Day 252- The Pros of Probiotics

When we think of bacteria, we usually think of it being a bad thing, but what you may not be aware of is that the body is made up of good and bad bacteria. According to the New York Times, "the human body is made up of an estimated 100 trillion bacteria cells from at least 500 species." This is about 3 pounds of bacteria that you have in your body. Probiotics (meaning "for life") are referred to as "friendly" bacteria, and are defined as "live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host." The two major groups of probiotics that you will see are Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, yet those two groups contain many different strains.

Probiotics may be able to assist with digestion, reducing harmful bacteria, reducing inflammation, and supporting the immune system (after all about 80% of your immune system is located in the gut). They are found in foods and supplements. Some natural occurring probiotics are found in fermented foods such as kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, etc.

Antibiotics have the opposite effect on the body, as they kill off the friendly bacteria along with the unfriendly bacteria. The standard American diet can help the wrong bacteria too. Bad bacteria in your body feeds off sugars, which sadly is what people are eating way too often. Exposure to many chemicals can deplete the healthy bacteria as well, leaving the bad bacteria plenty of room to multiply.

Probiotics can be taken by anyone, but I highly recommend it for anyone who has allergies, GI issues, reoccurring yeast infections, previous antibiotic use, diets high in sugar or carbohydrates, chemical exposure, or who are looking to loose weight.

• Probiotics and weight loss
• Probiotics and yeast infections
• Probiotics and immune health
• Probiotics and allergies
• Probiotics while breast feeding

Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP

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