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A probiotic strain for muscle growth, testosterone and injury healing
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 16:05:29 +0000 UTCLR — wound healing, muscle growth, immunity, and dysbiosis
Lactobacillus reuteri is a keystone probiotic bacterium that colonizes the upper GI. It’s an important, natural component of the gut microbiome, and confers numerous health benefits to the host including
1. the eradication of SIBO and SIFO, making it particularly useful during or after the fungal protocol — A study published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology demonstrated that reuteri notably decreased methane production, bloating, and abdominal discomfort in patients with SIBO. Additionally, research featured in the journal Gut Microbes indicated that LR enhanced gut barrier function and mitigated bacterial overgrowth in SIBO patients. Furthermore, a systematic review in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews found it to be a promising therapeutic option for SIBO. LR can produce bacterocidens (just like the spores) which can directly attack pathogenic micro-organisms like yeast/fungus/candida (SIFO) and bacteria (SIFO)
2. Increased testosterone levels
3. Increased oxytocin levels
4. Faster wound healing
5. Improved immunity
6. Improved digestion and food tolerance
7. Improved strength and muscle building
Unfortunately, sufficent levels of LR in the microbiome is becoming less and less common. This holds true for tons of different keystone strains, many of which we aim to restore on the fungal protocol.
Some of you have asked about using L reuteri. Its important to be aware of a few things when using it, many of which also apply to virtually all probiotics
1. The benefits are strain specific, and 99.9% of LR products on the market do not contain the specific strains (namely the LRDR form) that have been shown to confer most of its amazing benefits and may not survive the stomach acid. If you’re making yogurt with it, this also applies. This isn’t to say they may not have benefits. You’re just playing a guessing game. We want to use strains that have been clinically studied and most importantly FOUND IN THE GUT OF HEALTHY HUMANS. When in doubt, this is a great general heuristic to abide by, as many probiotics (especially foreign strains that don’t normally colonize or pass through the gut) can have DELETEROUS effects.
2. Using it to make yogurt (where CFU counts can reach into the trillions) can often be highly problematic for those with sensitive digestion. For most the vast majority of people, supplemental forms at lower doses are most ideal. I don’t recommend fermented foods at all until you’ve healed your gut and improved food sensitivities
3. LR doesn’t replace your spore probiotics. If you had to choose, stick with the spores. Spores will help to promote increases in the diversity of other keystone strains, LR included. If you’re going to use LR or any other non-spore forming probiotic strain, its best done towards the end — or after — completing the entire fungal protocol. The only exception is the Just Calm, (or Zenbiome dual) and saccromyces. Spores are a lot more gentle, so I always recommend starting with these and being consistent with them for a few months before playing around with new strains like LR. This can be a great transitional strategy to ensure your SIBO and candida does not return after the fungal protocol
Now, let’s dive into the benefits mentioned in the caption that you’re all here for
Muscle growth
The role of reuteri in muscle growth has numerous mechanisms of action similar to other probiotics, like its ability to modulate the gut microbiome and influence systemic inflammation. It also improve the bioavailability of amino acids and other nutrients critical for muscle protein synthesis.
Cool. That’s nothing new though, right? Why is LR specifically known for its ability to improve muscle mass over other probiotics that also improve digestion?
Well, we’re not entirely sure. One mechanism is though to be LR’s ability to increase free testosterone levels. Some studies in rodent models shown that LR actually increases the total number of leydig cells in testicles.
Of course…this is an animal model. However, using LR to increase testosterone in humans isn’t a particularly new thing. Numerous clinical and experimental anecdotes abound with LR use. They just haven’t been super well studied in large, randomized controlled trials. Given the safety of LR and it’s wide range of document benefits IN HUMANS, there’s really zero reason you shouldn’t give it a shot. Hopefully you guys know my stance on that by now.
Would healing mechanisms
LR also seems to play a significant role in wound healing, which involves a complex interplay of various cellular and molecular processes. Some papers have demonstrated that LR extracts can enhance the proliferation and differentiation of MSCs, (aka stem cells) which are huge for tissue repair. The activation of MSCs leads to increased migration to the wound site and enhanced collagen production, which is essential for wound closure and tissue integrity. The release of MSC’s may also be part of how LR indirectly enhances muscle growth via improved recovery.
It also appears that LR promotes wound healing via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling pathway. This pathway is needed for cell survival, growth, and proliferation. Activation of this pathway by LR supplementation leads to increased collagen deposition and reduced inflammatory cell infiltration. While many studies on LR show if improves type 1 collagen (making it particularly effective for improving the health of the skin and reducing wrinkles), it’s very likely LR also improves other forms of collagen synthesis. This would make sense given the mechanisms we’ve discussed so far.
