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Probiotics: should you know more about them?
July 28, 2009
Feature by our Editorial Assistant Colleen
Probiotics is a term that we’ve all become familiar with ever since those yogurt commercials started coming on about how it’s good for you and that’s the reason you should buy their brand of yogurt.
Probiotics is coined as “good” or “friendly” bacteria and is mainly found in your gut and goes to work in your digestive system.
It is “good” because if you have the right amount for the right illness you have the potential to fight that disease off. And it’s especially great for those of you who have trouble digesting milk. It also allows those of you who consume yogurt to reap the benefits by having more probiotics in your system that are not killed off by your stomach acid. This is just one key component that probiotics play in your digestive system. Probiotics allow you to have a normal and well-balanced digestive system and that’s important in helping you process any intake of foods much better.
Having probiotics in your system is also recommended for travelling or if you’re under stress because it can help with upset stomachs and protecting you from unknown diseases unfamiliar to your body.
Other benefits from having probiotics in your stomach include:
* Reduction in the risk of getting certain cancers
* Help improve cholesterol metabolism
* Help reduce toxic load
* Help reduce the aging process
* Help support your immune function
As you get older, digestive problems can occur as a result of having less “good” bacteria.
For females another factor that plays into a decreased amount of “good” bacteria is the use of antibiotics that get rid of both the bad and “good” bacteria. This may turn into yeast infections further creating an imbalance of good and bad bacteria. Other results from this imbalance are a leaky gut and autoimmune reactions.
However, it’s questionable whether you need to actually get these products that advertise as having probiotics.
The real question is: if you already eat foods that have “good” bacteria, do you really need to buy foods labeled as “probiotics” as well? In my opinion, it seems to that this could be another marketing ploy and we are able to get those “good” bacteria elsewhere.
Eating regular yogurt and drinking milk already has all these “good” bacteria in it. It doesn’t have to only come from these specifically advertised products.
It really just depends on how much of this “good” bacteria actually survives in your stomach to be useful and how often you eat foods with probiotics in it. While it’s great for some to eat these products specifically with bifidobacteria and lactobacilli (look for these two bacteria when you choose yogurt to buy) it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get all the benefits because it really depends on your own body and how much “good” bacteria can survive in your gut because it does vary from person to person.
Other products that you’ll find already has this “good” bacteria in it is kefir, miso and tempeh. Sometimes selected milk, juice and soy beverages will also have probiotics added if they don’t already contain this “friendly” bacteria.
You’ll also find probiotics supplements if you’re not already getting these good bacteria in your diet.
So the easiest thing to do to add probiotics in your diet is to experiment with different brands of yogurt and see which ones actually make you feel healthier !
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September 14th, 2009 at 7:47
I guess they are good for the digestion. I heard this many times from the Yakult commercial. Very delicious drink..