Bacteria pill is 'better than statins'

Trials of the new treatment showed cholesterol falling 37% in patients who were suffering from harmfully high levels in their system, The New Day reports

A new cholesterol-fighting “good bacteria” pill could be as effective as statins in unclogging arteries – but without any of the nasty side effects.

The first trial of the new daily pill, which is made of hundreds of millions of freeze-dried bacteria, showed average cholesterol levels fell by 37% in participants who had high levels of harmful cholesterol.

Doctor Stephen O’Hara, chief executive of Optibiotix, the company which developed the new treatment, said the success rate was comparable to that of statins – although more trials will be needed to confirm the results.

Dr O’Hara said: “We are really pleased with the results of this study, which opens up opportunities for a single product for both conditions [high cholesterol and high blood pressure] or for two different products targeting separate conditions.

“This product could be used by itself or in combination with other treatments, such as statins, to provide the same efficacy at a lower dose, with potentially fewer side effects.”

The new pill could help reduce our reliance on statins. Between five and 10 million people currently take statins in the UK to reduce their levels of bad cholesterol and control heart disease, but side effects include headaches, nosebleeds and joint pain.

The new treatment is made of a strain of the bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum, a microbe commonly found in fermented food products such as sauerkraut and pickles.

The trial involved 50 volunteers taking a pill a day for three months. The bacterium used creates an enzyme that chops up the chains of fatty compounds in bile, meaning far fewer get into the bloodstream as cholesterol.

Optibiotix is currently developing a range of treatments for diseases including diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity, based on changing the amount and type of bacteria in the human gut.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/science/bacteria-pill-better-statins-war-7841790

Hi Graham,
Is it going to take ten years before it is properly tested?
regards
Derek

Derek wrote:Hi Graham,
Is it going to take ten years before it is properly tested?
regards
Derek

I don't know Derek but OptiBiotix states on their web site that trial protocols have been developed for independent clinical studies to establish product safety and efficacy.

OptiBiotix® has screened hundreds of human commensal microbial strains using its Optiscreen® high throughput proprietary technology platform and indentified 3 microbial strains which have demonstrated the ability to reduce cholesterol by 71%, 78%, and 82% respectively in laboratory studies. Trial protocols have been developed for independent clinical studies to establish product safety and efficacy.

http://www.optibiotix.com/content/products/index.asp

I should think if they do come through the studies with a favourable outcome Big Pharma will want a slice of the action  because existing drugs would become redundant.

They may decrease "cholesterol" but will they actually have any effect on disease? Maybe we should all buy shares to be on the safe side in case they get bought out by Big Pharma . . . then spend the profits on Real Food, including actual sauerkraut?

Yep lowering cholesterol levels are not as heart healthy as we have been led to believe many older and recent studies have shown no benefit, in fact higher TC has been shown to be beneficial in some cases

For anyone who hasn't read them yet, look for Malcolm Kendrick's posts on the Cause of Heart Disease. I'm currently re-reading them, quite astonishingly good.