The results of my recent survey on the effects of consuming L. reuteri yogurt are in.
There were 7 questions with responses ranging from 0 to 10. Of the 84 people who provided responses, here is what they said:
My sleep is deeper and/or it is easier to fall asleep or stay asleep: 5.1
62% reported moderate improvement in sleep or better, while 13.25% reported dramatic improvement, 23% reported no improvement.
My appetite has diminished: 4.9
57.8% reported moderate reduction in appetite or more.
My skin is smoother, wrinkles less prominent: 5.3
60.7% reported moderate skin improvement or better, 13% reported dramatic improvement, 19% reported little to no change.
My strength has increased and/or I’ve gained muscle: 4.5
50% reported moderate increase in strength/muscle, with 26% reporting no change.
My libido has increased: 3.7
39.7% reported moderate increase in libido or greater.
I feel more empathetic towards other people: 4.7
54.8% reported moderate increase in empathy or greater. The final score of 4.7 was weighted down by the 29.8% who experienced no increase in empathy.
Among the comments posted:
“My hair has gotten thicker and color seems to be slowly coming back darker.”
“While I have not lost a lot of weight many friends have commented on my weight loss. We have put this down to muscle gain and toning.”
“I find it easier to concentrate at work, for example, when I am writing.”
“I feel much calmer.”
“Feeling happier. Skin softer.”
“Muscle strength is so much greater. I’m a golfer and my drives and fairway hits are much better. Now if it could only help my putting.”
“Stomach problems gone.”
“Great compliments regarding skin.”
“Overall health feels better, feeling of well being, calm.”
“Rosacea cleared.”
“Less muscular/joint pain, no more acid reflux, much better skin condition.”
Clearly, there is variation in results experienced among different people. One thing I cannot judge from these results is whether, for instance, someone who experiences reduction in appetite also experiences reduction in skin wrinkles, i.e., does one response correlate with another? While this is an informal survey, not a clinical study, it is interesting that the most prominent benefit observed appears to be in skin health, least in libido. While gastrointestinal effects were not among the queries, the comments on improved gastrointestinal health likely reflect the upper GI tract-colonizing and bacteriocin-producing effects unique to L. reuteri, effects that, I believe, reflect a partial reduction in small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, SIBO.
In the meantime, we shall be working towards discovering ways to increase responsiveness: increase the number of people experiencing effects and increase the magnitude of benefits in those who respond. Should we increase the quantity of bacteria, the quantity of yogurt, combine with a strategy that further augments oxytocin responsiveness, combine with one or more bacterial species/strains that amplifies the effects? Can we increase specific benefits by, say, combining L. reuteri and its oxytocin-boosting effects with collagen hydrolysates? What happens when someone specifically interested in restoring youthful muscle and strength combines L. reuteri with strength training and low-dose creatine?
Making my first batch. I’m using sterile jars in a large pot with a Sous Vide heater circulator maintaining exactly 104F. I’d love to hear from some of you about using flavorings or extracts and when to add it. Also will they kill any of the bacteria. I’m most interested in the best effect for Oxytocin. Thank You
Mike Koch wrote: «I’d love to hear from some of you about using flavorings or extracts and when to add it.»
The time to add those is pre-serving, in the portion.
Added any earlier, the results aren’t something we can broadly predict.
What’s being added, of course, must itself be program-safe, such as any of the sweeteners.
Personally, I hand-stir my yogurt portion into my daily smoothie, post-blending.
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Any suggestions as to where I can purchase 6475 and 17938 other than BioGaia? I contacted the company and asked them a question. I mentioned that I was using the bacteria for making Dr. Davis’ yogurt when the man on the phone quickly interrupted me. He stated that the company does not recommend making the yogurt and would not answer any of my questions. The question was regarding buying directly from them over buying on Amazon and shipping to Alaska. But once I mentioned yogurt, he cut me off. If I can, I will instead purchase elsewhere. Thanks for any advice.
Della McCarthy wrote: «…where I can purchase 6475 and 17938 other than BioGaia?»
You can’t. ATCC PTA 6475 and DSM 17938 are patented strains, available only from Biogaia and its licensees (of which there may be none). Biogaia reportedly altered a few plasmids of the wild (unpatentable) strains, and perhaps just to make them patentable (so as to be able to control who replicates them, plus get compensated for what were likely significant R&D expenses).
Your alternative might be to find them where Biogaia found the base wild strains, in breast milk in some remote populations. These apparently didn’t make it into any type culture collections, so aren’t routinely available. The more widely available NCIMB 30242 strain may or may not be a complete alternative.
re: «He stated that the company does not recommend making the yogurt and would not answer any of my questions.»
That’s entirely unsurprising for a variety of reasons. One is that what we’re doing is off-label for the product, and Biogaia doesn’t want any liability for unknown risks. Another is that they have a product to sell, and a repeat-sales model, so one-time sales for fermentation starter is incompatible with the business model. Paying that support person for that one call just cost Biogaia more than they earned on selling you that single carton.
On the other hand, Biogaia could have by now salted the tablets with something that would still be effective as a kid’s probiotic, but would wreck it for use as yogurt culture, and they haven’t, for which we are grateful.
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I found the l’reuteri 6475 however it is expensive. Until I get yogurt making perfected I will hold off on this purchase. https://www.atcc.org/products/all/PTA-6475.aspx
Della McCarthy wrote: «Lactobacillus Plantarum PS128 cultures at 98.5 degrees. The growth medium was Lactobacilli MRS Agar/Broth. I am assuming that I can grow it in half n half and inulin.»
The carbon substrate in MRS is glucose (2%), so that strain may prefer it to fructose (inulin is a fructan, a fructose polymer).
