Today in the spotlight are Probiotics – commonly called “friendly bacteria,” are live microorganisms that exert many beneficial health effects. They provide essential functions in the body and help maintain our overall health.
The normal, healthy human intestinal tract contains billions of microorganisms, collectively called FLORA, that live in a delicate balance. They break down our food into easily absorbable nutrients and help maintain our overall health. However, it’s very easy for these bacteria to become imbalanced due to stress, sleep, age, medications, alcohol, and diet. When this happens, the toxic “bad” bacteria thrive, outnumbering the good bacteria, which can lead to disease. Probiotics repopulate our good bacteria and neutralize the bad.
Researchers continue to explore the many different types and strains of probiotics and the myriad ways in which they might help improve our health. Just some of the benefits of probiotics include: *Improve digestion - keep our digestive system’s pH in check - help neutralize harmful bacteria in our gut that can create toxins - may enhance our mineral absorption - may biosynthesize B vitamins, vitamin K, folate, and short chain fatty acids *Treat irritable bowel disease and diarrhea - a decrease in gut bacteria biodiversity has been found in many IBD patients, and studies have shown probiotics may help to regulate in some cases. - have been used to help prevent and control antibiotic-related diarrhea, travellers’ diarrhea, and treat diarrhea-associated diseases in children *Reduce cholesterol - studies have shown that probiotics, when taken orally, may reduce cholesterol levels compared to the placebo group *Prevent cancer - studies suggest that probiotics may be able to play a role in cancer prevention, specifically colon cancer *Strengthen our immune system - increasing the beneficial bacteria in our guts decreases harmful pathogens by competing for their receptor sites and nutrients *Protect the liver and intestinal tract - an imbalance of good versus bad bacteria in the intestinal tract can result in serious liver diseases such as cirrhosis of the liver, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and even liver cancer.
There are a variety of food that contain probiotics, including: yogurt, pickled vegetable, kefir, miso, kombucha, soy sauce, and tempeh. Taking a high quality, multi strain probiotic supplement on a daily basis is an excellent addition in your journey towards True Wellness. Curious about which probiotic is right for you? Book and analysis and I can help guide you in the right direction!