Culturelle

thedell19 · Post by **thedell19** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:13 pm

Ok so I know Dr Fine recommends Culturelle and I know it is gluten free, or else he wouldnt recommend it... but I do know that there might be trace amounts of milk in the probiotic because of the way it grows. Now since I am sensative to milk protien casein I am wondering if I would be able to use this probiotic. Anyone have an inputs on this?

Thanks

Andrew

Post by **tex** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 12:56 pm

Hi Andrew,

I've never used it, but if I recall correctly, the suspect ingredient in Culturelle is lactose, not casein. Somebody correct me on this if I'm wrong, because I don't have time to look it up right now.

I thought that someone mentioned that Dr. Fine no longer recommends Culturelle, for that reason, but maybe that information has been updated. I haven't checked his site in a while

Tex

thedell19 · Post by **thedell19** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 3:51 pm

If culturelle is a no no... then what good probiotics are there that are GFDF?

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:00 pm

Hi Terps!

Yes, there is a minute amount of lactose in the processing of Culturelle. I react to it, I think, because I cannot tolerate that probiotic.

Dr. Fine used to recommend Culturelle because he said it was the only probiotic having research to prove that it survived the stomach acid and made it to the colon. But I know he was looking for another one to recommend after learning about the lactose issue.

I have heard that the best probiotics need to stay refrigerated. My GI doc recommended something called "Flora Q" during my last visit, but I haven't tried it yet, and I don't know if it contains any triggers like casein/lactose. Be sure to call the manufacturer to inquire so you know for sure before purchasing any probiotic.

Good luck,

Polly

Matthew · Post by **Matthew** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:32 pm

Just to give you a little more information after Wayne and Polly’s excellent post my current box of Culturelle states the following

Casein less than .01 mg
Whey less than .01 mg

They are both things that people here have reacted to. My results from Dr. Fine were very similar to yours including the gene testing and casein results. I have never had a problem with the small amount of Casein in Culturelle. We are all different so maybe I am just lucky.

I experimented with several probiotics without much luck. Particularly with those that contained Inulin and Foss. Both Inulin and Foss are supposed to promote bacterial growth but much to my detriment they are non selective. In other words they promote bad bacteria as well as good. Needless to say I made some expensive, and explosive , mistakes.

I continue to take Culturelle and notice a difference when I don’t. I would like to find a probiotic that contains no casein, lactose or any milk products.Culturelle is as close as I have come.

We all have to experiment at the start. Your own awareness will tell you if it is right.

Do tell if you find something better.

To your continued recovery

Matthew

Post by **tex** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 10:23 pm

Flora Q looks promising. Apparently it is specially encapsulated, so that it does not break down until it reaches the duodenum, therefore, stomach acid is not a problem for the probiotics. Here is a list of the ingredients:

Dextrose anhydrate, Micro Crystalline Cellulose, Magnesium, Magnesium Stearate, Potato Starch, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Titanium Dioxide.

This comes from the following site:

http://www.americarx.com/index.asp?Page ... odID=38014

Tex

barbaranoela · Post by **barbaranoela** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:47 am

I use Culturelle----and have had no PROBLEMS---
My GI recommended Culturelle---and I have been using it *i Think* since 2001--and I do refrigerate it----
Had no good luck with choosing one on my own--

And I did have a problem with dairy and all the other components BUT I now find that I can tolerate REAL ICE CREAM!!!!
For years I watched the casein---whey---lactose and all that stuff--bought all my food additives in the health store and some of it was *awful* but I forged on and now---what happened so that I can tolerate the real mccoy of things---I DONT KNOW--other than my colon mending!!!

NO SORBITAL though!!!!!

good luck
Barbara

thedell19 · Post by **thedell19** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 1:14 pm

Tex-

Flora-Q is another one I have been looking into. I am trying to find a number for the manufacturer so that I can ask some quetions direct.

Thanks for your continued support.

hazel · Post by **hazel** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:49 pm

What about yogurt, for those of us who tolerate dairy? Is yogurt related to the ingredients in Culturelle or FloraQ? I eat it but I can't remember why. I thought it had something to do with flora???

Post by **tex** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:19 pm

Kathy,

Yes, yogurt is supposed to be good for gut flora. Yogurt contains lactobacillus acidophilus, a natural probiotic, whereas Culturelle uses lactobacillus GG, which is a patented bacterial strain.

Tex

thedell19 · Post by **thedell19** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:50 pm

YOGURT usually doesnt have nearly as much good bacteria in it as most probiotic supplements.

thedell19 · Post by **thedell19** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 2:39 pm

I just got this reply from Enterolab

Dear Andrew, Thank you for your correspondence. Dr. Fine does recommend Culturelle. He realizes that it has trace amounts of casein in it, but he does not feel that small amount of casein would harm someone with casein sensitivity. He has been trying the get the manufacturer to take the casein out of it for a while now, but his efforts have not been rewarded thus far. This is the one he prefers the most out of all he has tried.

Hope this clears up some confusion

grannyh · Post by **grannyh** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:45 pm

On my last visit to the GI doc he suggested I try DanActive.. have been on it for a month along with the EntocortEC and it does seem to help...

Not for everyone with intolerances ..just thought I would throw it in..
http://www.danactive.com/
grannyh

thedell19 · Post by **thedell19** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:41 pm

I used to drink Danactive about 2 years ago and I stopped a year and a half ago because that was when I first started to get sick. Since then I have been using VSL. Because I have an intolerance to milk I cant drink danactive anymore. Thanks for teh tip tho

celia · Post by **celia** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 7:26 am

Andrew, My naturopath recommended Sacro-B from Thorne Research to me, which is saccharmyces boulardii...which I beleive is what is in culturelle. I take two caps a day and alternate days with the other probiotic I take. The bottle says hypoallergenic so I doubt that it is casein/milk in it, but I haven't checked with the manufacturer. Thorne is a very high quality company and their products are usually only available to doctors but you can purchase them through www.needs.com if you are interested. They might just ask if your doctor referred your or have you speak with a naturopath first. The problem is that the bottles don't give instructions about the dose which you are supposed to get from a doctor.
You might be satisfied with Dr. Fine's response, but if not you could check out this option. Celia