol Gastro Liver Physiol. 2015;309:G341–G349.
  • Jamilian M et al. The effects of vitamin D and probiotic co-supplementation on glucose homeostasis, inflammation, oxidative stress and pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes: A RCT. Clin. Nutr. 2019, 38, 2098–2105.
  • Costanzo M et al. Vitamin D and Lactobacillus cooperate to reduce gut inflammation. Beneficial microbes 9, 389–399 (2018).
  • Shang M et al Vitamin, probiotics, and gastrointestinal diseases. Current medicinal chemistry 24, 876–887 (2017).
  • Jones M et al. Oral lactobacillus probiotic  increases vitamin D levels The J of Clin End Metabol 98, 2944 (2013).
  • Daneshkhah A, et al. Role of vitamin D in suppressing cytokine storm and associated mortality in Covid-19 patients. MedRxiv 2020.04.08.20058578.
  • Weir E et al. “Does vitamin D deficiency increase the severity of COVID-19?.” Clinical Medicine. 2020; 20,4: e107-e108.
  • Demir M et al . Vitamin D deficiency is associated with Covid-19 positivity and severity of the disease. J Med Virol. 2021; 93(5):2992-99.
  • Kurian S  et al. Probiotics in Prevention and Treatment of Covid-19: Current Perspective and Future Prospects. Archives of medical research 2021; 52(6), 582–594.
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  •  Chen Y, Gu S, Chen Y, et al. Six-month follow-up of gut microbiota richness in patients with Covid-19 Gut. 2021  Published Online doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2021-324090.
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  • Yeoh Y, Zuo T, Lui G et al. Gut microbiota composition reflects disease severity and dysfunctional immune responses in patients with Covid-19: Gut 2021;70:698-706.
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