April is Bowel Cancer Awareness month, and it’s a good time to consider what we can do to improve our digestive and bowel health through diet and supplements such as probiotics.

Almost 2,500 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in Ireland each year. Bowel cancer affects both men and women. It is more common in people aged 60 or over, but it can also affect younger age groups.

Typical symptoms or warning signs can include:

Blood in the stool, or bleeding form your back passage
A lasting change of more than one month in your normal bowel movements, e.g. constipation or diarrhea lasting more than 4 weeks
Pain or discomfort in your stomach or your back passage
Feeling that you have not fully emptied your bowels after a motion
Gas, wind or a feeling of fullness in your stomach
Unintended and unexplained weight loss
General tiredness, fatigue and low energy

If you are concerned about any ongoing stomach/bowel symptoms, visit your GP for a check up.

Changing the story about bowel cancer

Currently around 1000 people die in Ireland each year from bowel cancer. Experts believe this number could be halved if people adopt healthy eating and lifestyle habits designed to support good digestive and bowel health and avail of bowel cancer screening. In Ireland, bowel cancer screening is provided free of charge to those over 60 years. However, if you have any symptoms or concerns you can avail of home test kits or ask your GP for further testing.

You can order home test kits through our partner pharmacy website, manly.ie, where you will receive 20% off the price of this and any other home test kits and free home delivery.

Healthy eating and lifestyle habits can constitute small, easily adopted changes that we can all make on a gradual basis. In terms of diet, we always advise you to change one thing at a time. That way, it’s not overwhelming. and you can also identify very quickly if the change is having a positive or negative effect on your digestive health.

How to support your bowel health

Some dietary advice worth considering…

Increase your fibre intake
Reduce your sugar intake
Increase your water intake
Increase your intake of plant-based foods, fruits and vegetables
Pamper your gut microbiome

What is your gut microbiome?

Your gut microbiome is the term used to describe the bacteria that live in your gut. There are millions of different bacteria present in varying ratios and for various different purposes. When we talk about ‘pampering’ our gut microbiome, we are talking about treating our gut with pre and probiotics.

Prebiotics are foods that ‘fertilise’ our existing gut bacteria and encourage the development of a diverse environment of bacteria. These foods are complex carbohydrates, such as vegetables and wholegrains. Probiotics are foods, or food supplements, that contain live bacteria thought to be beneficial to us. This includes live yoghurt, some cheeses, and fermented foods.

There are also a wide range of probiotics on the market. This shelf in our pharmacies and health food stores has become very diverse, and quite frankly confusing! In order to keep things simple, we are focusing on two probiotics this month from Precision Biotics, both of which contain bacteria discovered by scientists in University College Cork.

So firstly lets talk about Alflorex– Alflorex is a probiotic.

What is a probiotic?

Probiotics are microorganisms that live in our gut, and help with food digestion, immunity and controlling inflammation of the gut and digestive tract. Supplementing with probiotics can help to maintain a healthy balance in the gut.

Not all probiotics are the same

Probiotics use different cultures and in varying strengths. Some have different formulations, and some come in tablet, capsule, powdered sachet or liquid forms. Cost also differs hugely across different brands, with some probiotics costing €100 per month.

Alflorex is now the most commonly recommended probiotic by doctors and gastroenterologists in the US. The unique 35624 culture in Alflorex was first discovered by scientists in UCC, and it has been clinically tested by leading scientists and gastroenterologists. This bacterial culture that occurs naturally in the human gut. It is part of the bifidobacterium family, one of the first kinds of bacteria passed by mothers to their babies at birth.
The culture has been recognised as special by leading experts, and Alflorex has won multiple awards as the best gastrointestinal product on the market.

Alflorex has consistently been shown to reduce symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, gas, and unpredictable bowel movements. Alflorex is the most commonly recommended probiotic by GPs in Ireland also!
Alflorex is allergen free, gluten free, dairy free, lactose free, soya free and sugar free, making it a great choice that’s accessible to most people..

Zenflore is another probiotic with a unique bifidobacterium culture: 1714-Serenitas. This is also one of the first bacteria to pass to babies during birth. Zenflore also contains specially selected B vitamins to help with fatigue and improving mental performance and concentration.
Scientists have been researching the link between the gut and the brain more and more vigorously over the past few years. We now know that the gut produces more than 90% of the serotonin found in our bodies. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that can affect our mood and feelings of happiness and pleasure. Research has shown that gut bacteria can impact serotonin production, and that a gut with a healthy bacterial balance is a strong predictor of health and wellbeing.
The special culture found in Zenflore works by becoming part of the gut bacteria which are involved in the gut-brain axis – the 2-way communication channel between the brain and the gut.
Taking Zenflore can improve your digestive and bowel health, as well as providing support for the mind and body during busy or demanding times.
Both Zenflore and Alflorex have been specially formulated to be stable at room temperature, not require refrigeration and to reach your gut, where they belong intact.
They can both be taken at any time of the day, with or without food. Optimally, they should not be taken with fruit juice alone – choose milk or water if you aren’t eating when you take probiotics. But if it’s taken with food, fruit juice won’t upset probiotics absorption. And your gut will thank you!