Some Germs Are Good For The Body
September 29, 2007
Probiotics have lately caused some amount of attention by those who are in a habit reading labels of their foods that they purchase. They are nothing but live microorganisms that help in digestion and promote health.
Dr. Patricia Raymond, a board certified gastroenterologist, assistant professor for Eastern Virginia Medical School and medical consultant for the probiotic Florastor said that during 1940s, much of medicine focused on getting rid of bacteria-causing diseases via antibiotics. But recent studies have found some healthy bacteria like probiotics can have a positive effect on the body. Probiotics help with the absorption of nutrients, production of vitamin K and maintenance of healthy bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
Evan Fleischmann, a doctor of naturopathic medicine based in New Jersey said that they also known to inhibit growth of unhealthy bacteria by crowding it out. Experts say they can be most beneficial to people who have recently taken antibiotics, which wipe out not only harmful but healthy bacteria, the latter of which help protect against diarrhea or yeast infections.
Other experts, including Fleischmann, suggests that people take probiotics for as long as six months after going on antibiotics to slowly build up colonies and force out unhealthy bacteria. He feels that anyone who has ever taken antibiotics and not properly supplemented with probiotics afterward should consider doing so because it is difficult to repopulate the gastrointestinal tract with healthy bacteria. Some research also has shown that probiotics can reduce relapses of inflammatory bowel disease. But the data isn’t conclusive as to whether or not the general population should seek out probiotics.
According to Fleischmann, the average healthy person may stand to gain because he or she is not aware things aren’t quite right, putting up with problems like chronic constipation.“A common problem people with chronic constipation experience is fatigue or mental fog,” he says. “Just finding an increase in the frequency of bowel movements might be a change someone who otherwise thinks [he's] healthy might experience.” The best way to get your fill of probiotics is another source of debate. While raw yogurt is full of good bacteria, the majority of commercial yogurt is pasteurized, which kills the bacteria and its potential benefits. Some products then add live bacteria, but many experts say supplements are the way to go because they tend to contain a lot more of the good bacteria.
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