How Do Probiotics Effect Your Health?
How Do Probiotics Effect Your Health?
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are living microorganisms that adhere to human intestines. They stimulate, regulate and modulate various functions including digestion, metabolism, immunity, toxin prevention, brain-gut communication and nutrition promotion.
Highly Studied Strands:
Scientist give bacteria three names; genus, species and strain. This helps researchers classify the specific type of probiotic that helps a specific health condition. This can help you find the one you are looking for as well.
- Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 : HOWARU™ ,B lactis HN019 plays a key role in the human microflora throughout a person’s life. It has the ability to survive the transit through the human gastrointestinal tract, adhere to epithelial cells, and proliferate. B lactis HN019 has been extensively studied, and its safety and effectiveness is well accepted.
- Lactobacillus acidophilus La-14: This probiotic commonly resides in the human mouth, intestinal tract, and vagina. It is also found in some traditional fermented milks, kefir and is widely used in probiotic foods and supplements.
- Lactobacillus plantarum Lp-115: This bacteria was isolated from plant material and is abundantly present in lactic acid-fermented foods, such as olives and sauerkraut, is resistant to low pH conditions and survives the presence of bile at duodenal concentrations.
- Bifidobacterium longum Bl-05: This strain is well accepted as safe for human consumption and is resistant to low pH and bile salts and is well suited to the intestinal environment.
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus HN001: HN001 is extensively studied, promotes increased immune activity and has a protective effect on skin.
- Saccharomyces boulardii: Saccharomyces boulardii is actually a natural, non-pathogenic yeast that has been shown to maintain and restore the healthy ecology of the small and large intestines.
Your Gut Microflora Balance
Your intestines have both harmful bacteria and healthful bacteria. A good balance is about 85% healthful to 15% harmful. Dysbiosis is an overgrowth of a bacteria, fungus or yeast that negatively effects the body.
When the microbiome is unbalanced in your gut many problems can occur:
- Diarrehea
- Constipation
- Gas
- Brain Fog
- Bloating
- Stomach Pain
- Vaginal Dysbiosis - Yeast Overgrowth
- Traveler's Diarrhea
- High Blood Pressure
- Chronic Fatigue
- Irritable Bowel Disease
How do bad bacteria take over?
Chronic Stress can change your gut PH and lead to bad bacteria overgrowth
Environmental toxins like germs you may pick up while travelling can cause a microbiota imbalance.
Poor diet: too high sugar and white flour, not enough vegetables can lead to a microbiota imbalance.
Antibiotics kills off good and bad bacteria and unless you help reestablish good bacteria the bad bacteria can cause more imbalance.
How do probiotics help your health?
Probiotics work symbiotically by fermenting non-digestible food for their energy and put forth anti-pathogenic, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. One’s microbiota is a key element in the body’s defense system. Probiotics aide in cytokine production. Cytokines regulate the immune system.
The different strands of beneficial bacteria provide different benefits. Generally they:
- Breaks down certain foods that we cannot
- Produce things that make it hard for bad bacteria to thrive.
- Enhances mineral bioavailability
- Enhances immune function and balance
- Increase white blood cell count and natural killer cells
- Produce Vitamin B9, B12, Vitamin K, glutathione and short chain fatty acids
- Helps prevent diarrhea from bad bacteria and also helps move stools during constipation
- Helps reduce cholesterol in blood
- Helps with IBD, IBS, Crohn’s disease
- Helps handle and eliminate food reactions that show up as eczema
- Inhibit precancerous legions
- Helps reduce candida overgrowth
- Helps fight bad bacteria in the mouth, halitosis and bleeding gums
- Rebalance after yeast infection
Prebiotics?
Prebiotics are a type of fiber that is not digestible. So it make sense that they are from high fiber foods, that you eat like garlic, onions, apples and asparagus that feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Prebiotics help to feed and support the probiotics.
Why so Many?
Your body normally has about 100 Trillion bacteria floating around at any given time. CFU stands for colony forming units. To maintain digestive and immune health on a daily basis it is good to take varying strains of probiotics with over 10 Billion CFU’s a day. When dealing with specific ailments like Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, allergies, eczema, diabetes or respiratory illness, 50 Billion CFU’s and up might be needed.
Where do I get it?
Foods:
- Kefir contains several major strains of healthy bacteria and yeast, making it a diverse and potent probiotic.
- Sauerkraut is a good source of probiotics since it is fermented by lactic acid. Be sure to purchase unpasteurized kraut since pasteurizing kills the live bacteria. Pickled vegetables like Kimchi that are fermented are a good source of probiotics.
