Probiotics are made from good live bacteria and/or yeast that naturally live in your body. You have both good and bad bacteria in your body all the time.
When you get an infection, there are more bad bacteria throwing your system off balance.
The good bacteria help eliminate additional bad bacteria and restore balance.
Probiotic supplements are one way to add good bacteria to your body.
Probiotics can be found in foods like yogurt. Bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) and yeast (Saccharomyces boulardii) can be found in many parts of your body, including the intestines.
Probiotics are made from both bacteria and yeast. Common probiotic bacteria can include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. The yeast most commonly found in probiotics is Saccharomyces boulardii.
What are probiotics?
Probiotics are a combination of live, beneficial bacteria and/or yeast that live naturally in your body. in a negative light as something that makes you sick.
However, you have two types of bacteria in and on your body all the time: good bacteria and bad bacteria.
Probiotics are made up of good bacteria that help keep your body healthy and functioning well. These good bacteria help you in many ways, including fighting bad bacteria when you have too much of them and helping you feel better.
Probiotics are part of a larger picture of bacteria and your body: your microbiome.
Think of a microbiome as a diverse community of organisms, like a forest, that work together to keep your body healthy. This community is made up of things called microbes.
You have trillions of microbes on and in your body. Microbes are a combination of:
- Bacteria.
- Fungi (including yeast).
- Viruses.
- Protozoa.
Everyone’s microbiome is unique.
No two people have the same microbial cells, even twins are different.
In order for a microbe to be called a probiotic, it must have several properties. These include power: Being isolated from a human being. Survival in your gut after ingestion (eaten). Have a proven benefit for you.
Should be consumed safely.
Where do beneficial probiotics (microbes) live in my body?
Although the most common location is associated with beneficial microbes in the gut (primarily the large intestine), there are several locations inside and outside the body that harbor beneficial microbes. These locations are in contact with the “outside world” including Yours:
Good.
Mouth.
Vagina.
Urinary.
Skin.
Lungs.
How do probiotics work?
The main job of probiotics, or good bacteria, is to maintain a healthy balance in your body. Imagine keeping your body in a neutral state.
When you are sick, harmful bacteria enter your body and multiply. in number. This throws your body off balance.
The good bacteria fight the bad bacteria and restore balance in your body, making you feel better. Good bacteria keep you healthy by supporting your immune function and controlling inflammation.
Certain types of good bacteria can also:
- Help your body digest food.
- Prevent harmful bacteria from taking over and making you ill.
- Create vitamins.
- Help maintain the cells that line the gut to prevent bad bacteria you’ve picked up (via food or drink) from entering your blood.
- They break down and absorb drugs.
This balancing act is happening naturally in your body all the time. You don’t actually have to be taking probiotic supplements for this to happen.
Good bacteria are just a natural part of your body. in dietary fiber, each day helps keep good bacteria counts at reasonable levels.
What are the most common types of probiotic bacteria?
Although there are many types of bacteria that can be considered probiotics, there are two specific types of bacteria that are commonly found in stores as probiotics.
These include:
- Lactobacilli.
- Bifidobacterium.
Probiotics are also made from good yeast.
The most common type of yeast found in probiotics is:
Saccharomyces boulardii.
Can I use probiotics to help with medical conditions?
There is a lot of research going on into what probiotics can do for your body. There are many potentially positive results, researchers are still working to find definitive answers on how probiotics can help with various conditions.
However, there are some conditions that probiotics can help with.
This can vary from person to person, meaning what works for one person may not work for another. These may also vary depending on the particular probiotic ingested.
Some of the conditions that increase the amount of probiotics in your body (through food or supplements) can help are:
Diarrhea (both antibiotic and Clostridioides difficile (C.diff)).
Constipation.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Yeast infections.
Urinary tract infections.
Gum disease.
Lactose intolerance.
Eczema (atopic dermatitis).
Upper respiratory tract infections (ear infections, common cold, sinusitis).
Sepsis (especially in babies).
Can I drink or eat something to increase the good probiotics (microbes) in my body?
You can increase the number of good microbes in your body through food, drink, and supplements. You may already have certain foods in your daily diet that contain probiotics.
Fermented foods in particular (such as yogurt and pickles) are home to a variety of good bacteria that benefit your body.
There are also fermented drinks like kombucha (fermented tea) or kefir (fermented milk drink) that add extra probiotics to your diet.
In addition to food, you can add probiotics to your diet through supplements. These aren’t drugs, so they don’t need to be approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
It’s important to always talk to your doctor. Providers before beginning any type of supplementation or major dietary change.
Can I get probiotics from food?
You can absolutely increase the beneficial microbes in your body through the food you eat.
Certain foods contain probiotics (good bacteria) and can benefit the health of your microbiome.
These foods can be added to your diet at any time of the day.
You may even be eating them regularly now and not knowing that they contain probiotics.
You should look for “live and active cultures” on the food label. Some suggestions for some of the probiotic-rich foods to add to your diet and some opportunities to try them are:
Try for breakfast:
Yogurt.
Buttermilk.
Sourdough bread.
For lunch, try:
cottage cheese.
Kombucha.
Tempeh.
For a snack, try:
Fermented Pickles.
