PROBIOTICS
Also
spelled Pro Biotics and Pro-Biotics
Lactic acid bacteria
(LAB) are the most common microbes used. LAB have been
used in the food industry for many years, because they are
able to convert lactose into lactic acid.
This not only provides
the characteristic sour taste of fermented dairy foods
such as yogurt, but acts as a preservative, by lowering
the pH and creating less room for spoilage organisms to
grow.
Probiotic bacterial cultures
are intended to assist the body's naturally occurring
flora within the digestive tract to reestablish
themselves. |
Chromium Picolinate
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They are sometimes
recommended by doctors, and, more frequently, by
nutritionists, after a course of antibiotics, or as part
of the treatment for candidiasis. Many probiotics
are present in natural sources such as lactobacillus in
yogurt and sauerkraut.
Addiction Treatments
Claims are made that
Probiotics Supplements
strengthen the immune system.
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Recent
research suggests a number of new potential uses for
probiotics. One study in Sweden found that a group of
employees who were given probiotics missed less work due
to illness than did employees who were not given
probiotics. Other studies have found probiotics to be
helpful in managing the signs and symptoms of irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS). |
The rationale for
probiotics is that the body contains a miniature ecology
of microbes, collectively known as the gut flora. The number
of bacterial types can be thrown out of balance by a wide
range of circumstances including the use of antibiotics or
other drugs, excess alcohol, stress, disease, exposure to
toxic substances, or even the use of antibacterial soap. In
cases like these, the bacteria that work well with our bodies
(see symbiosis) may decrease in number, an event which allows
harmful competitors to thrive, to the detriment of our health.
Probiotic
Side Effects
People from Finland, Sweden
and many other European countries have been taking
probiotics for decades to ward off digestive ills like
diarrhea, food allergies and constipation. Epidemiological
studies of these populations indicate that the supplements may
live up to some of these health claims, and they don't appear
to cause any side effects. A recent study found that a
specific probiotic containing Lactobacillus GG was effective
in preventing atopic disease in children at high risk.
Benefits
of Probiotic
There is no published
evidence that pro biotic supplements are able to
replace the body’s natural flora when these have been killed
off. There is evidence, however, that probiotics do form
beneficial temporary colonies which may assist the body in the
same functions as the natural flora, while allowing the
natural flora time to recover from depletion. The probiotic
strains are then progressively replaced by a naturally
developed gut flora. If the conditions which originally caused
damage to the natural gut flora persist, the benefits obtained
from probiotic supplements will be short lived.
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