All About Probiotics
Do you typically suffer from…constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, allergies, acne, weight gain, weak immunity, IBS or IBD? Then you may benefit from taking a daily probiotic. Probiotics have recently become popular due to their long list of benefits but what exactly are they? Let’s take a look at what probiotics are and how they can help your body thrive.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are live microorganisms that are intended to have health benefits when consumed or applied to the body (1). Microorganisms are made up of mostly bacteria, but also include some yeasts. They are often seen as germs that we need to protect ourselves from, but in fact, there are a bunch of healthy microbes that lives in our body to help us digest foods, destroy disease-causing cells, or produce vitamins. Probiotics are necessary for our body to continue being healthy and working well. If there is an imbalance of healthy microbes in our body, we can see signs of this typically through the skin or bowel movements (i.e. acne or constipation/diarrhea).
For a microbe to be called a probiotic, it must have several characteristics, including being able to: be isolated from a human, survive in your intestine after ingestion, have a proven benefit to you, and be consumed safely (2).
How Do Probiotics Work?
As stated above, the main job of these beneficial microbes is to maintain a healthy balance in your body. If bad microbes, such as the ones that make up the common cold or flu, enter your body, the healthy microbes enhance your immune system to help fight off the infection and reduce inflammation. If you have plenty of beneficial microbes in your body, you most likely will not get sick or you will experience far fewer symptoms that an individual with imbalanced microbes in their body. In addition to fighting off infections, probiotics are also great at:
creating vitamins
helping your body digest food
producing bioactive metabolites (short-chain fatty acids)
inhibiting growth of pathogenic microorganisms in the GI tract
breaking down and absorbing foods, supplements, and medications
helping your cells prevent bad bacteria from entering your bloodstream
Where Can I Find Probiotics?
The two most common places to find and obtain probiotics is from fermented foods and dietary supplements.
Food: Fermented foods are made through the growth and metabolic activity of a variety of live microbial cultures (3). Common foods include kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh, yogurt, miso, kefir, and some cheeses. There is research suggesting that the amount of probiotics contained in each of these foods depends on the processing system for each and how long it takes for you to consume them. Some cultures do not survive processing (the ones contained in sourdough, for example), while others survive throughout their shelf-life but do not survive transit through the stomach. In my opinion, it is important to choose a variety of foods that have legitimate probiotic strains and are minimally processed. This will ensure that you are consuming beneficial bacteria which has a higher likelihood of making it to your large intestine.
Supplements: If you go to any health food store, chances are pretty high you will see a refrigerator full of probiotic supplements. The great thing about supplements is that the often contain a wide variety of strains and doses, which ensures that your body receives more beneficial microbes than the single strains you would be consuming by eating kimchi on a daily basis. Probiotics are measured in Colony Forming Units (CFU) which indicate the number of viable cells. Many probiotic supplements contain between 1 and 10 billion CFU, but some products contain up to 50 billion CFU or more. However, the higher CFU content does not necessarily mean that the supplement will give improved health effects (3). Currently, there is still a lot of research to be done on probiotics, and which strain is most beneficial for which health condition. Also, keep in mind that supplements are not FDA approved, so it is important to choose a high quality supplement to ensure that you are actually getting what is said on the package. It is best to consult with your doctor so they can recommend a probiotic supplement that they think is best for you.
Probiotics For Gut Health
Research has shown that probiotic therapy is best done for the treatment of diarrhea. Clinical trials has shown that the strain, Lactobacillus GG, can shorten the duration of infectious diarrhea in infants and children. It is also beneficial to take probiotics whenever you are on a course of antibiotics due to the possible outcome of antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD). Some trials have shown that probiotic consumption decreases the chances of AAD by 51% when compared with a placebo (4). There is still research needed to be done on probiotics and their effect on benefiting constipation. Some researchers have found that probiotics slowed gut transit time by 12.4 hours, increasing the number of weekly bowel movements by 1.3, and helped soften stools, making them easier to pass (5). More research is also needed to be done on which strains are beneficial in helping to alleviate IBD and IBS symptoms. Since these diseases are so difficult to treat in general, some doctors recommend that patients with with IBD and IBS try taking a probiotic supplement with various strains to see if there is any improvement in symptoms.
Probiotics For Vaginal Health
Not only are probiotics great for maintaining a healthy gut microbiome, but they’re also well-known to support vaginal flora and maintain urogenital health. The dominant bacterial strain in the vagina, Lactobacillus, does a good job at keeping the environment acidic and too harmful for any other organisms to dominate. However, when there is an imbalance, usually caused by antibiotics, birth control pills, or spermicides, probiotics can help restore the balance of microflora and help prevent some common vaginal issues such as BV, yeast infections, and UTIs (5).
As always, please consult your naturopathic doctor or other healthcare practitioner before trying any probiotic supplements.