January 31, 2022
In health and nutrition circles, many people are familiar with the term ‘probiotics,’ but many do not fully appreciate or understand exactly what it means.
Essentially, probiotics consist of live bacteria and yeasts, which have been found to have a positive effect on the body when ingested. As such, they are considered to be a natural food rather than a medicine, and that has an appeal for many purists.
Here are some of the key benefits of probiotics:
An aid to digestive system balance
Perhaps the key benefit of probiotics is found in its ability to restore balance in the stomach and digestive system. A range of ailments can develop from an imbalance or a poorly functioning digestive system. In that sense, probiotics can be seen as playing a vital part as a protection against a range of maladies, including irritable bowel syndrome, poor skin conditions, weight maintenance problems and lethargy.
A healthy gut has a natural balance of live microorganisms, or “good” bacteria, which assist in the digestive process. This balance can be destroyed due to illness or poor health. Typically, antibiotics can also result in the destruction of this good bacteria in the course of curing an infection. After taking a course of antibiotics, most of the good bacteria will return naturally in up to one month. In many cases, their numbers do not restore to previous healthy levels.
An aid to weight loss
The bacteria residing in the digestive system (known as “gut flora”) is highly sensitive to diet, and poor eating habits can result in an imbalance developing in the body. Excessive alcohol consumption can also trigger this imbalance.
Research suggests that some people who are prone to obesity have different gut flora to those who are lean. Many scientists believe that gut flora plays a contributing role in determining body weight.
Probiotics can act as an aid to natural weight loss and prevention of obesity onset and are readily available in products like Bio X4.
Promoting better immune system function
Healthy gut flora actually manufactures a number of vitamins, including some of the B group vitamins. It also has the effect of producing good fats, which aid in the metabolic process and stimulate the body’s immune system.
In maintaining the balance in the digestive tract, probiotics can assist in maintaining immune system health, preventing intrusion into the body by unwanted substances, as well as stimulating the natural immune response.
A firewall against diseases
A range of diseases have been linked to an imbalance in the body’s gut flora. As well as obesity, these diseases include Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and colorectal cancer.
Some cases of depression have also been linked to this internal imbalance.
Positive mood and mental health
Positive side effects of a restored digestive system balance also include changes in mood and a clearer mental state. With the increase in energy, a sense of balance and flow returns which naturally then positively affects the mental and emotional state.
The digestive tract can be thought of as a “forgotten organ” – restore the balance and give some thought to probiotics.