WebMD Medical News Louise Chang, MD Oct. 29, 2009 -- A natural
probiotic therapy may offer a new treatment option to ease
symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and promote the body's
own healing process. Up to 1 million people in the U.S. have
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); the main types are ulcerative
colitis and Crohn's disease. With inflammatory bowel disease the
inner lining of the intestines become inflamed and damaged.
Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody),
weight loss, and rectal bleeding. A new study shows treatment
with the probiotic Bacillus polyfermenticus reduced rectal
bleeding, lessened tissue inflammation, and promoted weight gain
in mice with colitis. The mice also had increased blood vessel
growth in their intestinal lining, which is important for
healing damaged tissue. The probiotic also encouraged the growth
process of new blood vessels in laboratory tests with human
intestinal cells. Probiotics are non-harmful living
microorganisms, in this case a type of ba