Gut health has and continues to erode in modern society. Many factors impact the gut ecosystem - also called the gut "terrain." Some of the bad actors are:
SAD diet that contains lots of sugars
SAD diet that is low in fiber
SAD diet that is low in nutrients (that support immunity)
Pharmaceuticals - especially PPIs and other antacid drugs
Various other drugs
Any antacids***
Lack of fermented food intake
The taking of probiotics without supporting the ecosystem that fosters colony growth
From the list and many more, your gut may experience an overgrowth of pathogens that create a vicious cycle. Once there is an overgrowth, treatment to improve gut health often requires more than just compensating for the list above.
Some of the notable pathogens are:
parasites
yeasts (candida and C. diff, to name a couple)
H pylori
Pathogens similar to h pylori
"H. pylori is a commensal organism associated with developing gastritis, ulcers, and gastric cancer. The organism, as well as eradication remedies, can modulate gut microbiota in humans. Other non-H. pylori microbial species may colonize the same milieu, but H. pylori is considered a human pathogen."
We surmise that only a few organisms in each class - viruses, bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and parasites - are pathogenic. Clear evidence reveals that the best treatment for pathogenic overgrowth is organisms of the same class that are considered beneficial or commensal.
Here are a couple of examples wrt candida and C. diff.
Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb), a nonpathogenic yeast, has been used to prevent recurrences of Clostridium difficile (C.diff) -associated diarrhea. A single report suggested that treatment with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc), commonly called brewer's yeast (BY), facilitates treatment of persistent C.diff infection. (note, this was published in 1998.
We conclude that rat ceca can be colonized by either organism and that both organisms reduce C.diff toxin A-mediated secretion. We speculate that both organisms might have benefits in human C. either organism can colonize rat diff-associated enterocolitis.
Here is a good summary of nutritional yeast and candida.
There are many types of yeast in the world. Some are edible, like active dry yeast used to make bread, and nutritional yeast, the flaky yellow powder you see in vegan recipes. Nutritional yeast has skyrocketed in popularity in the past few years as a vegan cheese substitute, among other applications. Nutritional yeast is a form of deactivated brewer’s yeast and was originally offered as a meat-free source of vitamin B12 and protein for vegetarians and vegans. Nutritional yeast is commonly fortified with additional vitamins and minerals, like folic acid.
Other types of yeast are inedible, like Candida albicans, the fungus that causes yeast infections. Candida is a type of yeast that normally lives in small amounts in places like your mouth, belly button, and skin. It’s normally harmless, but the yeast can multiply and grow out of control when the environment is just right. This overgrowth results in an infection called candidiasis.
The review found that Saccharomyces boulardii was well tolerated and significantly reduced recurrent antibiotic-associated diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile infection, particularly with concurrent high-dose vancomycin.
Background. Hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) is a costly problem, leading to readmissions, morbidity, and mortality. We evaluated the effect of a single probiotic strain, Saccharomyces boulardii, at a standardized dose on the risk of
HO-CDI within hospitalized patients administered antibiotics frequently associated with HO-CDI.
Conclusions. Saccharomyces boulardii administered to hospitalized patients with prescribed antibiotics frequently linked with HO-CDI was associated with a reduced risk of HO-CDI.
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