For dinner, try:
Fermented Sauerkraut Kimchi Miso Soup.
Make sure you prepare a balanced and healthy meal every time you sit down to eat. While there’s no harm in adding probiotic foods to your diet, balance is still key.
Adding too much of one food prevents your body from reaping the benefits of other food groups.
How do I take a probiotic supplement?
There are several ways to take a probiotic supplement. They come in a variety of forms, including Food.
Beverages.
Capsules or pills.
Powders.
Liquids.
Probiotic supplements can be combined with a prebiotic.
Prebiotics are complex carbohydrates that feed microorganisms in your gut.
Basically, prebiotics is the “food source” for good bacteria.
They help feed the good bacteria and keep them healthy. Prebiotics include inulin, pectin, and resistant starches.
You have a dietary supplement that combines a probiotic and a prebiotic, it’s called a symbiotic.
How effective are probiotics?
Researchers are currently unsure how effective probiotic supplements are for treating medical conditions. There is ongoing research on this topic.
While many research studies have found positive results on the effects of probiotic supplements, more research is needed. It is also important to note that, unlike drugs, dietary supplements do not require FDA approval.
This means that manufacturers can simply sell supplements with “claims” about safety and effectiveness. Always check with your doctor (or pediatrician) before taking any supplement or giving it to your child. Dietary supplements may interfere with the medications you are taking. .
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult your healthcare practitioner before taking any dietary supplement.
Are there storage instructions for probiotics?
Some probiotic strains are very fragile and need to be protected from heat, oxygen, light, and moisture. Probiotics can begin to break down or die when exposed to these elements.
Because of this, you may need to store your probiotics in the fridge or in a specific place. Refrigerating certain probiotic strains ensures they are still viable when you are going to use them and continue to provide the full benefit of the probiotic.
Always read the labels of all your probiotic products shop to ensure proper storage and use within the expiration date.
How safe are probiotics?
Because the microbes used as probiotics are already naturally present in your body, probiotic foods and supplements are generally considered safe.
They can trigger allergic reactions and also cause mild stomach upset, diarrhea, or gas and bloating for the first few days after you start taking them.
Certain individuals should exercise caution when using probiotic supplements. Some people are at risk of infection.
These people include people with: a weakened immune system chemotherapy for example a critical illness.I recently had surgery.
Caution should also be exercised when giving probiotics to very sick babies. Always talk to your doctor before starting any probiotic supplement.
Can probiotics harm me?
For most healthy people, probiotics do not cause harm. They are generally considered safe and are often “tested” to see if they can help with various conditions.
A lot of research is being done on the subject of probiotics. Scientists are trying to figure out when and how they should be used. as well as how effective they are.
Talk to your doctor before starting any probiotic supplement as there are some instances when you should not take them.
it’s always best to have the conversation before you start a new addition.
Are There Any Risks Associated With Probiotics?
Probiotics are generally considered safe. However, there are some risks associated with dietary supplements. These risks are increased if you have a condition that weakens your immune system, have had recent surgery, or have other serious medical conditions.
Unlikely, but possible risks may include: Developing an infection. develop resistance to antibiotics. Evolve harmful by-products of probiotic supplementation.
Should I give my kids probiotics?
Probiotics can be beneficial for both adults and children. If your child has an illness that requires an antibiotic for treatment, taking a probiotic can help shorten the symptoms.
Probiotics can also be used to relieve constipation, heartburn, diarrhea, gas, and eczema in children. Introducing probiotics into your child’s diet through food is usually a safe way to give them probiotics. Foods like yogurt and cottage cheese are often part of a balanced diet and can add good bacteria without much risk.
There are commercially available probiotic supplements that are specifically formulated for infants and children.
However, it’s important to check with your child’s pediatrician before administering probiotic supplements or switching your child’s diet to include probiotic-rich foods.
Should I take probiotics after taking antibiotics?
Antibiotic medications are often needed to fight infection. However, while antibiotics kill bad bacteria, they also kill good bacteria in your body. Some people develop conditions such as diarrhea after taking an antibiotic. In other people, this can lead to really bad bacteria like C.diff.
take over and fill the intestines.
Some research has shown a positive association between taking probiotics after a course of antibiotics and reducing diarrhea.
This hasn’t been tested yet and doesn’t work for everyone. The idea behind adding probiotics to your body after taking an antibiotic is that it can repopulate the good bacteria that were destroyed by the antibiotics and restart your system.
The extra good bacteria help repopulate your gut and fight the remaining bad bacteria.
Many people find that adding probiotics won’t hurt, it might help you feel better a little faster and prevent diarrhea.
Should I try probiotics?
If you’re interested in adding probiotics to your diet, you should speak to your doctor. Many providers may suggest trying them to see if they help your overall health.
It is important to remember that not all probiotics behave the same and have the same effects.
Each has its own individual advantages.
They usually do no harm. An easy way to get started can be by simply adding probiotic-rich foods like yogurt to your diet. Before you start taking any dietary supplement, be sure to talk to your doctor.
Your provider can point you in the right direction and help you determine the best probiotic, how much, and when to take it.
A conversation is always worthwhile when it comes to your health.
