What are soil based probiotics?

Key Message

It is believed that due to modern day food processing and farming methods, the composition of our gut flora has changed dramatically from those of our ancestors.

Action Points

By reintroducing soil based organisms into your gut, it increases the diversity of beneficial bacteria, helps to improve digestion, boost immunity and much more.

Soil-based organisms (‘SBOs’ for short) – is used to refer to a new class of probiotic supplements that are believed to contain a myriad of health benefits, including: the activation of the immune system, stimulation of white blood cells and antibodies, normalisation of bowel function and an increase in resistance to harmful bacteria and fungi. SBOs have also been praised for their ‘hardiness’ and their ability to resist stomach acid and ambient temperatures, meaning that supplements containing SBOs often do not require refrigeration.

Soil Based Organisms are bacteria that are naturally found in soil. Before the introduction of modern farming methods and food-processing and sterilising techniques SBOs were present in abundance in our food chain.

But these days, unless we are consuming home-grown or at least organic, raw produce there is very little of this type of bacteria left in the food that we are eating. As a result it has changed the composition of our gut flora.

So by reintroducing soil based organisms into your gut it can:

• increase the diversity of beneficial bacteria
• help to improve digestion
• boost immunity

SBO’s have also been linked to reductions in abdominal discomfort, bloating, nausea, flatulence and constipation.

Specific SBO’s have also been shown to secrete proteins that activate the immune system and stimulate the production of white blood cells and antibodies.

Soil based probiotics differ from regular probiotics in two different ways. Firstly they are much more likely to make it to the small intestine intact, which eliminates the need for special coatings or manufacturing techniques. And secondly, they colonise the gut more effectively, which enables us to reduce the dosage to ‘maintenance’ levels much sooner.

Care should be taken as pregnant women and those who are severely immunocompromised should avoid using soil-based probiotics but otherwise they are a safe and well tolerated treatment