Health benefits of probiotics

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What are probiotics?

Billions of bacteria inhabit the human digestive system and consists of 400-500 different species of bacteria. These bacteria are referred to as the “gut flora” which is needed to break down food remains that have not been digested earlier in the digestive system.  The digestive tract maintains a balance between healthy and potentially harmful micro-organisms. Healthy micro-organisms, also called microflora, reside in the digestive tract and have a protective role in our bodies. Besides the digestive tract, microflora resides in other areas where mucous membranes are exposed to the environment, such as the skin, respiratory tract and genital-urinary tract.

To put it into perspective; there are approximately 100,000 billion viable bacteria in the digestive tract and about 1,000 billion on the skin. The total number of cells in the body is approximately 10,000 billion, meaning that we have more bacteria in our body than we have cells.  In the large intestine, there are at least 400-500 species of bacteria.

 In addition to its protective role, microflora helps to synthesize important vitamins, nutrients and enzymes, such as the lactase needed to digest lactose in milk and dairy products.

It also allows for the removal of heavy metals and other harmful ingested substances in our food. 

Poor diet, eating meat, illness, infection, stress and the use of prescription drugs such as antibiotics and corticosteroids and other medications disturb the balance between the beneficial and harmful bacteria. Antibiotics are particularly harmful because they are unable to distinguish between beneficial and harmful bacteria and they can wipe out the beneficial bacteria, which leaves the bowel vulnerable.

One way of maintaining a balance between the beneficial and harmful bacteria in the gut is to consume a source of beneficial bacteria. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that can be introduced into the digestive system through food. 

Many strains of bacteria have been used in probiotic supplements. The most common strains are Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum and the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii. Of the beneficial strains, the Lactobacillus species is most prominent in the small intestine, whereas Bifidobacteria tends to reside in the large intestine.

How do probiotics work?

Most live bacteria that are ingested die when they reach the acid conditions of the stomach. For a beneficial bacterium to be classified as a probiotic it must be resistant to gastric, bile and pancreatic juices to reach the colon alive. The probiotics attach to the wall of the intestine where they increase the number of beneficial bacteria and fight against harmful bacteria thus maintaining a balance between the beneficial and harmful bacteria.

What are the health benefits of probiotics?

Generally probiotics help to maintain a healthy digestive system by maintaining a balance between the harmful and beneficial bacteria in the gut. They are of benefit especially when taken during and after antibiotic treatment or when traveling abroad where the body encounters different types of bacteria than it is used to.

Other possible health benefits include immune system stimulation, treatment of acute diarrhea and other GI disorders and improved lactose digestion.

How do probiotic supplements work in the digestive system?

Beneficial strains such as Lactobacillus species and Bifiobacteria species prevent the harmful strains such as E.coli and Bacteroides from overgrowing. This is done by producing organic acid and hydrogen peroxide, by spatial exclusion, which means they crowd out other bacteria, by substrate competition, when they compete with harmful bacteria for nutrients needed for growth, and by bacteriocin production, which is the production of compounds that have a lethal effect on harmful bacteria.

The most common strains of probiotics are Lactobacillus acidophilus for the small intestine and Bifidobacterium bifidum for the large intestine.

Therapeutic Uses

Probiotics can be used in situations where the intestinal microflora balance has been disturbed and related digestive tract dysfunction occurs. Besides improving digestion and preventing gas, bloating, and bad breath, probiotics are beneficial in many other situations:

 While antibiotics are very often effective at killing the offending bacteria they were prescribed to kill, antibiotics also kill many strains of protective bacteria. People taking antibiotics become more susceptible to colonization and infection by harmful gut bacteria.

Research shows that supplementing Bifidobacterium Lacis enhances the production of immune system cells known to be active against viral infections.

Lactobacillus plantarum, a bacteria with known probiotic properties has been found to decrease pain and flatulence in patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. The reduction may be related to an alteration in the activity of hydrogen-producing gut bacteria.

There is growing public and scientific interest in probiotics. Researchers are studying whether probiotics taken as foods or supplements can help treat or prevent illness, such as Vaginal yeast infections and diarrhea following treatment with certain antibiotics.  Probiotics have also been researched in other areas of health and have been found to be beneficial in improving lactose digestion, the prevention of diarrhea diseases, improving hypersensitivity in infants with food allergies, and many other digestive and intestinal health conditions.

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