What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms AKA life-supporting bacteria that live in our digestive system in a symbiotic relationship among other places in our body. They can be found in fermented foods or in a wide range of Probiotics supplements.
Probiotics are naturally found in our bodies as they have numerous functions. They are used in the digestive process as well as in a variety of other bodily processes.
Think about your Microbiome as diversified colonies of organisms, made up of bacteria and fungi working symbiotically to keep your bodies healthy. When this balance is interrupted we can experience many different ailments such as, diarrhea, upset stomach, nausea, indigestion, candida overgrowth and lack of focus, among other things.
However, in a situation where we become sick from a specific type of infection, taking antibiotic drugs leads to the elimination of both the good and bad form of bacteria. So we have to be careful when using antibiotics unnecessarily. Overuse of antibiotics is not advisable because these medications don’t make any distinction between favorable and harmful bacteria, and in some cases completely destroy your gut flora.
A natural alternative is more beneficial in common ailments like a sore throat or a sinus infection, unless your doctor strongly recommends the use of antibiotics. It has been observed that antibiotic administration at a young age may increase the incidence of diabetes or Crohn’s disease during the later stages of life.
This results in a variety of complications as the processes that rely on these types of bacteria become less efficient. Some doctors are recommending the use of a good Probiotics supplement as an aid to diversify your microbiome.
Sources of probiotics?
There are many sources of Probiotics. The most common sources are fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, and natto.
These treats are are considered some of the best Probiotic foods around, and a good way to keep your healthy bacteria count at healthy levels. It is also a good idea to include Prebiotics in your diet too.
are many sources of probiotics. The most common sources are fermented foods such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, and natto into your diet. Consuming these treats are some of the best probiotic foods around and a way to keep the bacteria count up at healthy levels. It is also a good idea to include prebiotics in your diet too.
What are prebiotics?
Prebiotics are types of plant fibers that promote the growth of the good microorganisms in your gut like bacteria and fungi.
Sources of prebiotics:
Seaweed, Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds, Apples, Bananas, Onions, Garlic, Chicory Root, Leeks, Oats, Jicama Root, Asparagus, Wheat Bran, Dandelion Greens, Jerusalem Artichoke and many others.
Where can probiotics be found in the body?
Probiotics are more prevalent in our gut, but they also exist in our mouth, vagina, urinary tract, skin and lungs where they also thrive and provide us with many health benefits. Today more information is available in the field of Probiotics than ever before; let’s take a look at how they help enhance our health by using them.
What are the benefits of taking probiotics?
The health benefits of Probiotics have been recognized since very ancient days, but modern research reports may surprise you. It has been observed that Probiotics can improve digestion, support weight loss, heart health, improve immune function plus reduce stress and anxiety. In a surprising study, Probiotic supplementation also improved the host’s willpower to survive against environmental challenges.
Experiment
In one such experiment, a young mouse was separated from his mother and thrown into a pool of water. It was impossible for him to exit the water. Desperately swimming in circles was all he could do. This experiment was conducted to test the duration after which he would give up his hope to survive and sadly stop treading the water, and ultimately drown to death.
Fortunately, the young mouse survived as it was an experiment to test the effect of Probiotics on his will power to survive after being separated from his mother and thrown into a bucket full of water.
The researchers observed that when rats are fed with a Probiotics supplement, they show fewer signs of anxiety or despair and more strongly fight for their lives. It has been proven that Probiotics can alleviate depression and increase your willpower to survive against many odds.
Brief history
The body is populated by a variety of good and bad bacteria. For instance bacteria which helps digest food in the digestive tract is viewed to be good, as without them, digestion would be more or less impossible. On the other hand, if a type of bacteria causes infection and ill health, it is classified as bad.
Probiotic supplements started to really hit the limelight in the mid 1990s, where research figures indicated just how beneficial they are. Supplements and fermented foods then emerged as some of the best sources of these forms of friendly bacteria and more research continues to pile up the field of gut health.
Digestion
Probiotics play a key role in breaking down food and helping us get the necessary available nutrients. When the harmful bacteria outnumber the good bacteria, the digestive process is disrupted, and complications such as diarrhea and a compromised immunity arise.
In a nutshell, these friendly acid-loving bacteria populate our digestive tracts creating an acidic environment that is necessary to break down the food you ingest, while also aiding in the absorption of nutrients. They are responsible for giving you micro amounts of many different vitamins including vitamin K and most B-Complex vitamins.
Keeping Harmful Bacteria at Bay
Probiotics share the same space with harmful bacteria in the body. Where the probiotics outnumber the harmful bacteria, the latter have no space to occupy and will, therefore, be reduced to levels that are considered healthy. This means that if you have a well populated microbiome, then you have a reduced chance of getting infections associated with harmful bacteria.
Boosting Immunity
Probiotics have been associated with a strong immune system because they stimulate the production of lymphocytes. A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell found in the immune system. Lymphocytes include natural killer cells, B cells and T cells.
