Maintains Healthy Intestinal Ecology
According to the American Dietetic Association, most Americans currently consume only 12-17 grams of fiber daily; the recommended daily intake is between 20 and 35 grams. Indigenous Africans, studied by the late Dr. Dennis Burkitt, the world-renowned British physician who brought dietary fiber to the attention of the Western world, routinely consumed 75-100 grams of fiber in their daily diets.
Dr. Burkitt reported that these people experienced more rapid intestinal transit times than people eating “Western” diets (4-6 hrs. vs. 60-90 hrs.), and had healthier bowels, hearts, digestive systems, and routine elimination of waste.
The role of dietary fiber in certain aspects of colon health remains controversial, with conflicting studies and arguments about which types of fiber may or may not be health supporting.
Clearly important is the role of soluble fiber in maintaining already healthy cholesterol levels and promoting cardiovascular health, which has been well established, and even accepted by the United States Food and Drug Administration.
Contains no preservatives, sugar, starch, salt, wheat, yeast, corn, milk, soy derivatives, artificial flavoring or coloring agents.
Maintenance of Healthy Blood Pressure
One of the primary fiber sources in Colon Formula is the seed and seed husk of Psyllium (Plantago Ovata, Plantago Ispaghula).
These seeds have long been used as a dietary supplement to promote routine bowel function. They also have a long history in traditional health practices of both China and India in the maintenance of already healthy blood pressure, as well as healthy bladder and colon function.
Psyllium seeds contain 10-30% mucilaginous components. When the husk is mixed with water it swells to form a gelatinous mass. This mass keeps the stool well hydrated and therefore soft. The resulting bulk stimulates a reflex contraction of the walls of the bowel, thereby speeding intestinal transit of the stool and increasing the ease of emptying.
Due to its high soluble fiber content, psyllium, similar to the other fibers contained in Colon Formula such as guar gum, maltodextrin-soluble fiber, flaxseed, and alginate, slows the absorption of dietary sugars. This absorption helps to maintain and promote already healthy blood sugar and insulin levels.
Promotes Probiotic Activity
Another primarily soluble fiber source in Colon Formula is known as “resistant maltodextrin” or maltodextrin-soluble fiber. This unique form of fiber was developed in Japan by using natural enzymes to transform the linkages between glucose molecules in conventional maltodextrin to a form that is not digested in the upper digestive tract. Maltodextrin is a form of starch (long chains of glucose molecules chemically bonded to each other) derived either from potato, tapioca, or corn.
Enzyme treatment transforms the maltodextrin into a form of fiber that is not digested in the upper portion of the human digestive tract. It therefore makes no contribution to calories, blood sugar, or insulin response. This fiber then becomes a primary food source to the symbiotic (beneficial) bacteria in the large intestine, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus species, which have the enzymes necessary to partially digest the glucose chains, and ferment the sugar molecules into short-chain fatty acids.
For this reason, maltodextrin-soluble fiber is sometimes referred to as a “prebiotic”, since it feeds the beneficial colon bacteria (often called “probiotics”).
Clinical studies have shown that introducing resistant maltodextrin to the diet increases the number of beneficial bacteria in the colon.
This stimulates increased production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids, which are used as primary fuel by the cells lining the colon, increased absorption of calcium and magnesium, and improved elimination of waste. Because maltodextrin-soluble fiber can dramatically increase the growth and activity of the symbiotic microflora, increased intestinal gas may be noted for a few days, until a new intestinal ecology has stabilized. Maltodextrin-soluble fiber is not well digested by intestinal microflora, and therefore is not nearly so gas-forming as other prebiotic fibers that are easily digested by miicroflora, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS), also known as fructans and inulin.
Fiber Binds Harsh Environmental Compounds
Flax is one of the oldest known cultivated plants, dating back to 5000 B.C. Ancient East Indian scriptures state that in order to reach the highest state of contentment and joy, a person must eat flax daily. Mahatma Gandhi once observed: “Wherever flaxseed becomes a regular food item among people, there will be better health.” Charlemagne, an eighth century emperor, considered flax so important for the health of his subjects that he passed laws requiring its consumption. Flax has been used since antiquity to maintain the health of livestock and domestic animals.
