Bifidobacterium bifidum, more commonly known as bifidobacterium or bifidus, is a probiotic bacterium that can help the bacteria naturally found in our bodies.
Source
The name Bifidobacterium, given to this bacterium by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg in 1838, comes from the Latin "bifidus" meaning "divided in two" and "bacterium" translating from the Latin "stick", because of its Y-shaped bifid morphology.
It was in 1899 that the paediatrician at the Pasteur Institute, Henri Tissier, first isolated bifidobacteria from the faeces of a child.
Bifidobacterium bifidum was assimilated by bacteriologists to Lactobacillus bifidus, but we now know that they belong to a separate taxon of bifidus.
B. Bifidum is therefore a strictly anaerobic (it does not tolerate oxygen and is therefore difficult to study in the laboratory), Gram-positive bacterium, which is particularly present in the large intestine of infants, but whose abundance decreases with age.
Food sources
B. Bifidum is a probiotic that does not occur naturally in food, unlike other probiotics of the lactobacillus type that are naturally present in yoghurt, cheese, fruit kefir, milk kefir, sausages or olives.
On the other hand, there are many yoghurts enriched with B. bifidum, which are useful for stimulating the immune system and improving digestive functions in their consumers.
This is the case of active bifidus yoghurts, which are increasingly available on the market, the main brand being Activia by Danone.
Benefits and virtues
According to the World Health Organisation, probiotics are "live bacteria that, when consumed regularly and in sufficient quantities, have a potentially beneficial effect on health".
But to better understand the benefits of B. Bifidum, it is important to understand how our gut flora works.
Our digestive tract is populated by over 100,000 bacteria, or almost 1.5 kg of bacteria in an adult male!
These bacteria belong to hundreds of different species, and each of us has our own bacterial composition, also known as microbiota, which is in a sense a unique bacterial signature.
An impaired, reduced or imbalanced microbiota can have a significant impact on health and fitness.
Probiotics, and in particular B. bifidum, are then very effective in regenerating and rebalancing the gut flora.
Boosts the immune system
A balanced microbiota is essential for good health because our bacteria interact with the cells of the immune system.
Without microbiota, or with an imbalanced microbiota, the immune system atrophies.
Improves intestinal disorders, diarrhoea
B. bifidum has been shown to inhibit the activity of Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that colonises the stomach lining and causes chronic infection. Nearly one in two people in the world is affected by H. pylori, which predisposes to stomach cancer.
Reduces the symptoms of certain food intolerances (gluten, lactose, etc.)
These food allergies or intolerances cause severe digestive disorders that alter the intestinal flora and can lead to atrophy of the intestinal villi.
By restoring the microbiota, Bifidum helps to restore hair growth and improve symptoms.
Dosage
For probiotics to be effective, they need to reach the intestines alive and in large numbers.
However, the stomach produces gastric juices that can kill 90% of probiotics if not properly protected.
To prevent this, enteric-coated capsules are available that are designed to resist gastric juices and only dissolve once in the intestine.
The unit of measurement for probiotics is the CFU (colony forming unit) and the recommended dosage for probiotics ranges from 2 to 30 billion per day depending on the indication.
Side effects and contraindications
High doses of probiotic supplements may cause some people to experience increased gas, bloating or even mild intestinal irritation.
It may be advisable to reduce the dose and then gradually increase it.
Do not use without medical advice if you have a weakened immune system due to disease (AIDS, lymphoma) or treatment (chemotherapy, radiotherapy).
Similarly, if you suffer from nausea, fever, vomiting, bloody diarrhoea or severe stomach pain, it is advisable to consult a doctor before starting probiotic treatment.