Last updated on September 26th, 2023 at 01:24 pm
The idea of the health benefits of probiotics and beneficial bacteria can be a little hard to understand.
Usage of antibacterial beauty products (soap, lotions), antibiotics to prevent harmful bacterial infections is known for years.
But bacteria can be useful too.
Though probiotics look like a new addition to the food and supplement industry.
It has been with us since our birth.
The right bacteria at the right place can give us the health benefits of probiotics to a large extend.
And thus the probiotics come into use.
Probiotics are live, useful bacteria and yeast.
Probiotics are especially beneficial to your digestive system.
Often it is taken as germs causing diseases.
But the irony is our body itself is full of good and bad bacteria.
When bad bacteria affect our system, good bacteria eliminate bad ones.
This is how the balance is kept.
Since probiotics are good for the digestive system and keep the gut healthy, these are considered good and helpful bacteria.
Probiotic supplements help to add good bacteria into our bodies.
Probiotics are made of good bacteria to keep the body healthy and fit.
And in case of illness, it works like a protector from bad bacterias that won’t let u fall weak easily.
Promoting a healthy digestive tract, strengthening the immune system are two of the most talked-about health benefits of probiotics.
Probiotics are part of a greater function concerning bacteria and the human body.
It has to do with the microbiome, the diverse section of organisms.
A group or section is made with microbes.
There are billions and trillions of microbes present in our bodies.
Which are a combination of:
- Bacteria.
- Protozoa.
- Viruses.
- Fungi (including yeasts).
Each of us has a unique microbiome.
No two people have it the same, not even twins.
When a microbe acts as a probiotic, it has to be beneficial for human health, Has to be easily edible, has to survive in the intestine after being ingested.
Our gut system is the most common place where the maximum amount of useful probiotics is found.
Besides that, probiotics activate in the mouth, vagina, skin, urinary tract, lungs. Contacts with the outer world influence the function of probiotics in our body as well.
Some food items that are enriched with the goodness of probiotics are
- Idli
- apple cider vinegar
- kefir
- Green Peas
- kombucha
- cultured vegetables, such as sauerkraut and kimchi
- miso
- raw cheese
- dark chocolate
- tempeh
Let us discuss 9 Amazing Health Benefits of Probiotics
1. Weight Loss:
A thorough case study has shown that the health benefits of probiotics are applicable in reducing belly fat and overall weight control.
Lactobacillus probiotic strains, present in yogurt, kefir, miso helps reducing extra body weight.
Edible items with probiotics may help us feel contented for a longer time.
Foods with probiotics help burn calories and do not let us feel hungry frequently.
A systematic review in 2017 reveals data that obese patients had reduced fat while using various probiotics strains.
Another research found that people with obesity have higher chances to get gut bacteria than thinner people.
In leaner people, the bacteria is called Firmicutes.
It produces more of a complete metabolism of energy sources.
Hence Promotes a more methodical immersion of calories.
2. Improved Gut Health:
Probiotic therapy has sound success in diarrhea treatment.
Researches show that Lactobacillus GG can cure infectious diarrhea for babies (not for adults).
Though probiotic reduces diarrhea up to 60% than placebo.
The opposite of diarrhea is the problem of constipation.
In the case of treating constipation, research says gut transit time has been slowed by 12.4 hours.
The number of weekly bowel movements has been increased by 1.3 hours.
And helped to soften stool.
Research is still going on regarding the health benefits of probiotics in this matter.
Probiotic treatment may help people having Crohn’s disease and IBS or irritable bowel syndrome.
Clinical trials gave mixed results.
Though several individual cases proved that probiotics help to maintain remission of ulcerative colitis and relapse of Crohn’s disease.
These disorders are frustrating.
So many people are opting for giving it a try if the health benefits of probiotics can cure it.
3. Less Anxiety:
Good beneficial bacteria can become some of the most helpful home remedies to get relief from anxiety naturally.
Neurotransmitters that regulate mood (like serotonin) are there in the gut.
A healthy gut helps to keep anxiety at bay.
The gut of the human body is directly connected to the brain through the vagus nerve.
Therefore what goes into the gut, gets transmitted to the brain.
Some strains in probiotics are truly helpful in keeping our heart healthy as they lower bad LDT, blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation.
A healthy heart keeps the mind healthy as well.
4. Healthy Heart:
A healthy heart is a treasure to a healthy human.
Probiotics are giving hope to keep this treasure healthy and fit by lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.
Some bacteria produce lactic acid.
They can reduce cholesterol by breaking down bile in the gut.
Bile is a fluid, mostly made of cholesterol that helps digestion.
Probiotics can prevent it from getting reabsorbed in the gut by breaking down bile.
So that it won’t enter into the blood as cholesterol.
Studies say that the habit of yogurt eating for 2 to 8 weeks may help to reduce cholesterol up to 4%.
Consumption of probiotics may lower high blood pressure at a modest rate.
