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What Happened After a Year of Eating L. Reuteri Yogurt
The Journey — Finding answers
I have been eating L. reuteri (Lactobacillus reuteri) yogurt for over a year now, and wow I've noticed some big changes in myself and family and from countless emails from all of you. I have a great podcast with Dr. Davis who really invented the L. reuteri yogurt recipe. I did a podcast over two year ago and this podcast is a year later. We talk a lot about all the benefits we have seen and experienced so I highly recommend you check it out. Here are a few of the things we talk about concerning L. reuteri yogurt, its health benefits, and a little bit more about Dr. Davis.
Dr. William Davis, MD — Super Gut Book
Dr. William Davis, MD, is the author of the fantastic book "Super Gut." He has done a ton of research on L. reuteri and developed a way to make a yogurt high in L. reuteri, which the body readily absorbs. L. reuteri bacteria species is a superstar in the world of intestinal microbes, and you might think you can just take a supplement with L. reuteri and accomplish the task, but that's not necessarily true. Supplementation in pill form isn't always optimum and there are specific strains of L. reuteri for humans and animals.
The yogurt manufacturers told Dr Davis that making yogurt with L. reuteri couldn't be done. Since L. reuteri is really a cultured dairy and made with completely different strains of bacteria than conventional yogurt, it also required different temperatures and longer fermentation times. Nobody was really making this because they didn't think it could be done. However, he had made dozens of successful batches, had them tested in a lab, and they all had high counts of L. reuteri. The secret was keeping the temperature about 100°F, letting it ferment for 36 hours, and giving it a prebiotic. The long, slow fermentation increases the bacterial strains exponentially over the 36 hours (see graph below) and creates a thick delicious yogurt.
Lactobacillus Reuteri Health Benefits
Oxytocin the Love Hormone and L. Reuteri
One of the most interesting benefits of L. reuteri is its ability to release the hormone oxytocin from the human brain. [1,7] If you had a baby or have been in love you know how wonderful oxytocin can be. As the hormone releases, we feel more love and connectedness and we all need more love and compassion for one another. These have been stressful times in the last few years and fear tends to separate and cause division. With the loss of L. reuteri in most of the population, we must all have lower levels of oxytocin. Our body is a virtual pharmaceutical factory and can create more of the things we need if it is given what it needs. Who would have thought a bacteria could do this? It certainly is amazing all our microbes can do, which is why I love them so very much!
SIBO, IBS, and L. Reuteri
Those with SIBO have the wrong types of bacteria living in their small intestines. Those harmful bacteria do not belong there and create quite a ruckus. L. reuteri is very unique compared to most bacteria that live in the six-foot-long colon. L. reuteri prefers to colonize the upper gastrointestinal tract (in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) which is 22 feet long. While it takes residence in the upper GI tract it produces natural antibiotics called bacteriocins that are very effective against undesirable bacteria species that live in the small intestine that can cause SIBO. Loss of this special species is likely the reason more and more people are experiencing SIBO. Restoring this species is becoming part of the solution to SIBO.[2,3] I highly recommend you check out Dr. Davis' book Super Gut if you're struggling with SIBO. He has ways to help you test your breath with a small device and smartphone to see if your bacteria are producing hydrogen gas. This can be a side effect that can occur when the wrong bacteria are abiding in the upper gastrointestinal tract. He's helped dozens of people find success in changing this challenging ailment.
Candida and L. Reuteri
L. reuteri exhibited antifungal properties against five of the six most common oral candida species. It completely eliminated these species and is now being studied for the treatment of SIFO (small intestinal fungal overgrowth). SIFO is characterized by the presence of an excessive number of fungal organisms in the small intestine associated with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms. [4]
I've seen this work on my daughter, who I speculated had an overgrowth of candida in her sinus area. Candida can live in many places throughout the body. This created a stuffy nose and congestion and caused her a great deal of distress. After consuming L. reuteri, all of this completely disappeared after years of struggling with this.
Candida can be quite a challenge, but having large amounts of good bacteria keeps candida in check. We need balance not complete extinction, and having the proper flora makes this a natural process.
Improves Skin, Muscle Growth, Bone Density, Slenderness, and Increased Insulin Sensitivity 
Researchers at MIT were doing studies on cancer and observed the following effects on elderly animals given L. reuteri compared to those who did not receive L. reuteri.
