Maintain And Improve Gut Integrity
The digestive tract is protected by a thin wall of cells called the gut barrier. This wall allows beneficial particles to pass from the intestines to the bloodstream while keeping partially digested food or disease-causing particles from slipping through.
When the gut barrier is damaged or inflamed, proteins and other bacteria may leak through the barrier. This is known as increased intestinal permeability or leaky gut syndrome.
More research is needed to understand why this happens. Evidence shows that the integrity of the gut barrier can be affected by genetics, stress, alcohol use and may be disrupted by poor diet and certain medications.
One study of 23 men showed that probiotic supplements helped improve the stability of the gut wall. Omni-Biotic Stress Release contains specific probiotic bacterial strains that support a strong gut barrier.
Benefits Of Taking Probiotics And Prebiotics
Sure, youll be able to take prebiotics and probiotics collectively, though for the very best outcomes they shouldnt be taken on the similar time. So if one is the meals for the opposite, its possible youll wonder if prebiotics and probiotics may be taken collectively. On this case, the prebiotics profit the probiotics and may very properly be taken collectively. It refers to a complement the place probiotics and prebiotics are mixed to assist the probiotic micro organism be more practical. Prebiotics Assist Probiotics Survive and Colonize the GutPrebiotics assist probiotics colonize the intestine as a result of the prebiotics function meals sources for the probiotic micro organism. Conclusion: Combining Prebiotics with a Probiotic Complement has Many Constructive EffectsPrebiotics and probiotics each present essential advantages to keep up a wholesome intestine flora, digestion and general wellbeing.
Taking Enzymes With Probiotics And Synbiotics
Like some beneficial bacteria, digestive enzymes help your body break down compounds in food so that their nutrients can be absorbed in the digestive tract. For example, the first digestive enzyme food encounters after we eat it is amylase, which is contained in saliva.
For a range of reasons, your bodys production of digestive enzymes can be compromised. This can be caused by:
- Pancreatic insufficiency
- A genetic predisposition to insufficient enzyme production
- Damage to the gut lining
Some key digestive enzymes are secreted through the lining of your intestines. Damage to these cells can reduce this function, causing a lack of digestive enzymes in the affected area. As a result, gut bacteria imbalances can have the secondary effect of low enzyme production due to harmful bacteria damaging the cells lining the gut.
Because of this, taking digestive enzyme supplements along with a probiotic or synbiotic can help restore your gut and immune system to healthy working order following an illness or as part of improving your overall health. Research also suggests that some digestive enzyme supplements can help manage the symptoms of gastrointestinal problems such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome.6
Most people don’t need to take digestive enzyme supplements on a long-term basis. A healthy body should be able to produce them itself.
- Coeliac disease
- Pancreatic cancer
- Removed gallbladder
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Help With Weight Loss
The gut microbiota plays an important role in how the body extracts energy from food, so the gut may be an essential factor for weight loss. Some research shows that probiotic supplementation can result in weight loss.
There are likely a handful of factors at play, including the specific strain of probiotics, how long supplementation is done, plus age, gender, and baseline weight. More research is needed to understand what role probiotics play in weight loss.
Help With Certain Mental Health Conditions
Microbiota composition changes are related to depression and anxiety. This may be because 95 percent of the neurotransmitter serotonin, the feel-good hormone, is produced by the bacteria in the gut.
One study found that after 30 days of supplementing with the probiotic strains Lactobacillus helveticus and Bifidobacteria longum, healthy participants had less anxiety and depression.
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Prebiotics And Probiotics: Creating A Healthier You
You’ve probably heard of prebiotics and probiotics, but do you know what they are? Probiotics are live microorganisms that provide health benefits when you consume them in the right amounts.
Although probiotics are available as dietary supplements, some may be found through fermented foods, too.
Research continues in this area of nutrition investigating which strains of probiotics are present in specific foods and which ones provide health benefits. While this is still an area of study, there are a few key points that are worth keeping in mind.
What Are Prebiotics and What Do They Do?
Prebiotics are naturally occurring, non-digestible food components that are linked to promoting the growth of helpful bacteria in your gut. Simply said, they’re “good” bacteria promoters. Prebiotics may improve gastrointestinal health as well as potentially enhance calcium absorption.
Prebiotics in Your Diet
Prebiotics include fructooligosaccharides, such as inulin and galactooligosaccharides. But rather than focusing on these lengthy words, include more prebiotics in your day by eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains such as bananas, onions, garlic, leeks, asparagus, artichokes, beans and whole-grain foods.
What Are Probiotics and What Do They Do?
Probiotics in Your Diet
What Makes Prebiotics and Probiotics the “Dynamic Duo?”
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Benefits Of Good Bacteria
The beneficial bacteria that populate the digestive tract work in many possible ways, depending on the type of bacteria and other factors, including:
- protecting against harmful bacteria
- regulating the responses of the immune system
- strengthening the tissue of the bowel wall
- helping to digest food
- producing vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and vitamin K
- enhancing absorption of some minerals
- improving symptoms of some digestive diseases and disorders
- helping to regulate weight
- improving heart health
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How Probiotics Might Be Bad For You
Because these good bacteria already exist in the body, theyâre considered safe for most people. But there are some things to consider.