Not surprisingly, many have reported improvements in joint pain, tendonitis, and other slow- or non-healing sports injuries after using LR. Light LR may also be useful for conditions like EDS and other connective tissue disorders. Given our symbiotic relationship with these microorganisms and the wide variety of bacterial genes, as well as their remarkable ability to compensate for many deficits in the nuclear genome—such as the lack of genes needed to digest lactose, which can be offset by the right bacteria in the gut—it’s worth considering the potential benefits.
This may be a bit of a stretch here, but the concept of nuclear compensatory evolution (driven by mitochondrial-nuclear incompatibilities) suggests that evolutionary pressures can lead to compensatory mutations in nuclear genes. While this primarily pertains to mitochondrial function and the mitochondrial genome, it illustrates the broader principle that genetic interactions can lead to compensatory downstream mechanisms within biological systems. This principle could extend to how bacteria and host genomes interact, although specific evidence linking this to collagen metabolism is admittedly a bit spare.
Just as nuclear genes may evolve to compensate for mitochondrial deficiencies, it is conceivable that certain bacteria could influence or compensate for deficiencies in host metabolic pathways, including those related to collagen metabolism. Just like we see with nuclear genes related to digestion and so many other functions. When we lose diversity in the gut, we shouldn’t be suprised to find that the severity (and overall heterogeneity in presentation) of even so called ‘genetic’ disorders varies widely across different populations
Another interesting component of LR is that it increases oxytocin. Aka the ‘love hormone’. Surprisingly, increases levels of oxytocin have been associated with improve wound healing and even MUSCLE GROWTH. In fact, one of the proposed mechanisms of the infamous anabolic steroid ‘tren’ is dramatically increased levels of circulating oxytocin. While research on this is limited, it has been used successfully in some niche bodybuilding and performance circles. I wrote an article on this specifically. You can find it by typing in the word ‘oxytocin’ in the search bar.
Oxytocin directly enhances the migration of fibroblasts to the wound site and promotes collagen synthesis as well, thereby accelerating healing. The vagus nerve also plays ab alleged role in this mechanism, as it mediates the communication between the gut microbiome and the endocrine system, directly influencing more oxytocin release. LR improves vagal tone and the the gut-brain axis.
Furthermore, LR modulates the immune response during wound healing by promoting the activity of our awesome regulatory T cells. Tregs help to control inflammation and facilitate tissue repair by reducing the presence of pro-inflammatory cells at the wound site and promoting anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes. This balance is needed for transitioning from the inflammatory phase to the proliferative phase of wound healing. Pro-resolving mediators do this, which is why they’re also amazing for injuries and wounds
Summary
Given the mechanisms through which LR may promote muscle growth and wound healing, it is plausible to extrapolate its potential benefits for connective tissue and tendon healing, particularly through collagen synthesis. Collagen is the primary structural protein in connective tissues and tendons. The enhanced activation of MSCs and fibroblasts by LR in particular can increase collagen production in a more balance fashion, which is essential for the repair and regeneration of tendons and other connective tissues. The ability of LR to stimulate collagen deposition through the PI3K/AKT pathway likely confers other benefits for injuries.
How is it used?
Dosages can range anywhere from 10-40billion CFU per day. I like to use LR periodically in a pulsed ‘on and off’ fashion. Initially, you may want to try using it consistently for 2-3 months in order to recolonize the gut. Then, you can do a stop and start protocol: one month on, one month off. Or, one week on, one week off etc. Once the gut is colonized with LR, you don’t need to take it quite as regularly as you do your spores.
LR is great. Again, I would stick with spores if you can’t afford to use more supplements. Or, you could simply recolonize the gut with LR for 2-3 months once a year. Even one cycle could be beneficial. Then, spores may be able to maintain your levels indefinitely. LR may be particularly beneficial if you:
1. Have relapsing SIBO or lingering digestive issues after the fungal protocol
2. Want to improve your muscle mass
3. Looking to improve wound healing
Product recommendation (LRDR strain only )
Comments
James
When in the day should this be taken relative to Just Thrive and Just Calm?
Uttam
It also seems like most of the research is on the 6475 strain. And is recommended by Dr. Davis
Uttam
Many people recommend the BioGaia product (contains DSM 17938 and ATCC PTA 6475 strains) Are these any good? Or should I stick to LRDR