- Improved and created rapid hair growth
- Thicker skin, with a substantial increase in dermal collagen
- Acceleration of skin healing
- Created slenderness and appetite control
- Reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol
L. reuteri reduced age-related bone loss in women 75 to 80 years of age with low bone density. [5,6]
Other studies have found that L. reuteri restores youthful muscles, and improves insulin sensitivity.[7,8,9,10]
Colic and L. Reuteri
According to clinical research, L. reuteri can help infants with colic. In this study, eighty-three infants completed the trial taking L. reuteri (Probiotic drops, BioGaia AB) or the placebo for one week. L. reuteri improved infantile colic and symptoms such as crying time in breast-fed infants by 95%.[11]
H. Pylori and L. Reuteri
Some studies have shown that L. reuteri has the potential to help eradicate H. pylori from the intestine when added to standard H. pylori therapy. L. reuteri works by competing with H. pylori and inhibiting its binding to glycolipid receptors. The competition reduces the bacterial load of H. pylori and restores balance. [12]
Deep Restful Sleep
L. reuteri can create deep restful sleep especially if you've been struggling with sleeping. My family and I have personally experienced deep sleep from this yogurt.
Check out this article and podcast to learn more about this profound effect on sleep when consuming this yogurt.
How to Make L. Reuteri Superfood Yogurt
So are you ready to learn how to help your body restore L. reuteri? We made an L. reuteri superfood starter culture that you can use right away so you can make lots of L. reuteri yogurt. There are a few things you need to know and you'll need an appliance that also keeps it at the right temperature and time. But no worries, I have figured most of this out for you and will leave suggestions of things you can use. I have several recipes - dairy and non dairy L. reuteri yogurts. The dairy and coconut yogurts have been made and tested in labs and the bacteria count can be found below.
Frequently Asked Questions
We've had a huge response to this new starter culture, thank you so much! With any new product, there are naturally a lot of questions. So I put together an FAQ post all about this L. Reuteri Superfood Yogurt Starter.
The Right Equipment Is Important!
To keep your L. reuteri at the best temperature, you'll need an appliance with a temperature adjustment of 100°F and a timer that can be set to 36 hours. This can be a yogurt maker, Instant Pot, or sous vide device. You'll need to make sure your device has those features. Here are some appliances that should work well for you.
Luvele Yogurt Maker
This is probably my favorite of the yogurt makers that I have tried. It is a 2.1 QT (2L) Glass Container and is made by Luvele, which is a terrific company that is passionate about what they do. Highly recommended.
Luvele 4 Jar Yogurt Maker
This is another great updated yogurt maker from Luvele. You get 4 jars which are each 13.5 ounces. It keeps the temp between 78 and 122 degrees F and has a 36-hour digital. It's great for making multiple kinds of yogurt.
Other Yogurt Makers
There are cheaper yogurt makers available on Amazon. They do work but can be a little tricky to set the time and temperature. Watch this video.
Sous Vide
We've made dozens of jars of yogurt with this device. You can make larger batches so it's very convenient. It's actually a well-known cooking method used by many chefs.
You'll need a sous vide stick and a container to place the yogurt in a water bath. It allows you to make several jars at one time and controls the temperature perfectly.
Here is a link for the container I use but you can use your own container if you'd like:
Instapots/Pressure Cookers
Not all instapots have a manual temperature setting that can be set to 100°F.
L. reuteri bacteria love human body temperature. Regular yogurt makers/instapots are usually automatically set to higher temperatures of 110°F or more, which is too hot for L. reuteri or to survive.
Test your device with a cup of water and a thermometer before making your first batch. I hesitate to recommend certain brands because it isn't always standard for all the pots, so please just make sure yours can maintain 100°F.
Every item with a link was selected by me to make it easier for you. I may receive a small affiliate commission if you buy something through my links. Thank you! ❤️
Check out the recipes For L. Reuteri Superfood Yogurt
Dr. Davis is one of my favorite people to interview. In this podcast we talk about the many benefits we both have found from consuming L reuteri yogurt for the last year. Dr. Davis is very knowlegable about L. reuteri and explains why it is so important for us to restore this missing microbe. Tune in to learn more.
Lactobacillus reuteri bacteria species is a superstar in the world of intestinal microbes. Someone who has done a ton of research on this species is Dr. William Davis, MD, author of the fantastic book "Super Gut." Dr. Davis is a guest on my podcast who has a lot of experience with L. reuteri and has found how to harness its benefits in a powerful way. Check out the podcast and enjoy this exciting conversation.
References:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27793228/
- https://blog.undoctored.com/l-reuteri-and-methanogenic-sibo/
- https://www.biogaia.com/other-news/study-claims-connection-between-brain-fogginess-and-probiotics/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28326154/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29926979/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24915299/
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0068596
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23342023/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27825953/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4530313/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17200238/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3871281/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5917019/
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