Why do we need probiotics?
You don't need probiotics - you can live without them. But our intestines work to give us energy and nutrients from food. Good bacteria actually help us to extract the energy and vitamins out of our food. Two of the most damaging substances to our delicate intestinal balance are chlorine and sodium flouride. Both of these are found in our drinking water. This is because chlorine, sodium flouride, and alcohol are among the many chemicals we consume that cause damage to the good bacteria in our systems. Other damaging chemicals are medical antibiotics, antibiotics used for livestock, birth control pills and many other allopathic drugs. All of these chemicals are introduced in order to get rid of harmful bacteria but in doing so, we disrupt our internal good bacteria as well. In our efforts to sterilize our lives, we are overdoing it and killing the good with the bad.
What happens when we don't have enough good bacteria?
When the ratio of good to bad bacteria gets lowered, problems begin to arise such as excessive gas, bloating, constipation, intestinal toxicity and poor absorption of nutrients. Overall we suffer from a weaker immune system when the bad (pathogenic) bacteria outnumbers the good bacteria, disease can result. As a nutritionist, I often encounter people who are convinced that they hardly eat anything and still gain weight. I can't always know exactly what my clients eat but sometimes it does seem that certain people process the same food differently. In other words, I have my suspicions that their bodies aren't absorbing and processing nutrients the way healthier people do. What we want to do is raise the ratio of good to bad bacteria so that we can improve nutrient absorption and enhance resistance to disease.
What do probiotics do (the Hygiene Hypothesis)?
In the medical research world, there is a idea known as the Hygiene Hypothesis. The central idea is that a little dirt won't hurt. We live in such a clean society that we aren't able to develop a healthy immune system. Probiotics help the body to keep the balance between good and bad bacteria. A good probiotic supplement will contain millions and millions of live bacteria to bolster and replenish levels of the good bacteria in your digestive tract. Once there, these probiotic reinforcements join forces with the existing friendly bacteria to help inhibit the growth of more harmful microbes. This, in turn, will help improve the digestion and absorption of your food and stimulate and support the immune system. Studies have shown that probiotics actually increase the digestive surface area of the intestinal walls - thus enabling better absorption of nutrients.
Here's a summary of what probiotics can do as proven or suggested by medical research studies:
- Inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria that cause digestive stress
- Improve digestion of food and absorption of vitamins
- Stimulate the body’s natural defense mechanism - the immune system
- Help make vitamins needed by the body
- Relief for people who are lactose intolerant
- Relief for symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Crohn's
- Reduce occurrence of diarrhea
- Reduce crying in colicky babies
- Reduce recurrence of vaginal yeast infections
What else can I learn?
Learn more
about Probiotics: What Are Probiotics?
Learn more about Probiotics: Why Do We Need Probiotics?
Learn more about Probiotics: The Balance Between Good and Bad Bacteria
Learn more about Probiotics: The Science Behind the Bugs
Learn more about Probiotics: Side Effects and Risks of Probiotics
Learn more about Probiotics: Get More Information
Learn more about Probiotics: A Statement from the ADA
Learn more about Probiotics: Medical doctor opinions
Click here to watch KABC News segment on Probiotics
Click to learn more about my Nutrition Programs.
Click to learn more about my Supplements
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