Lactobacillus probiotic bacteria reduce one-way blood lipids through bile salt hydrolase and enzymes.
According to Sanders- bile salts are precursors to cholesterol.
Probiotics are capable of impacting bile salt levels.
5. Prevents and Treats Diarrhea:
Probiotics play a sheer important role to protect our intestine against infection.
When the system is changed by excessive usage of antibiotics and overpowered by bad bacteria/viruses, diarrhea may happen.
Probiotics help to restore the balance of bacteria in our gut.
Yeast probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii helps to cure diarrhea.
Saccharomyces boulardii, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG are a few of the most useful strains of probiotics for the treatment of diarrhea.
6. Healthier Teeth:
Recent research on oral health and probiotics spoke for the beneficial side of probiotics in the maintenance of dental health.
Though more research yet to be done to find the exact dosage and particular bacteria strains useful to keep the teeth healthy.
According to some prior research, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus may reduce some harmful bacteria causing disease of gum.
They can also cure cavities in little kids of 3-4 years.
Another research by American microbiologists found that useful bacterias help neutralize the acid that breaks the enamel of the mouth.
7. Fewer Colds and Coughs:
The probiotics in yogurt contain immunity-boosting elements which are key to fight off flues and colds.
70 percent of our immune system is managed in our gut.
So a good gut is important for overall health.
Useful bacteria make an acidic environment uncomfortable for harmful ones.
Besides that, good bacteria do a lot of good protective things to the lymphatic system.
Which has to do with our immune system and further to the cold and cough tendency.
8. Prevents Vaginal Infections:
Probiotics are used to maintaining urogenital health.
The vagina is like a well-balanced ecosystem of the body.
The dominant Lactobacilli strains in it make it normally too acidic to survive for harmful microorganisms.
But sometimes due to the effects of antibiotics, birth control pills, spermicides the balance gets affected.
Probiotic treatment restores the microfloral balance.
A folk remedy to the problem is eating yogurt or cleaning the private part with yogurt.
Bacterial vaginosis can be cured with the help of Lactobacilli.
Nearly 30% of women suffer from an infection named bacterial vaginosis (BV) once in life knowingly or unknowingly.
It happens when the vagina’s mix of healthy bacteria gets disrupted.
By oral or vaginal application of probiotics, BV can be treated.
However, the health benefits of probiotics have limited potential to treat yeast infections.
9. Reduces Allergies and Eczema:
Eczema is a known chronic skin disease.
Probiotics are now being used as an increasingly effective option to treat eczema.
The gut system influences other inflammatory allergic reactions.
In maximum cases, young children and kids are prone to allergies easily.
Researches say if the mother takes probiotics for the last four weeks of pregnancy, and the first three months of the birth of her baby (when she breastfeeds), chances of eczema in children decreased.
Seasonal allergies are also curable by a certain combination of bacterial.
According to Dr. Lipman, good gut bacteria may help the body to manage its immune response.
A good immune system creates proper and balanced checks against possible threats.
The health benefits of probiotics are diverse.
Regular consumption of probiotics lowers the chances of catching a cold.
In case you get a cold, probiotics help to reduce the severity of symptoms and sickness does not stay long.
Does it Have Side Effects!
Probiotics are usually considered safe for both adults and kids.
The serious side effects of probiotics are really rare in physically strong ones.
Some limited adverse side effects may occur in a fewer section of not-so-fit people.
People who are prone to infection, including those who are recovering from operation or surgery, critically sick infants, people with chronic illness are at more risk of adverse reaction to probiotic consumption.
Probiotics can cause abdominal pain, serious systemic infections, troubled immune system on not applying it at the right time, at the right amount, to the right person for the treatment.
Some less serious side effects sometimes occur in healthy people as well.
Which includes hiccups, gas, bloating, constipation, and skin rashes.
Though the health benefits of probiotics are well known now and are generally considered safe for maximum people, it is still better to consult an expert before opting for any supplement to the diet.
Do not take the probiotic supplement on an empty stomach for it may cause side effects.
Try to take it with food.
It may take some trial and error methods to identify the right kind of probiotic and a suitable supplement for you.
Conclusion :
So these are 9 Amazing Health Benefits of Probiotics.
Here in this article, we tried to find some health benefits of probiotics off-bit, a comparatively newer cure option.
So that it may become useful to people having any of the above problems.
If the article enriches your understanding of Probiotic usages, the purpose of writing would be fulfilled.
Finally, let us know what do you think about this article on the 9 amazing health benefits of probiotics by a quick comment below in the comment box.
Wow such an amazing article and helpful too. It helps me a lot during my weight loss journey. But I did not know the another benefits of probiotics. Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you. Keep supporting us <3
Loved this contend Riya di.
Thank you
Thank you 🙂
Hi! I love how informative and great your articles are. Can you recommend any other Soul Healing blogs that go over the same topics? Thanks a lot!