What are Probiotics and what are they Good For?

Probiotics are microscopic organisms which, when introduced in adequate amounts to the digestive system, exert a beneficial effect on human health.

Although the name probiotic was only introduced during the 1950s, the use of probiotic foods has been around for many centuries.

Before the advent of modern medicine and affordable pharmaceutical remedies, people used plants, foods and natural products found in their environment to aid in the prevention and treatment of disease.

Probiotics are used today to maintain and modulate good digestive health, promote proper immune function and to aid in the restoration of good bacteria levels in the gut following the use of antibiotics or other disruption.

Probiotics

Digestive Supplement

Gut Health

Digestion

Immune Function

How It Works:

• Supports a healthy immune system & microflora
• Promotes digestion & nutrient absoprtion
• Combats pathogenic bacteria; Improves metabolism

Dosage:

Between 1 - 10 Billion CFUs per day

Safety:

Rated Likely Safe

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History of Probiotics

In the early 1900s, Nobel laureate Elie Metchnikoff observed that certain rural populations in Bulgaria were exceptionally long-lived. Their diet consisted largely of milk products which had been fermented by lactic-acid bacteria.

He theorized it was possible to modify the microflora of the gut by replacing pathogenic (harmful) microbes with helpful ones.

He proposed that age-related diseases were directly related to the composition of the gut flora. By “seeding” lactic-acid bacteria (LAB) into the gastrointestinal tract, the pH level is lowered, thereby suppressing the growth of harmful bacterial agents.

Another scientist working at the Pasteur Institute, Henry Tissier, was able to isolate one such helpful bacterium which eventually came to be called Bifidobacterium.

Tissier noted that the gastrointestinal tracts of breast-fed infants were populated mostly by bifidobacteria. He found that infants who had chronic diarrhea could be effectively treated through the introduction of these bacteria.

Over the next few decades, still prior to the advent of cheap antibiotic medications, other researchers were able to isolate specific bacterial and fungal agents which proved useful in the treatment of GI tract disorders like constipation, inflammation, and infectious processes like Salmonella.

What are the Effects of Probiotics?

Average adult humans normally have over three pounds of bacterial microorganisms residing within their system at any given time. Bacteria live in our intestinal tract, urogenital tract, mouth and on our skin.

If the bacterial balance is right, with the good bacteria maintaining dominance and keeping harmful microbes at bay, there isn’t any reason to take notice of them.

But, when a disruption occurs and pathogenic bacteria are able to gain a foothold, then discomfort, illness and disease can set in.

Today, antibiotics are readily available, effective and affordable. Because of this, doctors regularly prescribe them for humans and other animals to treat infections and illnesses.

Though antibiotics are highly effective at eradicating bacteria, they are not able to distinguish between good and bad microbes, thus they indiscriminately kill off both as they are encountered.

This process leaves the system vulnerable until the appropriate balance of microflora is able to be established again.

Many doctors will prescribe probiotic supplements at the same time they prescribe antibiotics. They do this to ensure and facilitate the restoration of the gut flora as quickly as possible.

Healthy Uses of Probiotics

There are different kinds of probiotics, each with specific tasks within the human microbiome. It is important to select the right one for the health benefits being sought. Much research is ongoing to explore the specific benefits of probiotics.

In general, they have been shown to regulate the transit time of food through the digestive system, to reduce flatulence (gas), decrease diarrhea and constipation, and to kill or inhibit colonization of pathogenic bacteria.

Some specific uses for common probiotic microorganisms are as follows:

• Antibiotic-Related Diarrhea such as Clostridium Difficile: Saccharomyces boulardii
• Infectious Diarrhea: Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus
• Bacterial Vaginosis: Lactobacillus Acidophilus
• Vaginal Yeast Infection: Combination of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species
• Cholesterol: Bifidobacterium lactis
• Blood Pressure: Lactobacillus species
• Psoriasis: Bifidobacterium infantis
• IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome): Bifidobacterium infantis, Saccharomyces boulardii, Lactobacillus Plantarum
• IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease): several strains of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus

Are there Side Effects of Probiotics?

People with weakened immune systems should not take probiotics, but otherwise, these natural healthy microorganisms are considered to be generally safe for a majority of people.

Some individuals report mild side effects like gas or abdominal discomfort, but these symptoms usually subside with continued use.

Those with artificial heart valves, Short Bowel Syndrome or HIV/AIDS should not take probiotics unless under supervision of a doctor.

Probiotics in Review

Probiotics are a natural, safe means of supplementing the body with beneficial bacterial and fungal microbes. Nearly everyone can benefit through the use of probiotics whether for the treatment of specific symptoms, or simply to modulate the balance of microflora contained within the gut, vagina and mouth.

Probiotic supplements and milk/yogurt products can be found at health food stores and online.

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