Inside Your Body: How Bacteria Work To Maximize Your Health
Understanding the TRUTH about Probiotics and Prebiotics and how they work, digest this info and
DON’T BE FOOLED by the misleading and uninformed food ads you see on TV and read about in magazines.
There are billions if not trillions of bacteria which have made a home in your large intestine.
These healthy bacteria are probiotics, which mean they are extremely beneficial to your health.
These bacteria, research suggests, fight off toxins and other infectious bacteria which can lead to sickness and poor health.
Yogurts and fermented milk often contain live bacteria, which could build or even re-build the bacterial colony inside you.
Healthy bacteria play a very important role in your health and wellness.
These beneficial bacteria can strengthen your immune system and aid your digestive system by pre-digesting food particles.
However, as important as these bacteria are, most people do not know a whole lot about them.
Probiotics (Lactobacilli)
There are many types of bacteria currently living in your intestines.
Lactobacilli bacteria perform daily tasks which promote better overall health.
One function that Lactobacilli are responsible for is to produce certain metabolites (like lactic acid for example), which could pre-digest food particles and aid in digestion.
Lactobacilli, also produce an antibiotic-like substance (bacteriocine), which slows the growth of many potentially nasty types of microorganisms and bacteria.
Here are some of the main functions of Lactobacilli in your body:
• Pre-digestion of food particles
• Production of vitamin B
• Production of other minerals from pre-digested and digested food particles
Integral components of the lactobacilli bacteria, research suggests, is what makes lactobacilli so special.
Components of the cell wall and the metabolites it produces (lactic acid and vitamin B) are responsible for improving your immune system – making it stronger to fight off infections.
Other functions of Lactobacilli include: the breakdown of proteins and fat from food, and converting lactate (the major component of milk) into lactic acid.
Including Lactobacilli in your diet (from yogurts, fermented milk, and probiotic drinks) could improve digestion of nutrients for people with a compromised digestive system, or who lack stomach enzymes that properly breakdown food.
However, Lactobacilli cannot function without a food source of their own.
Prebiotics
Prebiotics, which are nutrients found in many different foods, provide nutrition to your gut flora and keep it functioning at optimal levels.
Prebiotics are non-digestable components of food products, and are often added to probiotic drinks, yogurts, and other probiotic products.
Prebiotics provide food and nutrients to your “good” bacteria, which could help them grow, flourish, and function properly.
Common types of prebiotics are:
• Oligosaccharides
• Fructooligosaccharides
• Inulin
Prebiotics are necessary for improvements to the function of your gut bacteria.
Beneficial Bacteria
Gut flora is important to your health.
The minute you are born, gut bacteria start to invade and colonize in your intestines.
Many things, however, can harm the relationship you have with your gut flora.
Some research suggests that antibiotic use, disease, stress, and other factors can harm your gut bacteria population, leaving you susceptible to harmful bacteria, leading to sickness.
Gut flora has been shown to improve symptoms related to irritable bowel syndrome, allergic conditions, dental health, improved blood pressure, skin health, pain relief, anti-inflammatory actions, improvements in cardiovascular health, and even weight loss.
Prebiotics and Probiotic food products could be a great way to increase your gut flora population, plus they can provide your existing bacteria with nutrients needed for better health and immunity.
If you would like to learn more about the type of foods that can help YOU, feel free to contact me.
Have a “FIT” day,
Russ