The journal Oral Health & Preventive Dentistry has published the results of a study showing that periodontal disease, which brings with it a host of complications that only begin with the deterioration of teeth and oral tissue, may be improved through the daily intake of the immunobiotic lactobacillus HK L-137, the primary constituent of House Wellness Foods Immuno-LP20.
 
Gum disease, gingivitis and associated conditions are perilous to human health in a manner widely disproportionate to their visibility in public discourse. Plaque particles take residence on a tooth’s surface, inviting opportunistic microbial pathogens to the site, leading to inflammation, irritation, and decay, to which the body responds by instigating a chronic inflammatory response. Gum tissue swells and becomes displaced, gaps increase and widen, into which more bacteria rush. The mouth is a locus of vascular activity, offering direct lines of transmission to sites throughout the system, and the consequence is an overall reduction of the body’s ability to naturally defend itself against significant, even fatal disease.
 
Regular supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) can keep these dangers at bay, but has its limits. House Wellness Foods Immuno-LP20, with its active component of heat-treated Lactobacillus plantarum L-137 (HK L-137) has been shown in randomized clinical trials to step into the breach by enhancing the body’s innate ability to defend itself and physically improving the periodontal environment.
 
Previous peer-reviewed clinical studies have demonstrated the mechanisms by which daily oral intake of Immuno-LP20 bolsters the body’s protection against colds, influenza, and a variety of upper respiratory tract infections by boosting T helper (Th) 1-type immune responses, leading to anti-tumor, anti-Influenza A virus, and antiallergenic responses in mouse models.
 
The most recent study describes the role that immune response plays in the progress of periodontitis, and demonstrates that HK L-137 can actually result in a naturally strengthened periodontal structure and a consequently healthier, less infection-prone environment.
 
For the study, 39 subjects undergoing SPT were randomly administered either a daily placebo or a capsule containing 10 mg of HK L-137 over a period of 12 weeks.
 
It is well known that SPT can prevent periodontal disease very effectively through techniques such as supra- and subgingival scaling and root planing, as performed by a physician. There is a limitation, however, to the degree to which dental debridement can effectively eliminate pathogenic bacteria, as they find sanctuary in soft tissues and other anatomic “hideouts” such as dentinal tubuli, furcations, and imperfections between bone and tissue, as well as in other, non-periodontal areas like the mucosa, tongue, and tonsils, to which they can easily translocate.
 
The results of this study indicate that 12 weeks of controlled administration of HK L-137 resulted in a dramatic improvement in periodontal condition, as shown by the probing depth of gaps and other areas that shelter and foster pathogenic organisms being demonstrably reduced.
 
A comparison of lactoflora in the mouths of those afflicted with periodontal illness and healthy subjects has shown that healthy oral environments naturally exhibit a higher volume of homofermentative lactobacilli, which appear to suppress pathogen growth. Moreover, the lactic acid produced through carbohydrate fermentation, an effect enriched by supplementation of viable probiotic bacteria, is one factor in maintaining a low-pH oral environment, inhibiting the propagation of anaerobic bacteria.
 
For more information: http://health.housefoods.jp/hk-l-137/index_e.html