They can trigger an allergic reaction. They might cause mild stomach problems, especially the first few days you start taking them. You might have stomach upset, gas, diarrhea, or bloating. Those symptoms usually go away after your body gets used to them.
If you have an immune system problem or another serious health condition, you may have a greater chance of issues. Some reports have linked probiotics to serious infections and other side effects. The people most likely to have trouble are those with immune system problems, people who’ve had surgery, and others who are critically ill. Don’t take probiotics if you have any of those issues.
Always talk to your pediatrician before giving probiotic supplements to your child. If you’re pregnant or nursing, you should also talk to your doctor before you try one.
Most probiotics in the U.S. are sold as dietary supplements. That means the companies that make them don’t have to test their products and show that they work or that they are safe. More research is needed to confirm that probiotics are safe and effective.
Ask your doctor which probiotics are the right ones for you. Be sure to stop taking them if you have any problems.
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How Should People Take Probiotics
The requirements for a microbe to be considered a probiotic are that the microbe must be alive when administered, it must be documented to have a health benefit, and it must be administered at levels to confer a health benefit. A rule of thumb often cited is to take at least a billion colony-forming units daily.
These are live microorganisms that will not provide the promised benefits if they don’t remain alive. The manufacturer and consumer must pay close attention to the conditions of storage at which the particular microorganism will survive and the end of their shelf life. The potency will indicate the number of viable bacteria per dose, and the purity has to do with the presence of contaminating or ineffective bacteria.
The other thing to remember is that these microorganisms are not all created equally. In fact, the genus, strain, and species all need to be the same for the results found in the study to be the results that one hopes to achieve when taking it. For example, with the strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, the genus is Lactobacillus, the species is rhamnosus, and the strain is GG. If any one of those is different in your supplement, you may not attain the same results.
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Probiotics And Gut Health
The best case for probiotic therapy has been in the treatment of diarrhea. Controlled trials have shown that Lactobacillus GG can shorten the course of infectious diarrhea in infants and children . Although studies are limited and data are inconsistent, two large reviews, taken together, suggest that probiotics reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea by 60%, when compared with a placebo.
More common than diarrhea is the opposite problem constipation. In a search for studies on the benefits of probiotics in treating constipation, researchers found that probiotics slowed “gut transit time” by 12.4 hours, increases the number of weekly bowel movements by 1.3, and helped to soften stools, making them easier to pass. But the jury is still out on specific recommendations when it comes to the benefits of probiotics for constipation.
Probiotic therapy may also help people with Crohn’s disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Clinical trial results are mixed, but several small studies suggest that certain probiotics may help maintain remission of ulcerative colitis and prevent relapse of Crohn’s disease and the recurrence of pouchitis . Because these disorders are so frustrating to treat, many people are giving probiotics a try before all the evidence is in for the particular strains they’re using. More research is needed to find out which strains work best for what conditions.
Risks And Side Effects
All probiotics arent created equally. Not all strains have beneficial effects, and its important to do your research before starting a new supplement.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates products with probiotics in different ways , however not all products are guaranteed to be of high quality.
As always, if you have an existing medical condition, all new supplement regimens should be conducted under the supervision of a medical professional. This is especially important if youre immunocompromised.
Probiotic side effects can sometimes include bloating, flatulence and diarrhea if you take too much too fast. You can start off with a smaller amount, like one tablespoon of kefir or one probiotic capsule a day, and work your way up if youre just getting into eating probiotic foods or taking dietary supplements.
One very rare side effect of probiotics seen in cancer patients is sepsis. This is an extremely rare occurrence.
Overall, according to the FDA, studies have found that probiotics are associated with very few probiotics side effects and a large number of benefits.
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Future Emerging Areas Of Research
Conditions Related To Allergy
Allergic Rhinitis
- A review of 23 studies in which probiotics were tested for treating allergic rhinitis found some evidence that they may be helpful for improving symptoms and quality of life. However, because the studies tested different probiotics and measured different effects, no recommendations about the use of probiotics could be made. Few side effects of probiotics were reported in these studies.
Asthma
- A review of 11 studies of probiotics for asthma in children had inconclusive results.
Atopic Dermatitis
- Atopic dermatitis is an itchy chronic skin disorder thatâs associated with allergies but not caused by them. Itâs most common in infants and may start as early as age 2 to 6 months. Many people outgrow it by early adulthood. Atopic dermatitis is one of several types of eczema.
- A 2017 review of 13 studies of probiotics for the treatment of atopic dermatitis in infants and children did not find consistent evidence of a beneficial effect. A review of 9 studies in adults provided preliminary evidence that some strains of probiotics might be beneficial for symptoms of atopic dermatitis.
Prevention of Allergies
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Reduce The Frequency Of Diarrhea
While there are many causes for diarrhea, a change in the guts bacteria can lead to loose stools. Antibiotics often disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome, leading to antibiotic-associated diarrhea and causing loss of good bacteria.