Flaxseed contains generous quantities of both soluble and insoluble fiber; its soluble fiber is predominantly mucilaginous. Flaxseed fiber is one of the richest sources of lignans, a type of phytoestrogen (also known as isoflavone), providing 75-800 times more plant lignans than most plant sources. Flaxseed lignans are converted to the mammalian lignans enterodiol and enterolactone by beneficial bacteria in the colon.
Recently, scientists at the National Cancer Institute singled out flaxseed as one of six foods that deserved special study.
Guar gum is another of the beneficial fibers of Colon Formula. It is obtained from an annual summer legume grown in Pakistan and India. It is often used as forage for cattle and as a vegetable for human consumption. Historically, guar gum has been used to maintain already healthy blood sugar levels and control appetite. It is widely used in the food industry as a thickener and binder of free water in sauces, salad dressings, and several other applications.
The last variety of fiber included in Colon Formula is extracted from Pacific Brown Kelp, otherwise known as marine alginate. Like guar gum, alginate hydrates in the intestine to form a gel, which tightly binds harsh environmental compounds and prevents their absorption (or re-absorption if they have already been cleared by the liver and eliminated into the intestine through the bile). Thus, it contributes to the overall cleansing effect of Colon Formula, as well as maintaining a soft, hydrated stool.
Supports Healthy Immune Function
Along with the fiber food source for the beneficial colon bacteria, Colon Formula supplies a proprietary blend of four of these probiotic bacterial species: Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, Lactobacillus Bifidus, and Lactobacillus Salivarius.
There is accumulating evidence that the symbiotic beneficial bacterial colony of the colon serves multiple important health-promoting functions, including the support of healthy immune functions. This beneficial bacterial colony of the colon actually makes up the second largest organ in the body (after the liver), with a weight of several pounds, and needs replenishing after serious health challenges.
Promotes a Healthy Acid/Alkaline Balance
Prebiotics and probiotics are important in recolonizing the intestine, during and after certain health challenges, and in maintaining a healthy immune system. Probiotics also promote healthy digestion. Enzymes such as lactase, the enzyme needed to digest milk, are secreted by probiotic bacteria and aid in certain aspects of digestion. Acidophilus and bifidobacteria produce B vitamins as well, including niacin, folic acid, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6, as well as vitamin K.
They produce organic compounds such as lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and acetic acid that help maintain and promote a healthy acid/alkaline balance in the colon. In addition, they produce substances called bacteriocins, which are used by the immune system to maintain good health. These beneficial bacteria appear to play a key role in the maintenance of a healthy balance of microflora in the body.
Binds Waste
A powdered clay known as bentonite, derived from deposits of weathered volcanic ash is another important cleansing factor in this powerful food supplement.
Recognized by native peoples around the world for centuries, bentonite effectively supports intestinal cleansing.
The original name of this volcanic clay was montmorillonite named for Montmorillon, France; where this unique mineral complex was first identified. The name bentonite refers to a deposit first identified in the U.S. in cretaceous rocks in Fort Benton, Wyoming. When bentonite combines with water (hydrates), it swells. This swelling stretches it open like a highly porous sponge, capable of drawing in and binding various types of wastes.
The Canadian Journal of Microbiology (Vol. 31, pp.50-53, 1985) contains an article about many beneficial properties of bentonite. The clay is eventually eliminated from the body with the waste bound to its multiple surfaces and is also a source of over 70 trace and ultra-trace minerals.
Black walnut leaf powder is also included in Colon Formula, to assist in maintaining healthy bowel ecology.
Enzyme Function
To complete the recipe, beetroot powder, which contains the red pigment “betanin”, a potent flavonoid anthocyan, and is traditionally honored for general stimulating and resistance-enhancing effects, is included.
Colon Formula contains the exclusive PhytoZyme™ Base, a proprietary blend of over 30 specially selected fruit, vegetable, and herbal concentrates, and the proprietary Cytovex™ base, which contains stabilized bromelain enzyme from pineapple, papayotin enzyme from papaya, plus lysozyme enzymes from egg white.
When you take Life Plus products, you receive the added benefit of many natural phytochemicals.
