Although not everyone is fully aware, more and more people realize that a healthy digestive system is vital for their overall health and wellness. If you know you need a healthy gut, you may be considering taking probiotics for your gut health. Probiotics can help the bacteria help you keep your overall health and well-being in tip-top condition.
The gut is responsible for digesting foods and facilitating the absorption of nutrients to the body while eliminating the waste elements out of the system. An imbalance in the composition and diversity of microbes in the gut is linked to various illnesses and chronic diseases.
Consuming probiotics is one way to help ensure your gut microbiota remains balanced.
What Are Probiotics?
Probiotics are a type of good bacteria that provide certain benefits to gut health. One of which is helping restore the balance and diversity of bacteria in the gut. These live microorganisms are often bacteria, but yeast can also be considered a probiotic.
Probiotics are usually taken as supplements, and bacterial-fermented foods are also probiotics. There are different types of probiotics featuring certain species of bacteria, and some supplements contain multiple species in one product.
Some examples of probiotics are:
- Yogurt
- Kimchi
- Kefir
- Tempeh
- Sauerkraut
- Miso
- Kombucha
- Pickles
- Dairy products
- Sourdough bread
- Lassi
- Fermented vegetables
What Are The Benefits Of Probiotics?
Probiotics reduce chronic inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is one of the leading drivers of many diseases. Studies have shown that probiotics are helpful in reducing inflammation, such as in ulcerative colitis and antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
They can alleviate anxiety and depression.
Some strains of bacteria can help reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Lactobacillus helveticus (L. helveticus) and Bifidobacterium longum(B. longum) are species of bacteria that have been studied and found to affect brain health.
Probiotics boost immune function.
Probiotics have been shown to be effective in boosting immune function. They can help increase your body’s ability to fight off infections.
They can reduce blood pressure and cholesterol.
Probiotics can reduce the bad cholesterol in the body, as well as blood sugar levels, which will help to reduce insulin resistance. In turn, blood pressure levels are also improved. Probiotics also aid in regulating the hormones that are responsible for fluid balance and blood pressure.
Probiotics can help treat or prevent various diseases.
Studies have shown that probiotics have the potential to be part of treatment programs for various diseases. These include diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, vaginal infections, bladder cancer, and eczema, among others. Lactobacillus GG, for instance, has been found to diminish infectious diarrhea in infants and children.
Things To Remember When Taking Probiotics
Probiotics are generally safe for the majority of people. However, if you have certain conditions, taking probiotics may do more harm than good. If you have a compromised immune system, certain probiotics may not be recommended for you, so it’s best to consult your health care provider.
As there are many gut microorganism species, some may not work for you. That’s probably because it’s not what your body needs. So, if you’ve been taking probiotic products for a while now and you haven’t seen positive effects, it’s time to switch to other probiotics.
Also include prebiotics, which will help good bacteria flourish in the gut. Some prebiotic foods are onions, green bananas, beans, and asparagus. Often, it takes some trial and error to find the prebiotics that work best for you.
Given the many benefits of probiotics in keeping a healthy gut, it is worth integrating them into your diet. Even so, remember that gut health is more than just taking probiotics—regular exercise, a balanced diet, quality sleep, and a healthy lifestyle should also be part of the equation.
