If the first thing that pops into your head when we talk about “gut health” is your waist size, think again: we’re actually speaking about the health of your microbiome.
By microbiome, we mean the trillions of bacteria and other microbes living in and on your body. These organisms may be microscopic, but they outnumber human cells in the body by 10 to 1 and play an integral role in supporting many of your body’s critical functions—like maintaining healthy blood sugar levels already within the normal range.
Microbes: Your Body’s Messengers
You’re not alone if the importance of gut bacteria is news to you. In fact, scientists are still puzzling out all of the jobs that these little guys juggle within the human body.
Although there is still much to discover about the role of the microbiome and the microorganisms that dwell within it, researchers are learning that the majority of your microbes help to produce proteins and metabolites that interact with and support your body’s cells and organs on many levels.
You see, your beneficial bacteria communicate with cells to carry out many processes in your body, such as supporting immune function, digestion, positive moods, and nutrient absorption. But, did you know that beneficial microbes—or probiotics—also help to maintain your healthy blood sugar levels already in a normal range?
Indeed, several studies demonstrate probiotics’ abilities to support healthy blood sugar levels. In one study published in Lipids in Health and Disease, researchers at Brazil’s São Paulo State University gave volunteers a daily shake containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum.
After 30 days, participants showed a significant balancing of glucose levels while the placebo group, who received a shake without the beneficial microbes, showed no change1.
Based on data from this study and various others, the link between healthy gut flora and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels already within the normal range is clear.
How Probiotics Can Help Support Your Health
Unfortunately, our microbiomes can shift out of balance due to many factors, such as stress, poor diet, over-sanitizing, age, and widespread exposure to antibiotics. When this happens, there aren’t enough beneficial microbes to effectively support the many important processes they help with within our bodies.
You see, when there aren’t enough good guys in your gut, your microbes might not be properly communicating with your cells—which can make maintaining healthy glucose levels more challenging. Taking a high-quality probiotic supplement can deliver some of the most beneficial species of gut bacteria deep into your digestive tract, putting them in the perfect position to support your overall health.
Banaba Leaf for Maintaining Wellness
No, we aren’t talking about your favorite yellow, peel-and-eat fruit! Banaba is a tropical flowering tree native to Southeast Asia. The extract of the Banaba tree’s leaf has long been used in India and the Philippines as a natural way to help maintain healthy blood sugar levels in the normal range, where they belong.
Studies indicate that Banaba leaf extract has a safe, insulin-like effect on the body and can help keep healthy blood sugar levels.
How does it work? Well, corosolic acid is a compound in Banaba that helps carry glucose across cell membranes, out of the blood, and into cells where we need it. Other compounds in Banaba leaf, called ellagitannins, provide antioxidant benefits in addition to working with corosolic acid to maintain healthy glucose levels.
The research is clear: Banaba is incredibly supportive! In a study published in Journal of Ethnopharmacology, subjects received a daily dose of standardized Banaba extract for two weeks. At the end of the trial period, subjects were better able to maintain healthy glucose levels2.
Hyperbiotics Glucose Support provides the perfect combination of Banaba Leaf Extract and Vitamin D3, along with seven targeted probiotic strains proven to support optimal blood sugar levels. In one study, participants taking Lactobacillus reuteri (the same strain in Glucose Support) saw a 49% increase in insulin secretion after just four weeks of daily supplementation 3!
Using a patented delivery method called BIO-tract®, Glucose Support delivers the probiotics live deep into your gut, where they are time-released over an 8-10 hour period—giving them 15x more survivability than standard capsules.
When it comes to maintaining healthy blood sugar levels already within a normal range and achieving wellness naturally, a comprehensive probiotic formula that delivers an abundance of beneficial bacteria into the gut environment—and includes targeted nutrients like Banaba Leaf—may very well be the natural support you’ve been looking for.
References:2. Judy, W. V., Hari, S. P., Stogsdill, W., Judy, J. S., Naguib, Y. M., & Passwater, R. (2003). Antidiabetic activity of a standardized extract (Glucosol™) from Lagerstroemia speciosa leaves in Type II diabetics. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 87(1), 115-117.
3. Simon, M., Strassburger, K., Nowotny, B., Kolb, H., Nowotny, P., Burkart, V., . . . Roden, M. (2015). Intake of Lactobacillus reuteri Improves Incretin and Insulin Secretion in Glucose-Tolerant Humans: A Proof of Concept. Diabetes Care, 38(10), 1827-1834. doi:10.2337/dc14-2690
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Julie Hays is the Communications Director here at Hyperbiotics. Health writer and mama of two little girls, Julie's on a mission to empower others to live lives free of the microbial depletion many of us face today. For more ideas on how you can maximize wellness and benefit from the power of probiotics, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.