These results were observed in research conducted on two groups of students getting fermented milk and fresh milk on a daily basis. After some time, the group consuming fermented milk had a higher count of lymphocytes
Urinary Tract Health
Consumption of Probiotics does not just raise their numbers in the digestive tract but also increases their presence in the urinary tract. This reduces the population of harmful bacteria which can ward off a variety of infections by providing a balance between the bad and good bacteria in order for the urinary tract to stay healthy.
Weight loss
How Probiotics affect weight loss is not yet well known. They seem to affect our appetite and energy consumption through the production of some short-chain fatty acids called Butyrate, Acetate and Propionate.
Some experts believe that certain Probiotic strains impede the absorption of the fat we consume through our diets.
Because lots of our readers are interested in health and fitness, let’s dive a little deeper into their role in fat-loss.
Here’s 1 Quick Tip
1. Fill up on fiber:
you should eat lots of soluble fibers like fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and oatmeal. These foods contain fibers that prevent weight-gain by keeping you full and support bacteria through the fermentation process.
What is proper modulation anyway?
Insulin plays a very important role in metabolism because it dictates how your body responds to carbohydrates. Gut bacteria increase your insulin sensitivity. Proper modulation in this case pertains to the diversification of the microbiome so that you can burn more calories.
According to Brad Pilon, who is the author of Flat Belly Forever and specializes in weight-loss programs that use Probiotics, explains that obesity has a direct correlation with the low diversity of gut flora. If the flora is not diversified, you may suffer from several health implications, despite having trillions of bacteria in your gut.
In a rather messed up yet surprising experiment, the scientists observed that introducing gut bacteria from an obese mouse into the digestive system of normal mice can increase the fat deposition in normal mice without making any changes to their diet.
Even human trials have indicated that poor diversity of gut flora is associated with insulin resistance and obesity. Lack of diversity in the microbiome may lead to lots of health issues like inflammation, arthritis, obesity, heart disease and depression.
Mental Health
The most revolutionary research on the health implications of Probiotics pertains to Neuro-chemical and Neuro-psychological changes within the brain. Traditional literature indicates a gut brain connection, because stressful situations can lead to indigestion, but modern research has confirmed a more pronounced and mutually reinforcing relationship between the gut and brain.
In 2011, British researchers observed that Probiotic supplements can lower the negative emotions like anger, anxiety, hostility and depression in rats as well as humans. In a similar research, the researchers from Oxford reported that Probiotic supplements can change the way we process emotional information.
When Probiotic supplements were administered for three weeks, the participants showed a more positive mindset and ignored negative words during conversation. People generally don’t pay attention when it comes to maintaining a good gut flora, but we should consider the microbiome just like another body organ.
Just like your kidney or liver that may affect brain function or cause multiple sclerosis, a poor gut biome may lead to several health issues that can really complicate your life.
Signs probiotics are working:
When taking high quality Probiotics, the first sign you may notice is having much better digestion as your friendly bacteria start to do their jobs like alleviating gas and bloating plus and balancing of your bowel movements.
These are definitely the first things customers would tell me they experienced time after time. As time passes, given you’ve consistently taken Probiotics, expect more health promoting effects to take place, like having a more positive mindset as well as a reduction in the frequency of colds.
Many others who take Probiotics are reporting having more energy throughout their day. I believe it’s mainly due to the fact that you need a healthy gut flora in order to absorb the many micro nutrients and nutrients you need for energy production.
Others report having less anxiety and a more positive stress response than before. What we know is that the brain and gut are continuously communicating 24/7, so if there is an imbalance it can manifest as a form of anxiety and stress.
What is the downside of taking probiotics?
I have only encountered 1 moment where I took a bunch of capsules with 200 billion live cultures per capsule. The one thing I felt was an itchy rectum, (I know weird) which I believe happened because the amount of cultures were way too much and because they create an acidic environment, they naturally push away candida and other types of yeasts which prefer an alkaline environment.
I was also eating lots of bread and way too much pasta at the time which is associated with yeast overgrowth in the gut, so in essence I was farming too much yeast with my diet and not enough healthy bacteria which led to an itchy butt when I took that concentrated dose of Probiotics.
However a small subset of the population may experience a slight upset stomach, bloating, diarrhea, or gas during the first couple of days as your body is getting used to them.
Myths:
- Probiotics are only good for digestion
- All Probiotics are the same
- I’m healthy so I don’t need to take Probiotics
- I don’t need Probiotics If I take Prebiotics
- I only need Probiotics if I’m taking antibiotics
- Only refrigerated Probiotics work
Conclusion
Eat lots of fermented foods: it’s very important to eat fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, and yogurt. These traditional food sources may prove very instrumental in maintaining a diversified and healthy gut flora.
You can prepare your own fermented food or use a high quality Probiotic supplement or combining them both of them.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
