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A Probiotic a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away
A Probiotic a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away
Diet, travel, stress, illness, aging and the use of antibiotics all contribute to an imbalance or “dysbiosis” of the intestinal tract leading to digestive problems.
Manhattan Beach,
CA,
United States of America
(sardnews.org)
24/06/2011
Diet, travel, stress, illness, aging and the use of antibiotics all contribute to an imbalance or “dysbiosis” of the intestinal tract leading to digestive problems. These problems cause some two million people to visit the doctor each year. It’s no wonder that the heartburn medication Nexium, with sales of almost $6.0 billion, was the number two selling drug in the U.S. in 2009.
Probiotic Benefits
With a balanced level of healthy bacteria in the intestinal tract, digestive function can be enhanced. For this reason, probiotics can play a beneficial role for a number of intestinal problems including constipation, diarrhea, inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
Fermented milk products like yogurt, can help decrease the symptoms of lactose intolerance including nausea, cramps, bloating and gas. Individuals with lactose intolerance do not product enough lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose, the natural sugar found in milk and dairy products. Probiotics that contain Lactobacillus reduce lactose content by predigesting some of the lactose and metabolizing it into lactic acid thereby decreasing the symptoms of lactose intolerance.
A healthy intestinal microflora may also help to strengthen the body’s immune system. About 70% of the immune system is located in the digestive tract where specialized cells help to defend the body. The bacteria that line the intestinal tract help to defend against pathogens. Regular consumption of probiotics helps to strengthen this barrier.
Some specific strains of bacteria provide condition-specific benefits. A recent study showed that children in daycare given L. reuteri suffered less from fever, stomach infection and common colds than other children in the daycare setting.
Probiotic Quality
It is especially important that probiotics that make claims of health benefits be studied in well-controlled clinical trials in humans.
A trusted manufacturer will indicate the CFUs and strain information on consumer packaging and literature. For example, the bacterial strain used in Dannon’s Activia product is trademarked as Bifidus Regularis. Information on the company’s website provides references to the scientific literature associated with the specific strain used in Activia which is Bifidobacterium animalis DN-173 010.
What are Prebiotics?
Prebiotics act as a food source for the bacteria with beneficial consequences for the host. With a ready available food source, beneficial bacteria can replicate in the intestinal tract. Probiotics directly repopulate the intestinal tract with the beneficial bacteria whereas prebiotics provide an environment which is hospitable to the beneficial bacteria.
Prebiotic Benefits
Certain prebiotics, when used in adequate amounts, have been shown to provide health benefits including improved digestive function and intestinal environment, positive modulation of immunity and metabolism, improved lipid metabolism and improved absorption of dietary minerals. Not surprisingly, prebiotics complement probiotic functions.
With over two-thirds of the population overweight or obese, expect to see this food ingredient in an increasing array of functional foods.
Types of Prebiotics
One of the challenges of delivering a quality product is the ability of the probiotic to survive passage through the stomach. If the probiotic survives the stomach and bile acids, it then must adhere to intestinal cells and colonize within the human intestine. The probiotic also must be antagonistic toward pathogenic bacteria.
Supplementing with Probiotics
A wide array of dairy products, functional foods and nutritional supplements are formulated with probiotics or a combination of prebiotics/probiotics.
Cultured Dairy. Cultured dairy foods result from the fermentation of milk products under controlled conditions by lactic acid producing probiotic cultures (i.e., selected specific microorganisms). Dairy is a ideal choice for obtaining probiotic bacteria because dairy helps to neutralize stomach acids thereby increasing the chance that the bacteria make it intact to the intestine.
Dairy product forms are ideal because the short shelf-life and refrigeration allows the living microorganisms to remain as active living cultures. Fermented dairy products like yogurt are beneficial because they are a source of calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B12, potassium and certain amino acids. A few brands offering dairy and non-dairy probiotics include Horizon Organic, Dannon (Activia), Bio-K and Yakult.
Our enteric coated capsules deliver microflora directly to the intestine, bypassing the harsh acidic conditions of the stomach. VitaMedica’s Probiotic-8 is ideally suited for daily use or after antibiotics. Be on the lookout later
About VitaMedica
Read through to discover the wisdom of adopting healthy behaviors and focusing on prevention rather than only on disease treatment.
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