Probiotics hold the key to better optimal health. Eighty percent of your entire immune system is located in your digestive tract, which is also the largest past of our neurological system and often called our second brain. Over two thousand years ago Hippocrates stated “all disease begins in the gut,” and that is believed to be true today.
The secret to restoring your digestive health is about balancing out the good and bacteria in your gut through probiotics.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live “good” bacteria that are naturally found in the body along your digestive tract and support your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and fight infection.
Probiotics have been in our system since we were born. When a newborn is in the birth canal of the mother during delivery, the baby is exposed to bacteria of his or her mother for the first time and that initializes the production of good bacteria in the infant’s GI tract.
Your digestive system and skin hold the most bacteria in your body from approximately 2,000 different types of bacteria. When you lose “good” bacteria in your body, probiotics can help replace them. Probiotics help to balance “good” and “bad” bacteria to keep your body healthy.
Why do we need probiotics?
Most people, including young children, are in need of probiotic supplementation because several lifestyle and environmental factors can kill “good” bacteria in your body and lead to a compromised gut.
The use of prescription medication particularly antibiotics, our modern high carbohydrate/high sugar diet, the consumption of chlorinated and fluoridated water, consumption of GMO and processed foods, exposure to environmental toxins, emotional stress and the frequent use of other medications and chemicals kill off probiotics and overtime damage your digestive tract. When your gut microorganisms become imbalanced your system becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, yeast, virus, fungi and parasites1.
To fix this issue and heal your gut, eliminate foods that feed bad bacteria and start consuming probiotic-rich foods and supplements. There are many different strains of probiotics, but the most common and beneficial strains available today are lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.
What can probiotics help you with?
Since the 1990s, clinical studies suggest that probiotic therapy can help treat several gastrointestinal problems, delay the development of allergies in children, and treat and prevent vaginal and urinary infections in women. The strongest scientific evidence to date finds that probiotics:
· The best use for probiotic therapy is the treatment of diarrhea. According to a report published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition3, probiotics are “useful in the prevention or treatment of several gastrointestinal disorders, including infections diarrhea, antibiotic diarrhea, and travel’s diarrhea.”
The majority of individuals who take antibiotics report suffering from diarrhea or some other form of gastrointestinal distress, therefore many doctors usually prescribe taking probiotics to repair the digestive tract with “good” bacteria as studies prove that probiotics can significantly reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea2.
But probiotics can also help individuals with other types of digestive issues including Chron’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Clinical trial results are mixed, but several small studies suggest probiotics may help treat these digestive issues.
· Vaginal health relies on normal pH and the balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria. When the balance is off, pH will rise or drop creating bacterial or fungus overgrowth. According to one report, there are more than 300 million cases of urinary tract infections, bacterial vaginosis, and yeast vaginitis worldwide every year4. But, studies reveal that restoring healthy probiotic flora though probiotic supplements significantly helps protect against these types of infections. Clinical studies have found that bacteria of the genus when consumed orally can help restore healthy vaginal microflora, prevent infection or manage an active infection5.
· : The role of gut microbiota and brain function is a current hot research topic. Evidence is proving there is a link between gut health and stress-related disorders. Researchers are uncovering how gut microbes may impact brain function. One study at UCLA found that consuming probiotic-containing yogurt improved brain function among healthy women.
In addition, probiotics may also be able to help manage anxiety6 and mood.
· Healthful bacteria from probiotics can strengthen the body’s immune system, ward off infection, and reduce the duration of illness in healthy children and adults who develop common acute respiratory infections7. A study published in the found that New Zealand athletes had 40% fewer colds when they took a probiotic supplement.
· Research suggests that skin conditions such as eczema can be linked to an imbalance of good and bad bacteria in the gut. Studies have found that women taking probiotics during pregnancy had a 30 percent reduction of their infants developing childhood eczema.
Probiotic Supplements
There are many different strains of probiotics with different health benefits. If you want to use probiotics to help with a specific health concern, it is best to select the probiotic for your condition.When purchasing a probiotic supplement select a high CFU count, strain diversity and survivability.
Check out our wide selection of all natural ultra potency single and multi-strain probiotic supplements. Our probiotics are all natural without any additives and available in capsule or powder formulations. Suitable for both adults and children, our products range from 60 billion probiotic bacteria per capsule to 100-400 billion per gram for the powders at the time of expiration. Click here to learn more.
References:
1. Fedorak RN, Madsen KL. Probiotics and the management of inflammatory bowel disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2004 May;10(3):286-99.
2. McFarland LV, Huang Y, Wang L, Malfertheiner P. “Systematic review and meta-analysis: Multi-strain probiotics as adjunct therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication and prevention of adverse events.” United European Gastroenterol J. 2016 Aug; 4 (4) : 546-61.
- Vanderhoof JA, Young RJ. “”. 1998 Sep;27(3):323-32. Accessed October 13th 2013
4. Reid G. Probiotic agents to protect the urogenital tract against infection. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Feb;73(2 Suppl):437S-43S.
5. Reid G, Beuerman D, Heinemann C, Bruce AW. Probiotic Lactobacillus dose required to restore and maintain a normal vaginal flora. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2001 Dec;32(1):37-41.
- Wang H, Lee IS, Braun C, Enck P. “Effect of probiotics on central nervous system functions in animals and humans – a systemic review.” J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2016 Jul 13
- King S, Glanville J, Sanders ME, Fitzgerald A, Varley D. “Effectiveness of probiotics on the duration of illness in healthy children and adults who develop common acute respiratory conditions: a systemic review and meta-analysis.” Br J Nutr. 2014 Jul 14: 112 (1): 41-54.