Or not … just looking at the composition of MRS on Wiki, it’s a wonder that anything grows in it at all (polysorbate 80, yikes).
re: «I will do a test batch soon and let you know how it turns out.»
Great.
re: «I found the l’reuteri 6475 (at ATCC) however it is expensive.»
Even if you have or create an account there, you may find that there’s a screening process for order approval, subject to a veto by the patent holder (that’s what the “PTA” in the accession number means).
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I have made the yogurt using a few different machines. Both the traditional yogurt maker and my insta pot produced excellent tasting think yogurt. However both of them held the yogurt between 109 and 111. However since I read that the yogurt needs to culture at around 100 degrees I purchased a sous vide machine. I have made the yogurt twice keeping the temp at 100 and it is absolutely disgusting. It smells and taste sour. Any thoughts on what I am doing incorrectly.
Della McCarthy wrote: «Any thoughts on what I am doing incorrectly.»
There are a number of usual suspects. Here are some leads.
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Thank you, I think maybe the actual temp went below 100 for a while. How high can the yogurt get before I kill the culture? The sous vide machine has a margin of error of 2 or 3 degrees. So if I set at 100 I could get 97 or 103. If I set at 103 and it hit 106 would I kill the bacteria?
Della McCarthy wrote: «…I think maybe the actual temp went below 100 for a while.»
Not a problem, usually, as it just affects reproduction rate. I don’t intervene unless my rig gets below 95°F for L.reuteri. We avoid extended periods of low temperature to discourage environmental opportunist microbes.
re: «How high can the yogurt get before I kill the culture?»
As I understand it, 122°F. The not-so-smart pot I originally tried could sail up to 115°F in cycling, and base hot spots near the heating elements likely got much hotter than that at times.
re: «If I set at 103 and it hit 106 would I kill the bacteria?»
Doubtful, and in fact people are experimenting with mixed-culture yogurts, including some species that need higher temps, and 106°F is a current compromise target temp. I haven’t tried any such myself yet.
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Thanks Bob,
I am going to switch back to making the yogurt in my insta pot with the lid off. I just tested it and it has consistently stayed 104 degrees for the last few hours. If having the yogurt going over 106 isn’t a problem I feel secure making it in the insta pot from now on. I will place a breathable silicone cover so nothing drops into the machine. The problem with the sous vide machine is that to use it I have to place the milk and culture into a glass container then that container goes into the water bath. It is hard to keep the temperature consistent with this method. My two attempts produced spoiled milk. It was gross. The insta pot yogurt is delicious.
Thanks Again for all of your suggestions.
Hello Bob,
I wondered if you might know how I would go about finding out the temperatures other bacterias need for culturing. I want to make yogurt out of another probiotic, Lactobacillus Plantarum PS128. I have no idea where to look for this information. Sorry if this is the wrong place to post this question to you. I am new to this blog and making yogurt. You are the first person who has known and answered my questions about this stuff.
Thank you
Della McCarthy wrote: «…finding out the temperatures other bacterias need for culturing.»
For the cultures being explored in the program, I’ve listed what I know in my roll-up article.
re: «…Lactobacillus Plantarum PS128.»
For any others, research is required. This usually means searching papers that cultured the organism of interest, then drilling down to materials and methods, and often having to consult supplementary materials with details not in the main paper. Pay-walled papers and ill-considered supplement file formats don’t help in this.
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Lactobacillus Plantarum PS128 cultures at 98.5 degrees. The growth medium was Lactobacilli MRS Agar/Broth. I am assuming that I can grow it in half n half and inulin. I will do a test batch soon and let you know how it turns out.
Thanks for all the advice and help.
I too am having trouble with the consistency. It has tiny curds more like rice than like cottage cheese and there is whey not cream with the curds. What causes this?
Betsy
betsypoe5963 wrote: «I too am having trouble with the consistency. It has tiny curds more like rice than like cottage cheese and there is whey not cream with the curds.»
It’s almost expected for an initial batch (started from Biogaia® Gastrus® tablets) to be curdy and present lots of whey. Mine are. It seems to be a matter of initial CFUs, and throwing more Gastrus at it is apt to be uneconomical.
Later batches, started from saved-off whey or saved yogurt, tend to be much more uniform and firm (and mine are). Saved starter material can be frozen for long-term storage. Ice cube form might be ideal, slowly thawed for use.
See also: Troubleshooting L. reuteri yogurt-making
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I did an organic half and half. Can’t remember the brand . Two table spoons of insulin powder. 10 BioGaia tablets. Crushed real fine and mixed it together. Then filled the eight cups and pu on 36 hrs. At 100 degrees
I’m willing to be a study participant Dr D.!
Hey ,just trying to get the yogurt recipe of dr Davis in alittle better shape.my yogurt is not creamy at all. It’s a layer of flaky and then a big layer of fluid.
I’m having problems with the consistency of the yogurt. The top is hard and flaky the other part is liquid. I’m fixing it in a 8cup yogurt machine at 100 degrees. Using recipe that I see on youtube.
Can anybody help.
I make mine with 1/2 and 1/2, no potato starch because it sinks to the bottom
What do you mean half an half
Pmjohnson wrote: «What do you mean half an half»
That refers to the North American dairy product which is a mixture of whole milk and full cream. It may be called other things elsewhere. You can make your own by just using 1:1 whole milk and cream (and that’s what I do).
Pre-mixed H&H products may contain more than milk and cream, which can make them unsuited for yogurt. Preservatives are disqualifiers, and emulsifiers such as carrageenan and polysorbate need to be avoided for any use.
Perhaps we need to review all your ingredients, and your process.
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