Probiotics may reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in adults aged 18-64. Omni-Biotic AB 10 contains ten carefully selected bacterial strains that restore the gut microbiome and reduce antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
What Has Science Shown About The Effectiveness Of Probiotics For Health Conditions
A great deal of research has been done on probiotics, but much remains to be learned about whether theyâre helpful and safe for various health conditions.
Probiotics have shown promise for a variety of health purposes, including prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea , prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis and in premature infants, treatment of infant colic, treatment of periodontal disease, and induction or maintenance of remission in ulcerative colitis.
However, in most instances, we still donât know which probiotics are helpful and which are not. We also donât know how much of the probiotic people would have to take or who would be most likely to benefit. Even for the conditions that have been studied the most, researchers are still working toward finding the answers to these questions.
The following sections summarize the research on probiotics for some of the conditions for which theyâve been studied.
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Benefits For The Immune System
Up to 70% of the bodys immune cells are found in the gut. Keeping the gut healthy is key to keeping the immune system functioning normally.
Specific probiotics have been shown to improve the immune response. For example, the probiotic strain Bifidobacteria infantis has been shown to increase T regulatory cells. These cells help prevent autoimmune diseases and can help limit chronic inflammation diseases.
The Bottom Line On Prebiotics And Probiotics
Unfortunately, numerous factors can disrupt the balance between good and bad bacteria, and therefore interfere with your bodys natural ability to heal and detoxify itself. Helping to restore intestinal integrity, probiotics work round the clock to balance the good and bad bacteria within the GI tract, which can easily be upset by chlorinated water, poor elimination of waste, stress, oral contraceptives, a diet rich in refined foods and poor digestion. Antibiotics can also wreak havoc on the gut flora. I always tell my patients and family members that they should take antibiotics as infrequently as possible and if they do need to take them then it is important to simultaneously supplement with a high quality probiotic.
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Make Sure Any Supplements You Buy Are Coated
Some probiotic strains can’t survive the acidity of your gut. So if you’re taking a supplement, make sure it’s coated the outer shell will help it reach your intestines intact. If you can find only an uncoated version, take it with food to help protect it from the aggressive environment.
This article originally appeared in the March 2019 issue of Womens Health. For more intel on how to live a happier, healthier life, pick up an issue on newsstands now.
Types Of Probiotics: Lactobacillus
Probiotic supplements, foods, and beverages contain bacteria and/or yeasts. Up until the 1960s, the only gut microflora that they were able to identify were clostridia, lactobacilli, enterococci, and E. coli. Since then, innovative techniques have discovered many more bacteria.
There are several different kinds of probiotics, and their health benefits are determined by the job that they do in the gut. They must be identified by their genus, species, and probiotic strain level. Here is a list of probiotics and their possible health benefits.
1. Lactobacillus
There are more than 50 species of lactobacilli. They are naturally found in the digestive, urinary, and genital systems. Foods that are fermented, like yogurt, and dietary supplements also contain these bacteria. Lactobacillus has been used for treating and preventing a wide variety of diseases and conditions.
Some of the lactobacilli found in foods and supplements are Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. acidophilus DDS-1, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus plantarium, Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus salivarius, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus johnsonii, and Lactobacillus gasseri.
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Can You Take Prebiotics And Probiotics Together
You can eat prebiotic and probiotic foods together or separately, as long as youre eating a variety of both to reap all the benefits.
But combining probiotic foods and prebiotic foods may be the best way to get all the synergistic effects of these beneficial components. The combination is called synbiotic a word that was first coined for use in supplements but is also used for food.
For example, to achieve synbiotic eating, you might eat:
- Beans and pickled veggies
- Jerusalem artichokes with miso
The Science Behind Probiotics & How A Probiotic Rx Might Help You
The strongest evidence for probiotic benefits exists for the prevention and treatment of diarrheal illnesses. For example, one comprehensive review study2 reveals that the probiotic S. boulardii can reduce antibiotic associated diarrhea by more than fifty percent. To prevent antibiotic associated diarrhea probiotics should be taken as soon as one starts taking the antibiotic for best results nevertheless, even after diarrhea has already set in probiotics have been shown to cure it more quickly.
Probiotics are also effective at treating infectious diarrhea caused by viruses or bacteria that is unrelated to antibiotics use. Probiotics are effective at preventing and treating travelers diarrhea and problems caused by the bacteria h. pylori, a major cause of gastritis and stomach ulcers. Probiotics are also effective at maintaining remission of disease in persons with ulcerative colitis. Other gastrointestinal conditions thought to be helped include c. difficile colitis, a deadly disease caused by antibiotic use, Crohns disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Probiotics seem to have benefit as regards to dental conditions, including gingivitis and the development of dental disease.
The consumption of probiotics is even linked to an improvement in halitosis
Probiotics can help prevent infections. In adults tantalizing research indicates probiotics can prevent infections of the ears, nose, and throat, and the urinary and respiratory systems.
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