Probiotics: A Healthy diet of Life
“A Healthy Body helps to lead a Healthy Life”. It is very essential to maintain a proper health. The best way to improve health is to eat healthy because what you eat is closely linked to your health. In many cases, illness and injuries occur due to the lack of care of your body. One of the best ways to have a healthy body is firstly to have the proper Digestive system. The digestive system is said to be the root cause of all illness. A Digestive system consists of good and bad Bacteria, a proper balance of good and bad bacteria contributes to the healthy Digestive system.
Research shows that there are more than 400 species of good and bad Bacteria in your gut. It is therefore very essential to maintain a good balance between these Bacteria for the overall health of the body. Most of these Bacteria’s resides in the intestine. The good and bad Bacteria supports in the digestion of food. A healthy working of intestine helps in filtering and eliminating harmful Bacteria and waste products.
There are various causes of imbalance of good and bad Bacteria like Lack of sleep, Emotional stress, poor diet, and bad eating habits and overuse of antibiotics etc. When there is an imbalance of good and bad Bacteria, i.e. when the population of bad Bacteria exceeds the good Bacteria in the gut, it leads to several health problems like infections in the urinary system, Diarrhoea, skin infections, Allergies, Fatigue, etc. Knowing the consequences of the growth of bad Bacteria in your gut it’s very essential to increase the number of good Bacteria in your gut. Probiotics are the one which helps to solve this problem.
Probiotics in the simple term are a type of ‘Good Bacteria’ or can say are the live micro-organisms found in some foods and supplements. Probiotics help in maintaining a healthy balance of Bacteria in the gut. Even if you are living a healthy lifestyle and having healthy food like vegetables, fruits, carbohydrates or proteins still you cannot obtain the Probiotics from these foods. Basically, there are few food items which are the natural source of Probiotics. You can get Probiotics naturally from cheese, Yogurt, tempeh, miso, and kimchi. There are also Probiotics supplements available in the market if taken in right dosage helps in the optimal health of your gut.
Probiotics are basically live Bacteria and yeasts that are good for your digestive system. Whenever we normally think of Bacteria, we consider them as something that causes diseases or other health problems. But this is not true. As mentioned above, our body is full of good and bad Bacteria and the Probiotics are called ‘good’ or ‘helpful’ bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy.
Probiotics contain following micro-organisms in it:
- Saccharomyces-
This is a type of micro-organism found in yeast which helps to treat acne problems and Diarrhoea. It also helps in reducing the side effects caused due to gastric ulcer treatments.
- Streptococcus-
This micro-organism produces the enzyme lactase, which helps in the prevention of bowel inflammation and lactose intolerance.
- Lactobacillus-
These type of micro-organisms are found in the urinary, digestive and genital system. They are also found in fermented food like yogurt and helps prevent skin disorders, respiratory infections, and urinary tract infections.
- Bifidobacteria-
This type is found in a healthy colon and appears in the intestinal tract of babies within the days of birth. They prevent dental cavities and bad cholesterol.
There are several benefits of Probiotics:
- Preventing and treating skin infections, Urinary tract infections.
- Helps in treating Skin conditions like eczema.
- Helps in treating Allergies and Asthma.
- Lactose intolerance.
- Helps in treating stomach and respiratory infections especially in children.
After knowing several benefits of Probiotics, the first question arises in mind is How do Probiotics work…? Researchers are still trying to find as how does Probiotics exactly to work..? It is said that when you lose good Bacteria in your body after taking antibiotics or due to any other reason, Probiotics helps to lower the number of bad bacteria in your gut by replacing them with the good Bacteria. They also help in maintaining the good balance between good and bad Bacteria in your gut.
Some suggest for Prebiotics to maintain the healthy digestive system. Although Prebiotics if selectively utilized helps to increase healthy Bacteria in your gut but still there is a major difference between Probiotics and Prebiotics. Just like Probiotics, Prebiotics isn’t a food but they are found in various foods. Prebiotics are classified as non-digestible food ingredients that can be utilized by Probiotics. They aid digestion and increases the production of valuable vitamins. The major source or Prebiotics is dietary fiber which naturally occurs in fruits and vegetables. We can say about Prebiotics as the fuel that feeds Probiotics successful restoration of good Bacteria.
Dupont range of Probiotics popularly known as HOWARU can add documented health benefits to dairy products, frozen desserts, beverages etc. HOWARU range are scientifically proven for the smooth functioning of the digestive system and improves the body’s immune system. Dupont’s Probiotic dietary supplements enhance in maintaining the digestive system and immune system of the all age group consumers.
After knowing what exactly Probiotics is..? how it helps for the healthy functioning of the body…? I can understand why our elders always used to insist to have either a bowl full of curd or buttermilk while having lunch. The amount of Probiotics present in a bowl of curd or a glass of buttermilk helps to increase the number of good Bacteria in your gut. But in many cases, the small amount of curd or buttermilk or other dairy products are not enough to eradicate the number of bad Bacteria in your body, in such cases you can opt for Probiotic supplements available in the market. Approximately we need 40bns/perday of Probiotics cfu/ml.
The FDA regulates Probiotics as food items and not like medications. But still, in some cases, the consumer might have mild side effects such as gastric problem, upset stomach, diarrhea for the first couple of days after taking supplements. So, it is always suggested to first consult your doctor and then opt for the Probiotics supplements.