Probiotics: treat digestive problems and enhance your immune system

Probiotics are often suggested by doctors for patients with digestive system problems and immune system dysfunction.

But, what are they and what exactly do they do regarding our health?

I won’t only answer these questions, but also I will tell you everything you need to know about probiotics.

What are probiotics?

We usually think that germs cause disease. But your body is full of bacteria, both good and bad. And probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are often called “good” or “helpful” bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy.

They can be found in many foods and supplements as well. Doctors often suggest them to help with digestive problems.

Watch this video to help you understand!!

How Do They Work?

Researchers are trying to figure out exactly how probiotics work. Some of the ways they may keep you healthy:

-When you lose “good” bacteria in your body, for example; after you take antibiotics, probiotics can help replace them.

-They can help balance your “good” and “bad” bacteria to keep your body working the way it should.

There are many types of probiotics but the most common are:

1-Bifidobacterium: you can find it in some dairy products. It may help ease the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and some other conditions.

2-Saccharomyces boulardii: is a yeast found in probiotics. It appears to help fight diarrhea and other digestive problems.

What are the benefits of probiotics?

More and more studies show that the balance or imbalance of bacteria in your digestive system is linked to overall health and disease.

Probiotics promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria and have been linked to a wide range of health benefits. Some of these benefits may include:

Balance The healthy Bacteria in Your Digestive System.
Prevent and Treat Diarrhea.
Improve Some Mental Health Conditions.
Can Help Keep Your Heart Healthy.
Reduce the Severity of Certain Allergies and Eczema.
Reduce Symptoms of Certain Digestive Disorders.
Boost Your Immune System.
Help You Lose Weight and Belly Fat.
prevent and treat infection.
reduce overuse of antibiotics
fight food borne-illnesses

You can read more about the studies that showed these benefits in the References section at the end of this article.

what medical conditions probiotics can treat?

Researchers are still trying to figure out which are best for certain health problems. Some common conditions they treat are:

Irritable bowel syndrome.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Infectious diarrhea (caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites).
Diarrhea caused by antibiotics.

There is also some research that shows they’re useful for problems in other parts of your body. For example, some people say they have helped with:

Skin conditions, like eczema.
Urinary and vaginal health.
Preventing allergies and colds.
Oral health.
skin and hair care.

what is the difference between PRE-biotics and PRO-biotics?

While PREBIOTICS and PROBIOTICS sound similar, these two are very different and have different roles in the digestive system (or gut).

PREBIOTIC FIBER is a non-digestible part of foods like bananas, onions and garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, the skin of apples, chicory root, beans, and many others. Prebiotic fiber goes through the small intestine undigested and is fermented when it reaches the large colon.

This fermentation process feeds beneficial bacteria colonies (including probiotic bacteria) and helps to increase the number of desirable bacteria in our digestive systems (also called the gut) that are associated with better health and reduced disease risk.

PROBIOTICS are live beneficial bacteria that are naturally created by the process of fermentation in foods.

Can you get probiotics from food?

In the past, humans had an abundance of probiotics in our diets because the food we ate was either fresh or fermented to keep it from spoiling. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case anymore. Refrigeration and dangerous food production techniques like soaking our foods with chlorine, means our foods contain little to no probiotics these days.

However, you can get them in small amounts from some fermented foods. Such as:

Yogurt
Kefir
Sauerkraut
Tempeh
Kimchi
Miso
Kombucha
Pickles
Traditional Buttermilk
Natto
Some Types of Cheese

You have to know that even if you can eat some of these foods everyday, there are a lot of other things that you consume which might kill your healthy bacteria, such as: GMO foods, sugar, tap water, grains, chemicals, and medications (antibiotics).

Therefore, you should consider taking a probiotics supplement to make sure that you are getting all the healthy bacteria that you need to stay healthy.

What is the best probiotics supplement?

There are a lot of drug companies that manufacture probiotics, and I have been looking around to find the best product between them to recommend for you.

After reading tons of reviews and testimonials, I found an excellent product called Acidophilus Probiotic by Nature’s Bounty

This supplement provides friendly bacteria for the digestive system. (1) Stomach friendly supplement. No artifical colors, flavors, or sweeteners and have to be refrigerated
Acidophilus is friendly bacteria for the digestive system. (1) Nature’s Bounty Probiotic Acidophilus contains over 100 million active Lactobacillus Acidophilus (including naturally occurring metabolic product produced by Lactobacilli) at time of manufacture
Quality, consistency and scientific research has resulted in vitamins and nutritional supplements of unrivaled excellence. Using the latest breakthroughs in nutritional science and the finest ingredients, we provide supplements of unsurpassed quality and value
Every Nature’s Bounty product is subjected to numerous quality tests throughout the manufacturing process to verify purity and potency. The ingredients and final product are tested in our microbiological laboratory to make certain that the product is pure
Our supplements are overseen by scientists, manufacturing specialists and quality experts, each dedicated to maintaining the highest quality standards. Nature’s Bounty only uses ingredients from suppliers that meet GMP supplement quality standards.
it has great ratings and reviews on amazon: 4.6/5 stars with over 30K reviews. check it out by clicking here!!

Are probiotic supplements safe to use?

In general, probiotic supplements are thought to be safe for most people, though some people with immune system problems or other serious health conditions shouldn’t take them.

In some cases, mild side effects might include an upset stomach, diarrhea, gas, and bloating for the first couple of days after you start taking them. They may also trigger allergic reactions.

So, before using any probiotic product, read the instructions carefully and do not exceed the maximum dosage. People with allergies should also check labeling for potential triggers.

What is the effective dosage of probiotic supplements?

Different brands of probiotics can contain anywhere from one to 10 billion colony-forming units or CFUs.

Most of the studies showing benefits used dosages of 1 billion to 100 billion live organisms or colony-forming units (CFU) per day.

However, if you are taking antibiotics, or if you have symptoms of a bacterial imbalance such as diarrhea, you can take a probiotic with up to 10 billion CFUs until the problem clears up.