- Yogurt is a good source of probiotics but not all yogurt contain live active cultures since they often get killed during processing and most are over sweetened.
- Kombucha is fermented green or black tea drink.
Supplements:
Supplementation with probiotics benefits health by (1) supporting metabolic activity, such as the production of short-chain fatty acids and vitamins, nutrient absorption, and digestion of lactose; (2) adhering to intestinal epithelial cells to help maintain a healthy balance of organisms in the intestinal tract; (3) helping to establish populations of good bacteria after disruption in balance; (4) supporting immune function; (5) promoting intestinal epithelial cell survival; (6) supporting healthy bowel function; and (7) degrading oxalates.
Living Health Integrative Medicine has four different high quality and brand tested probiotic strengths available. Each are vegetarian, dairy and gluten-free, provides at least four researched strains of beneficial bacteria, including the extensively studied HN019 strain of Bifidobacterium lactis, and all are packaged to ensure protection without refrigeration. These live microorganisms have proven health benefits and well-established safety.
Probio 30
Probio 30 contains 30 billion CFU† per capsule. They have been tested for epithelial cell adhesion and/or resistance to low pH with specially designed DRcaps™ gastro-resistant capsules.
To help ensure stability, Living Health Integrative Medicine packages the Probio 30 capsules in sealed, nitrogen-purged aluminum blister packs to serve as protection from factors proven to compromise the stability of probiotics, such as heat, moisture, and oxygen.
- Helps Maintain a Healthy Intestinal Microecology
- Supports the Natural Immune Response
- Supports Bowel Regularity
- Supports Lactose Digestion
https://livinghealthmarket.com/collections/probiotics/products/probio-30
Probio Powder
Containing 40 Billion CFU’s per powdered packet, ProbioPowder is an ideal combination of ingredients for individuals seeking a well-rounded supplement to address intestinal ecology, cellular health, and immunity. It features well-researched probiotic strains; Saccharomyces boulardii, a non-pathogenic yeast; and arabinogalactan, a prebiotic.
- Supports Balance of Healthy Intestinal Flora
- Supports the Natural Immune Response
- Neutralizes Certain Bacterial Toxins
- Enhances Integrity of Mucosa and Enzymatic Activity of the Intestinal Cells
- Positively Affects the Production of Cytokines
https://livinghealthmarket.com/collections/probiotics/products/probiopowder
Probio 100
Probio 100 contains 100 Billion CFU’s per capsule. For that extra support to help overcome some digestive and health issues and ensure the proper microbiota balance, Probio 100 helps crowd out bad bacteria more effectively.
- Helps Maintain a Healthy Intestinal Microecology
- Supports the Natural Immune Response
- Supports Bowel Regularity
- Supports Lactose Digestion
https://livinghealthmarket.com/collections/probiotics/products/probio-100
Probio 350
Probio 350 contains 350 Billion CFU’s per powder pack. Probio 350 features a diverse blend of HOWARU® and FloraFIT ® with 18 different probiotic strains to support a healthy gut microbiome. To protect the bacteria from light and moisture, each flavoring- and sweetener free serving of Probio 350 comes in an opaque, foil-lined stick pack.
Strains in Probio 350 Have Demonstrated Probiotic Effects in Either In Vitro or In Vivo Research to:
- Degrade oxalates
- Reduce levels of E coli and enterococcus after antibiotic therapy
- Help increase numbers of intestinal lactobacilli and/or bifidobacteria
- Improve gastrointestinal health and well-being when under challenge
- Help maintain upper respiratory health
- Alter the fecal microbiota in obese subjects
- Maintain healthy fluid balance and integrity of intestinal wall
https://livinghealthmarket.com/collections/probiotics/products/probio-350
Need more clarity? Check out the links below.
- Gut Health Blog Post: https://www.mylivinghealth.com/lets-talk-gut-health/
- Living Health Integrative Medicine Radio Show on Probiotics: https://anchor.fm/living-health-live/episodes/Probiotics---An-Essential-To-Optimal-Health-e1pp8m/a-a4c2hd
References:
- https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0898/4828/files/ProbioMax_DF_Family_Probio_30_CHANSTE_DRS-214_052915.pdf?636537594489806902
- Azad, M., Sarker, M., & Wan, D. (2018). Immunomodulatory Effects of Probiotics on Cytokine Profiles. Biomed Research International, 2018, 1-10. doi:10.1155/2018/8063647
- https://www.probioticsguide.com/is-a-higher-cfu-count-better-in-probiotic-supplements/