5 things that happen to your body when you consume probiotics | The State
Foods that naturally contain microbiota contain beneficial live active bacteria that can increase the number of good microbes in your body.
The gut microbiota stimulates the immune system, breaks down potentially toxic food compounds and synthesizes certain vitamins and amino acids.
What foods provide probiotics?
Yogurt is the best known source of probiotics. Consuming this dairy is one of the easiest ways to obtain beneficial bacteria.
There are other fermented foods that also provide useful bacteria to our body such as tempeh, kefir (fermented milk drink), sauerkraut, kombucha (fermented tea), tepache, raw apple cider vinegar and kimchi.
5 things that happen to your body when you consume probiotics:
1. You favor the balance of the microbiota and prevent infections
Probiotics can help restore the natural balance of your gut bacteria. In a healthy body, pathogenic (harmful microbes) and symbiotic (beneficial) microbiota coexist without problems. But if there is a disturbance in that balance, the body can become more susceptible to diseases, according to the Harvard Nutrition Source.
The imbalance can be caused by infectious diseases, certain diets, or long-term use of antibiotics or other medications.
2. It can improve your mood
Imbalances in the microbiota could contribute to the depression. Microorganisms produce substances that reach the blood and later the brain after crossing the blood-brain barrier, according to neurobiologist José Ramón Alonso Peña in The Conversation.
The gut microbiota can produce or stimulate the production of neurotransmitters and products neuroactive as the serotonin, GABA and dopamine.
A review of 15 human studies found that supplementing with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains for 1 to 2 months can improve behaviors related to anxiety, depression, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and memory.
3. It can improve the health of your heart
A review and meta-analysis of 15 trials indicates that consuming foods containing Lactobacillus probiotic bacteria could reduce low-density lipoprotein levels or “bad” cholesterol, just like him total cholesterol.
Consuming probiotics can also help lower blood pressure.
4. You can improve your digestive health
Probiotics can help treat inflammatory bowel diseases, especially ulcerative colitis. Scientific reviews indicate that probiotics could be beneficial due to multiple mechanisms: stimulation of cytokines anti-inflammatory, inhibition of inflammatory cytokines, strengthening the intestinal barrierl and action antagonist on harmful microorganisms.
Diarrhea
There are stressful situations for the body in which probiotics can be helpful, such as reduce the severity of diarrhea after exposure to pathogens or replenish normal bacteria in the gut after a patient uses antibiotics.
5. You could lose weight
Some prebiotics can help reduce belly fat and lose weight. Live Strong shares that a strain called Lactobacillus gasseri can slow down the absorption of fats and increase the amount of fat excreted by the body.
Probiotic yogurt with Lactobacillus amylovorus is linked to reduced body fat according to a study in obese men and women.
For most healthy people, probiotics are considered safe. However when it comes to probiotic supplements, some people should be cautious as there may be a risk of infection. Cleveland Clinic notes that these people are those who have a weakened immune system (such as those undergoing chemotherapy), are critically ill, or have recently had surgery.
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