Healthy Choices

Probiotics

We hear on a daily basis through media advertising, that probiotics are necessary to build a strong immune system, but what does this mean and how can we ensure that we don’t get caught up in media hype?

Most people are totally unaware that there are 100 trillion bacteria, weighing a total of 3 pounds (approx 1.5 kg) lining their intestinal tracts. This complex system of beneficial bacteria is a crucial part of the immune system. The primary function of the beneficial bacteria is to protect the body from invasion, but this can only happen successfully if we ensure that our diets are such that the beneficial bacteria are nurtured and encouraged with probiotics and not bombarded with unhealthy foods such as sugar, processed foods and toxic chemicals.

In a healthy individual, the good bacteria in the gut, represents about 80% of the total bacteria present, the other 20% being of the pathogenic variety. However when the ratio is 80:20 the good bacteria keep the pathogenic bacteria in check and the good bacteria are able to continue their job of producing a strong immune army. If we eat a diet of sugar and processed foods, what happens is that these foods “feed” the pathogenic bacteria and they become more prolific and can ultimately impair your immune system.

To maintain the good bacteria it is vital to adopt a diet that not only feed the good bacteria with probiotics but also avoids the foods that feeds the pathogenic bacteria. A two pronged attack. To provide the body with probiotic enhancing foods our diet should contain foods that have been fermented eg. kefir, sauerkraut etc If you are not eating these foods then you should consider supplementing your diet with a good quality probiotic supplement. A good probiotic supplement will contain bacterial cultures such as lactobacillus, acidophilus and bifidus. If the probiotic supplement is a good one these cultures will be highly concentrated forms of the particular bacteria. Unfortunately many of the gimmicky probiotic foods that promise to feed your gut with good bacteria, have been found to contain very little if any living bacteria, and many of them are sugar laden which rather defeats the object of the exercise.

Probiotics should ideally be taken with food as part of your daily routine. They are also an excellent companion if you are traveling abroad. Many people experience infectious traveler’s diarrhea while visiting foreign countries and a bottle of probiotics can help to clear up the infection in record time.

Probiotics tend to be viewed as something to take when on a course of antibiotics. This of course is vital, but they should really be given a little more credence for the wonderful job they do supporting the immune system, which after all is the most important contributor to our overall health.

Janet L. Matthews
Skype ID: lindajanetmatthews

Probiotic Supplements

The term “probiotic” comes from the Greek word meaning “for life”. Antibiotic therefore means the opposite and although as a drug they can literally save lives by killing of bacteria that is making the body unwell, they can also devastate the good bacteria living happily inside our guts.

Good intestinal health is one of the critical factors determining optimal health. 80% of your immune system lives in your gastrointestinal tract. Approximately one hundred trillion bacteria live inside us, weighing approximately 2 – 3 pounds. Some of these bacteria are referred to as “good” bacteria the others offer no benefit and live undisturbed inside us being kept in check by the large number of good bacteria present.

However, this is the crucial point. If the ratio of good to other bacteria is about 80% to 20% then all is well. Once this starts to deteriorate then the body starts to have problems and ill health is likely to ensue. The immune system will become impaired and it will become increasingly difficult to improve the numbers of good bacteria. This is where probiotic supplements can be invaluable.

In the case of antibiotic treatment, as I said earlier, the good bacteria are killed off with the invading bacteria, it is therefore vital that the body is replenished with good bacteria either in the form of probiotic supplements or probiotic foods such as live unsweetened yoghurt. The main benefit if the probiotic supplement is that the live bacteria are present in their millions. It is a much more concentrated form of live bacteria than the yoghurt and will repopulate the gut far more effectively.

Probiotic supplements come in many shapes and sizes and as with all nutritional supplements it is wise to purchase from a reputable company. Probiotics are only as effective as the method used for making them and storing them. So make sure you know as much as possible about the way they are manufactured before you purchase them.

If you decide to stick with the yoghurt, then make sure again that the yoghurt is live and if possible made with organic milk.

Probiotic supplements can also be useful for anybody suffering from the symptoms of Candida Albicans. This is a condition where the gut has been over populated with this particular fungus and therefore is very lacking in good bacteria. This condition is also known as dysbiosis, which means that the 80 % to 20% I mentioned earlier has not been maintained and the position may even be a complete reversal of 20% good to 80% other/candida albicans. In this scenario the probiotics will help to replenish the good bacteria in the gut.

Janet L. Matthews
Skype ID: lindajanetmatthews