Author: Dr. Zeng M.D.

Hi, I'm Dr. John Sang. I graduated at Harvard Medical School in 1998 where I studied medicin and nutritional sciences. In 2012, I was awarded a fellowship in Internal Medicine from Harvard-affiliated Dana Farber Cancer Institute. In 2008, I started a PhD research program at the New York University School of Medicine to explore the role of gut microbes in the control of inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and ulcerative colitis. My study examined the effects of a probiotic intervention and a standard course of prophylactic colitis medications on the pathogenesis of IBD. The studies that I've conducted over the last decade show that the gut bacteria, or bacterial flora, are essential in IBD. The probiotics have a direct impact on the immune system. They have shown to be particularly helpful in the management of colitis. This study found that probiotics can reduce the severity of colitis, as well as its inflammatory component. The evidence indicates that IBD is caused by inflammatory bowel disease, and that the best way to manage this condition is to treat inflammatory bowel disease with a probiotic. I have been following my gut bacteria all of my life, and I believe that they play a major role in the pathogenesis of IBD. A small study showed that probiotics significantly decreased symptoms of Crohn's disease, and a larger study indicated that the probiotics reduce the development of ulcerative colitis. There is increasing evidence that probiotics can decrease the inflammatory and autoimmune process, which is another aspect of IBD that needs to be addressed. The results of a study of 10 children diagnosed with Crohn's disease, as well as 4 control subjects (all healthy adults with Crohn's disease), indicated that treatment with probiotics significantly reduced symptoms in both children and adults, and that the treatment was effective even at the lowest levels of bacterial load. A study of 30 children with Crohn's disease found that all children treated with probiotics had reduced symptoms of the disease, and all but one of the children did not develop severe complications (e.g. ulcerative colitis). The authors concluded that, "This study demonstrated the potential use of probiotics for the prevention and treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, and showed that, in children, probiotics decreased symptoms of Crohn's disease and improved health and function in adults. Another study with 40 adults with IBD found that probiotics reduced symptoms, and that the probiotic treatment resulted in increased intestinal flora, which helped with the progression of IBD, and the treatment was effective at reducing symptoms and symptoms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in both adults and children. A study that compared a diet consisting of lactobacilli, Lactobacillus reuteri, and Bifidobacterium longum to a diet composed of lactobacilli alone found that the lactobacilli diet was associated with reduced symptoms, and that Bifidobacterium longum was effective in improving symptoms. One of the studies showed that lactobacilli reduced ulcerative colitis in adults, while Bifidobacterium longum reduced symptoms and improved health in children. Another study, involving 28 adult IBD patients with ulcerative colitis, compared the effects of consuming lactobacilli with either bifidobacteria or Lactobacillus reuteri. Lactobacilli did not significantly reduce inflammation and the results of the lactobacilli group, but did reduce symptoms in the bifidobacteria group. Lactobacilli showed improved gut barrier function, and reduced symptoms. Lactobacilli also improved health and function, and reduced intestinal permeability. Lactobacilli showed greater benefits in children.