Probiotics

PROBIOTICS

What Are Probiotics?

A probiotic is a bacteria which contributes to the health and balance of the body especially the digestive tract. A probiotic is also referred to as the "friendly", "beneficial", or "good" bacteria which when ingested acts to maintain a healthy body and help fight illness and disease. Did you know that there are 20 times more bacteria than cells in your body? In fact, at any one time, you have more bacteria in your body than the total number of people who have ever lived on the planet. The human body is supposed to contain over 100 trillion of these beneficial bacterial cells. 1/3 of human fecal matter consists of bacteria. A healthy lower intestine should contain at least 85% friendly bacteria to prevent the over colonization of disease causing micro-organisms like E. coli and salmonella. Our colon can maintain its health with 15% unfriendly bacteria, if the body contains at least 85% probiotic friendly bacteria. Many people in the US are far from this percentage.

Why Do We Need Probiotics?

The biggest threat to the healthy bacteria in our bodies are antibiotics whether taken as medications, added to the food supply or used as cleaning products. Antibiotics are used to kill bacteria including both helpful and harmful. Many other drugs, including birth control pills, prescription medications, and chemicals like artificial sweetners, flavor enhancers, caffeine, nicotine and alcohol also kill these beneficial bacteria. Poor eating habits, chlorinated drinking water, stress and disease wreak havoc in the gastrointestinal tract by destroying good bacteria and allowing undesirable bacteria to multiply. The unhealthy bacteria thrive on a diet rich in sugar, processed foods, transfats, and grains because of their acidic effect on the gut. When the ratio of good to bad bacteria is lowered, it is called dysbiosis. Dysbiosis can lead to multiple symptoms including fatigue, headaches, immune dysfunction, learning disability, insomnia, bloating, constipation, skin problems, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain, weight gain, rheumatoid arthritis and increased inflammation, food allergies, and colon cancer.

What Benefits Do Probiotics Have?

The benefits of probiotics are so widespread that virtually every human can benefit from including them in their diet. Hundreds of research papers have been published in the last few years regarding the benefits of probiotics on many different symptoms and conditions. The majority of papers have focused on probiotics ability to balance the ratio of healthy bacteria through the digestive tract and prevent dysbiosis. Different strains of probiotics have different benefits but here is a short list of the possible benefits of probiotics. Improve the body’s ability to fight cancer especially colon cancer Increase the body’s resistance to disease and stimulates the immune system Reduce cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure Help overweight people lose weight Manufacture vitamins including B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, A, and K Improve digestion and absorption of vitamins and minerals Minimize tooth decay, ulcers of the mouth and cold sores Improve digestive and reduce symptoms associated with irritable bowel & Chron’s Reduce yeast and fungus that cause yeast infections, thrush, athlete’s foot and vaginitis Minimize asthma and allergies including food allergies Decreases lactose intolerance by breaking down the sugar in dairy called lactose Reduces heartburn and bacteria that cause stomach ulcers. Improved Immune Function / Eliminating Problem Causing Bacteria Probiotic bacteria compete with disease causing bacteria, viruses, yeasts and funguses throughout the body for food. More good bacteria means less food for all other things that cause disease. Many types of friendly bacteria produce their own antibiotics and antifungals. These natural antibiotics produced by our friendly bacteria do not have the same uncomfortable side effects as medications. They also make other chemicals like lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide that repel bad bacteria and viruses and prevent them from attaching to the gut wall and damaging it. If the healthy bacteria do not break down sugars and carbohydrates yeasts multiply rapidly and cause yeast infections. As the good bacteria break down the food passing through the system they release other chemicals that activate our bodies own natural immune system.