How do probiotics promote good health?

From the day we were born there have been billions of bacteria living in our digestive tract at all times. Most are helpful, some do harm. To maintain digestive health, the idea is to keep a proper balance between the two. When there is an imbalance, diarrhea, constipation/irregularity, bloating, gas and other intestinal discomforts can result⁴.

Probiotics are live microorganisms that are similar to the good bacteria already inside our bodies. Available to us mainly through dietary supplements and foods, these probiotics can restore intestinal balance by boosting the number of those bacteria that are helpful to us⁴.

Intestinal balance is a delicate thing, It can be disturbed by:

• A poor diet that does not give the body the proper nutrition
• Age – the number of healthy bacteria decrease as we get older
• Stress wreaks havoc on the digestive system
• Travel exposes us to harmful bacteria, especially in the water we drink
• The use of antibiotics and other medications also alters the balance
  in the digestive system⁴

When taken on a daily basis probiotics support the digestive system and restore the balance that is so important to good health. Probiotics increase the number of healthy bacteria compared to the unhealthy strains. Furthermore, the probiotic strains that enter the body compete for space and nutrients with the less desirable strains, making it harder for them to produce toxic substances. Studies even have shown that probiotics may stimulate the immune system. In general, the use of probiotics creates a situation that is receptive to good bacteria and unfriendly to those that can do us harm⁵.

When choosing a probiotic product, it’s important to select one in which the good bacteria have a high rate of survivability. In other words, look for products that ensure the bacteria they are delivering arrive in the digestive tract alive (like Phillips’ Colon Health), because if not they are useless. Another consideration is the stability of the product, which varies greatly according to factors such as the species and strain of bacteria used and the technology employed to create the product. There are many factors in the body that can make some probiotic products ineffective – they must be able to withstand harsh stomach acids to reach the intestinal tract, and they have to be able to adhere to the lining of the intestinal tract in spite of intestinal fluids that provide a challenge⁶.

⁴National Institutes of Health

⁵http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/tc/probiotics-topic-overview

⁶American Journal of Clinical Nutrition - http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/73/2/399S