lassesen 6:33 am on February 24, 2017

Streptococcus Thermophilus

A reader asked:

“Could you tell me what you know about streptococcus thermophilus? I am Th2 overactive and have read on numerous websites that this strain should be avoided if Th2 dominant. Do you if there is any studies to show this is true?”

General Information

First, I want to know what we know about it in general. Because it is used in yogurt, a lot of studies are for it in combination with other probiotics. This means finding studies of it alone are actually rare.

“Streptococcus thermophilus is one of the most widely used lactic acid bacteria in the dairy industry, in particular in yoghurt manufacture, where it is associated with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus…. One of the most unpredicted results was a significant decrease of most of the transcripts and enzymes involved in purine biosynthesis. Interestingly, the expression of nearly all genes potentially encoding iron transporters of S. thermophilus decreased, … suggesting a reduction in the intracellular iron concentration, probably in response to H(2)O(2) production by L. bulgaricus.” [2009]
- So yogurt does not help with iron absorption….

However, no significant change in the number of fecal bifidobacteria was observed in the other groups (yogurt fermented with Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus for 2 weeks, ) throughout the ingestion period. [2015]
Streptococcus thermophilus.. no increase in the feces of the probiotic therapy group [2014]
Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus improved flatulence [2013]

a significantly higher density of LAB and C. perfringens and a significant decrease in the density of Bacteroides was observed after consumption of both types of yogurt. [2008]
- ” In contrast, in the stool samples there was a higher relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and lower abundance of Firmicutes observed in ME/CFS patients compared to healthy controls.” [2015] – so yogurt appears to help the microbiome of CFS patients.

“The results showed that the test groups (III and IV) receiving folate-rich fermented milks prepared using high-folate producing S. thermophilus strains (RD 102 and RD 104) showed a significant increase in hemoglobin level compared with the control groups (I and II).” [2011]
- So two specific strains does help with iron absorption (assumed to be without the typical yogurt probiotics)….

TH1/TH2

“S. thermophilus did not influence the balance Th1/Th2.” [2002]
“Streptococcus thermophilus AHU1838 (FERM AP-21009), and Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. casei AHU1839 (FERM AP-21010) enhanced the secretion of Th1 cytokines such as interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-12 (IL-12).” [2008]
“S. thermophilus was able to induce IL-12 production (Th2), while the production of IL-12 induced by other bacteria remained at a low level.”
“Oral administration of Streptococcus thermophilus CCFM218 (ST218) treatment revealed a strong suppressive effect on airway inflammation characterized by reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and levels of Th2 cytokines in lung tissues,” [2015]
“Of ten LAB extracts, four (from L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. casei, and S. thermophiles) promoted both cell proliferating and TH1 cytokine production.”[2015]

Bottom Line

It appears that whether S. thermophilus increases or decreases or has no effect on TH1 or TH2 depends on the specific strains. It appears that S. thermophilus by itself has no impact on the microbiome. In yogurt (with other probiotics), it appears to have to shift the microbiome in a favorable way — but I need to explicitly research this and will post when this is done. Yogurt may decrease iron (and thus hemoglobin, resulting in less oxygen delivery to tissue).

Gary 11:21 am on February 24, 2017

Thanks for the feedback/article. So given what you have found it sounds like it won’t stimulate TH2?
- lassesen 1:23 pm on February 24, 2017
  
  A few species may… But a random one appears unlikely
Craig 2:37 pm on February 25, 2017

Hi Ken,

On Facebook, you suggested I try the herb Haritaki for pathogenic overgrowths (incl. Strep). I’ve read you say that Haritaki can kill beneficial E.Coli. I recently tried Symbioflor 2 and had an unfavorable reaction. So if I want to take Haritaki, but do not plan on following up with an E.Coli probiotic, would you advise against trying it?

Thanks
- lassesen 4:31 pm on February 25, 2017
  
  Haritaki is the right path if unfavorable reaction. E.Coli probiotics stay around for 20+ weeks so they need to be explicitly reduced.. and Haritaki is an excellent candidate
  - Craig 6:07 am on February 26, 2017
    
    Thank you. What dosing schedule would you recommend and for how long? I have a sachet of the powder.
    - lassesen 6:20 am on February 26, 2017
      
      Since it appears to be a transient (less than 24 hrs) probiotic. Then two weeks for it to provoke any rebalances that it can do.
      Dosage is always difficult for any probiotics. For Miyarisan where the “normal dosage (per bottle instructions)” is 18 little pills, some people find it causes a major herx at just 3. For others, they have no problem ramping up to 30 little pills and feel much better. Best advise is start low and ramp up. The peak would likely be 4x the manufacturers recommended dosage– at that level, you are unusually in therapeutic range (instead of supplement range).
      - Craig 9:00 am on February 26, 2017
        
        Sorry, just to clarify, are you referring to Haritaki as a ‘probiotic’?
        
        Also, I know you’ve said you generally take probiotics before bed to sleep through any herxes (which has been my policy too); do you do the same for herbs, or are herbs better dosed several times a day?
        
        Craig 5:47 pm on February 26, 2017
        
        Also, if I had a bad reaction to SymbioFlor2, is it still potentially worth trying Mutaflor?
        
        lassesen 6:17 pm on February 26, 2017
        
        No Haritaki is a herb/spice. Your post was unclear as to what you were referring to (hanging antecedent ).
        
        For haritake, start with a “half pill” and work up. It is very likely to create it’s own herx – but a herx that should fade in 6-8 hours, unlike an e-coli herx.
        
        I would switch to other probiotics first, and then cycle back to try mutaflor.
        
        Craig 5:17 am on February 27, 2017
        
        Yes, sorry for the confusion. I experimented with Symbioflor 2 for about two weeks, but it had some very strange effects and was destabilizing my mood. I didn’t feel like I could continue with it.
        
        I wanted to try the Haritaki, but was concerned, since my Symbioflor experience makes me wary about following up with an E.Coli probiotic.
        
        I ended up starting the Haritaki last night, so will see how I go. I have a few other probiotics to try afterwards (Align, Culturelle, Retueri pearls) and will also look into Mutaflor.
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