Are probiotics healthy for you?
What are probiotics?
Are they healthy for you?
What are the benefits of consuming probiotics?
By the end of this post, you will have an answer to each of these questions.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are live bacteria and other micro-organisms that are healthy for you.
Typically, when you hear people talk about probiotics, they are talking about the kind that are healthy for your digestive system.
Are probiotics healthy for you?
In order to answer this question, we will have to lay some foundations.
Different parts of your body contain resident bacteria and micro-organisms that live in symbiosis with you.
This means, these bacteria and the human body are actually co-dependent.
In the digestive system for instance, bacteria produce chemicals that help your body to ward off bacteria that cause disease.
There is research that shows that, good bacteria contribute to slowing down inflammation in the intestines.
When these bacteria are removed due to an excessive intake of antibiotics for instance, it leads to all kinds of imbalances including infection with the notorious bacteria Clostridium difficile (usually shortened as C. dif).
In fact, one study showed that, in patients who had recurring C. dif infections, replacing their good bacteria was effective in preventing another infection by over 90%!
So, good bacteria contribute many useful benefits to our bodies.
And just like you would take a vitamin as a supplement in addition to getting nutrients from your food, you can supplement your “good” bacteria and yield benefits.
What are the benefits of consuming probiotics?
As I mentioned above, probiotics contribute to the health of your digestive system in a plethora of ways.
- Keeps your digestive organs in check so there is no infection
- Reduces inflammation by producing chemicals that reduce the factors that trigger inflammation
- There are studies that now link the quality of probiotics in your system to mental health. So this is an area where your health could be improved as well.
- Brain health may be affected by probiotics too.
- There is research that suggests that probiotics are useful when it comes to weight loss and maintaining it.
- Certain probiotics may reduce allergies and eczema.
- Probiotics boost your immune system. Since it is well-documented that elders tend to have immune system issues, probiotics are useful in reversing some of these effects.
And all these benefits have been backed by on-going research.
So there is really no end to how much you can benefit from probiotics.
What does this mean for you?
In general, probiotics are healthy for you.
As with anything however, always check with your doctor before you start taking probiotics.
This is especially important if you have any underlying health problems.
Most of the time, increasing your probiotic intake may just include eating a container of yogurt per day.
If you have persistent diarrhea due to a recurring infection, your healthcare provider may suggest that you take probiotic supplements that contain higher levels of these good bacteria.
Whatever the case is, it is always important to double-check if probiotics are right for you.
Do you take probiotics?
Have you found them helpful?
If you found this post useful, share it with someone else who is looking for the benefits of taking probiotics.
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