Why is burdock powder effective for improving intestinal flora?　Part1

What do you imagine when you hear the term “intestinal flora”?

I think it's hard to imagine that there are 100 trillion bacteria (microorganisms) of 500 to 1000 different types living in the large intestine (colon). According to experts, these bacteria form a flora that looks like a flower garden. This is called intestinal flora.

What is the optimal state of intestinal flora?

Dr. Tomotari Mitsuoka, a world authority on intestinal microbiology, divided bacteria into good bacteria, bad bacteria and opportunistic bacteria, and proposed that maintaining a ratio of 2:1:7 for each of these groups is good for health.

The food and drink we eat and drink is digested and absorbed through the stomach and small intestine. So what does the big intestine (colon) do? Generally speaking, it is said that it is responsible for excreting things that have not been digested and absorbed in the small intestine. In other words, it is said that the function of colon is to excrete food scraps as feces. However, it is very strange that 100 trillion intestinal bacteria weighing 1-1.5kg are needed just for this purpose, but as I read the specialist books, I learned that there is actually a very interesting meaning.

How does the intestinal flora change with age?

　Immediately after birth, a baby is in a sterile state, but after it begins to suckle, not only nutrients but also intestinal bacteria are carried into the body by the mother's breast milk. It is said that the number of intestinal bacteria increases rapidly from that time. Figure 1 shows the transition of intestinal bacteria examined by age group. Immediately after childbirth, E. coli and enterococci increase, but bifidobacteria appear later and become dominant. E. coli are bad bacteria, while bifidobacteria and enterococci are classified as good bacteria. With the appearance of bifidobacteria, the typical good bacteria, we see that the bad bacteria are suppressed. This is said to contribute to the healthy growth of infants.

　However, the bifidobacteria also decrease after the weaning period (around the time when weaning food is started), and instead, the number of bacteria called opportunistic bacteria increases. Starting with weaning, the intestinal flora is formed from childhood until adulthood.

What food is needed to increase the number of good bacteria?

 It is a well-known fact that intestinal bacteria live on the food debris that enters the large intestine. Depending on the type of food debris, the balance of intestinal flora differs. For example, it is well known that excessive meat intake increases bad bacteria, which can cause intestinal putrefaction and constipation, and that high-fiber foods increase good bacteria and help prevent constipation.

Composition of burdock root, a favorite food of beneficial bacteria

 Recent research has focused on prebiotics, non-digestible food components that promote the growth of good bacteria living in the large intestine and inhibit the growth of bad bacteria. Dietary fiber and oligosaccharides are equivalent to prebiotics, and burdock is one of the foods that contain both. Figure 2 shows the dietary fiber content of vegetables commonly used in Japan. You can see that burdocks have one of the highest amounts of dietary fiber.

Figure 3 shows the content of fructooligosaccharides, a type of oligosaccharide, in vegetables that are considered to be rich in fructooligosaccharides. Fructooligosaccharides are also abundant. Among dietary fibers, the soluble fiber in burdock is inulin, which is fermented in the intestines and decomposes into fructooligosaccharides.

　Our VEBEMARI Powder is made using a process that minimizes the loss of the vegetable's natural nutritional components. As a result, the amount of dietary fiber after powdering is approximately 13.8 times higher. This means that even a small amount is highly effective. It is one of the best ingredients for controlling intestinal flora in a better way.

The large intestine, along with the small intestine, plays another role, that of immunity, in which intestinal bacteria play an important role.

The next report will be an introduction on burdock components and immunity.

We have prepared an introductory video about Burdock eating culture in Japan, please watch it if you have time.  the history of burdock in Japan.

Burdock powder that improves intestinal flora and boosts immunity and – mura network