Probiotics: Bacteria for Your Digestive System

Aug

Probiotics: Bacteria for Your Digestive System

Filed under: gastrointestinal system, health and nutrition; Tagged as: Bladder Cancer Recurrence, Cholesterol Levels, Colon Surgery, Digestive Health, Gastrointestinal Tract, Gum Disease, Harmful Bacteria, Healthy Digestive System, Helicobacter Pylori, Intestinal Infections, irritable bowel syndrome, Sweet Acidophilus Milk, Symptoms Of Lactose Intolerance, Urinary Tract Infections, Vaginal Yeast Infections

Your digestive tract contains billions of bacteria and other microorganisms. In fact there are more than 400 types of “friendly” bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. These friendly bacteria, called probiotics, promote a healthy digestive system by reducing the growth of harmful bacteria.

There is a growing public and scientific interest in probiotics. Researchers are studying whether probiotics taken as foods or supplements can help treat or prevent illness. There is encouraging evidence that probiotics may help:

Treat diarrhea, especially following treatment with certain antibiotics
Enhance and boost the immune system
Promote and improve digestive health
Prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections and urinary tract infections
Treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Reduce bladder cancer recurrence
Shorten the duration of intestinal infections
Help alleviate symptoms of lactose intolerance
Prevent and treat inflammation following colon surgery (pouchitis)
Prevent eczema in children
Reduce cholesterol levels
Play a role in reducing the development of allergy in children
Decrease Helicobacter pylori colonization of the stomach
Prevent cavities and ease gum disease (Only a small number of studies have shown this)

Some researchers believe probiotics may improve general health. Each type of friendly bacteria has a specific health benefit to the body. With over 400 different types of probiotics identified, researchers are just starting to uncover the health roles and benefits of each.

Food Sources
Currently, foods that contain probiotics are primarily dairy products but sources include:

Yogurt with active culture (Pay close attention to the expiration date because these live bacterial cultures can diminish with time)
some soft cheeses
Fermented milk such as sweet acidophilus milk
Kefir
miso
some juices and soy drinks
sauerkraut
many pickles

Probiotics are affected by prebiotic food. Prebiotic food does not generally contain bacteria but promotes the growth and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract which enhances the effect of probiotic bacteria. Prebiotics have also been shown to increase the absorption of certain minerals (such as calcium and magnesium) and may reduce the risk factors involved in colorectal diseases.
Prebiotic foods include Jerusalem and regular artichokes, oats, honey, many fruits (in particular, bananas), goat’s milk and human breast milk which may explain the enormous benefits to a newborn.

Probiotic Supplements
Probiotic supplements are available in a variety of forms, such as freeze dried powder, capsules, wafers and liquids. A good probiotic will contain at least 10 billion live bacteria and should be from one or more of the Lactobacillus family in a single dose.

29 Comments

29 responses to “Probiotics: Bacteria for Your Digestive System”

Christopher Rahr April 27th, 2011 at 16:32

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Gel Pen : October 24th, 2010 at 04:32

lactose intolerance makes my stomach turn round when i eat yougurt and other milk products’`~
Estela Taaffe October 19th, 2010 at 16:38

Resources like the one you mentioned here will be very useful to me! I will post a link to this page on my blog. I am sure my visitors will find that very useful.
Maisie Marshall September 10th, 2010 at 00:13

my sister has lactose intolerance and she can’t stand drinking too much milk;`~
Frank M August 26th, 2010 at 18:53

Probiotics supplements will help keep your Gut Flora in check, which is, keeping your intestinal flora in balance and fighting unfriendly intestinal flora. fruit growth
Harrison Ward July 25th, 2010 at 12:19

well we do have some lactose intolerance in our family and we just cut out on dairy products. “*”
Kyle Bailey July 24th, 2010 at 01:06

irritable bowel is quite annoying and you will really hate that disease.~;`
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Luis Howard May 20th, 2010 at 21:06

i also have lactose intolerance that is why i always avoid dairy products.~”;
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Dave April 25th, 2010 at 07:55

I’m glad you found it useful. So many people seem to suffer from gastrointestinal issues, I think it’s time we become more educated.
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Karen January 28th, 2010 at 15:32

I’m glad you found it useful. So many people seem to suffer from gastrointestinal issues, I think it’s time we become more educated.
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Anna M August 5th, 2009 at 09:01

I also agree with Bill that it’s important to get multiple probiotic strains, not just Lactobacillus. Bifidobacteria strains populate the large intestine/colon, which is a very important area to support. We want to keep the balance in favor of beneficial bacteria versus potentially harmful bacteria, and a diverse probiotic supplement is a great way to do that!
- Anna M
blog.nutri-health.com
Karen August 5th, 2009 at 07:30

Bill:
I agree that a good probiotic will have many strains of bacteria. There is more and more research coming out and it will be interesting to see the results.
Yes, I’m very fortunate to live surrounded by this beauty. Hope you get back to MT to visit – we just had the most spectacular July. And another glorious morning today.
Bill August 4th, 2009 at 21:06

Hey Karen,

I grew up in MT. You are in one of the most beautiful areas of the world.

Just a note. You should also be getting probiotics from bifidobacteria as well, because they make up the majority of the bacteria in your system. It is also helpful to get multiple strains of bacteria as they all do different things.

Its good to see probiotics getting their due.