By Tyler Ardizzone, OrganicLivingMagazine.com
The human body is home to over 500 different strains of bacteria that serve specific functions. Bacteria of the same name may even function in different ways. We have yet to discover all the effects that probiotics—live bacteria and yeasts that are good for health—have on the body. However, we do know that the right strains, cultured and processed in the right way, offer the following six proven health benefits.
1. Probiotics Provide Energy
According to gastroenterologist Matthew Ciorba, up to 10 percent of our daily energy needs are provided through the process of fermentation by our gut flora. By breaking down the components of food that we are unable to digest (like fiber), bacteria in our gut allow us to assimilate fatty acids, sugars, and amino acids that we would not have access to otherwise.2. Probiotics Are Anti-Inflammatory
An excess of oxygen radicals in the gastrointestinal tract is a potential cause of chronic disease. As these oxygen radicals accumulate in the intestinal tract, they can damage the intestinal lining and create a state of chronic inflammation. Some strains of bacteria have been found to limit the accumulation of free radicals in the intestinal tracts of rats by acting as antioxidants. The end products that gut bacteria produce, like the short-chain fatty acid butyrate, also have antioxidant properties that help to reduce inflammation and heal the intestinal wall.3. Probiotics Resist Infection
The fermentation end product butyrate also supports regulatory T-cell functions in the gut and contributes to the integrity of the intestinal wall. This prevents infectious pathogens from getting in while our immune system eliminates them from the body. Probiotics also prevent pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli from being able to colonize our intestinal tract. They do this by out-competing bad bacteria for food, using acids to change the environment and creating anti-microbial substances that prevent the bad guys from thriving.4. Probiotics Prevent Digestive Issues
We need bacteria to digest food. Probiotics help prevent digestive issues in many ways. They keep our intestinal wall from being oxidized by free radicals, by acting as antioxidants and triggering production of protective mucous. Probiotics also produce substances that give the intestinal wall what it needs to heal itself. Butyrate, for example, provides the components that the intestinal wall needs to form new cells, while providing energy for existing cells. Butyrate has also been found to increase intestinal motility, which helps prevent constipation.
