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The Health Benefits of Probiotics
There are several health benefits of probiotics, and the use of probiotics is steadily increasing.
Probiotics are live microorganisms (usually bacteria) that are similar to beneficial bacteria found in
the human intestinal tract. Probiotics are often called "good bacteria" or "friendly bacteria." The bacteria
most often come from two groups, Lactobacillus (L.) or Bifidobacterium (B.). Within each group there are
different species (e.g. Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidus), and within each species
there are different strains (e.g. L. acidophilus NCFM and B. infantis 35624). A few common probiotics, such
as Saccharomyces boulardii, are yeasts, which are different from bacteria.
There are more than 400 different types of bacteria in your digestive system, including both good and bad
bacteria. Maintaining a proper balance between good and bad bacteria is essential to good health. But due to
poor diet, stress, use of antibiotics (which kill good and bad bacteria) and many other factors, it's very
common for people to have low levels of good bacteria.
Low levels of good bacteria can cause a number of digestive symptoms, including nausea, bloating and gas,
irritable bowel syndrome and heartburn. Low levels of good bacteria can also negatively affect your immune
system, leading to many health issues.
The use of probiotics is one of the best ways to rebuild the population of good bacteria in your digestive
system. Here are the primary health benefits of probiotics:
- Probiotics maintain intestinal health by restoring good bacteria to the digestive system.
- Probiotics counteract the effect of antibiotics on good bacteria.
- Probiotics help alleviate digestive symptoms such as bloating and gas, heartburn, and irritable bowel
syndrome.
- Probiotics help the body better absorb nutrients from food.
- Probiotics help keep the immune system healthy.
- Probiotics may help alleviate candida (yeast infection).
- Probiotics may help alleviate lactose intolerance.
You need to be aware that not all probiotics are the same. Different strains of probiotics have different
effects and provide different health benefits.
Probiotics are available to consumers mainly in the form of dietary supplements and foods. Examples of foods
that contain probiotics are yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and some juices and soy beverages.
If you're considering purchasing a probiotic supplement, here's a short video that explains what to look for when
choosing a supplement:
click here to view the video
Probiotics are not the same thing as prebiotics. Prebiotics are non-digestible food ingredients that make their
way through the digestive system and help good bacteria grow and flourish. Prebiotics are found naturally in many
foods, such as whole grains, onions, bananas, garlic and honey, and can also be isolated from certain plants or
synthesized. When probiotics and prebiotics are mixed together they form synbiotics.
In conclusion, the health benefits of probiotics are impressive, and as more research is conducted on probiotics
there's a good chance that additional health benefits will be discovered.
Recommended Resource
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