There is a growing and rising interest in probiotics. Not long ago abroad, a new concept of 21st-century self-care that does not rely on drugs became popular, which involves using probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria for disease prevention and health maintenance. This probiotic health method is now all the rage in Japan and throughout the European Community.
I. What are Probiotics?
Bacteria that are beneficial to the human body are called probiotics. They can maintain the balance of the intestinal flora, thereby making the body healthier. To date, the probiotics discovered by scientists can be broadly divided into three categories: Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Gram-positive cocci.
Lactobacillus types include: Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, etc.
Bifidobacterium types include: Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium ovalis, Bifidobacterium thermophilum, etc.
Gram-positive cocci include: Enterococcus faecalis, Lactococcus, Streptococcus intermedius, etc.
In addition, some yeasts and enzymes can also be classified as probiotics.
II. The Benefits of Probiotics for the Human Body
Probiiotics are a good friend that humans are born with, and they are crucial for health, especially the health of the intestinal system. In each of our healthy intestines, there are 10 to 400 species of probiotics living, sharing life and hardship with us in our bodies. The relationship between probiotics and humans is very close; it can be said: "Without the existence of probiotics, human health would be difficult to guarantee, and survival would be difficult." So, what are the health benefits of probiotics? They can be summarized as follows:
1. Prevention and treatment of diarrhea: The normal human intestine is home to more than 500 types and tens of trillions of different bacteria. In most cases, they mutually restrain, coexist, and prosper. Once the balance of the intestinal flora is disrupted, diarrhea can occur. Secondly, the misuse of antibiotics can also cause diarrhea. Some medical centers in Europe have tried using oral solutions containing Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and inulin as the main ingredients to treat traveler's diarrhea, with good results.
2. Treat constipation and aid digestion: The massive proliferation of probiotics in the intestine can maintain a stable intestinal pH value, promote metabolism and the synthesis of B vitamins, and help intestinal motility, improving the decomposition and absorption rate of food, aiding digestion and absorption, and ensuring smooth bowel movements.
3. Alleviate lactose intolerance: Lactose intolerance is quite common around the world. Patients experience diarrhea as soon as they drink milk. This is because milk contains a large amount of lactose, which is a substance with high osmotic effects in the intestine. Some people are naturally deficient in the enzyme lactase, which breaks down lactose, so a large amount of undigested lactose enters the intestine, causing diarrhea. Experiments have shown that yogurt is an ideal food for treating lactose intolerance. Because during the fermentation of yogurt, a certain amount of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are added. These probiotics consume a certain amount of lactose during the fermentation process, so yogurt is very beneficial for these people.
4. Prevention of vaginal infections: Experiments conducted in Europe (in which 46 women with a history of vaginal yeast infections participated) have confirmed this. Each female patient orally consumed 150 ml of yogurt containing a large amount of probiotics daily, and the incidence of vaginal infections was much lower than in the placebo group of women. This is because the Lactobacillus acidophilus in yogurt can inhibit the proliferation of Candida albicans in the vagina.
5. Lowering serum cholesterol: Numerous experiments conducted abroad from the 1970s to the 1990s have confirmed that drinking yogurt can indeed lower serum cholesterol. Recently, scholars abroad have pointed out that drinking 200 ml of yogurt fermented with added Lactobacillus acidophilus and inulin daily can lower blood lipids in patients with hyperlipidemia by an average of about 4.4%. This is because both Lactobacillus acidophilus and inulin have lipid-lowering effects.
6. Reducing flora imbalance after antibiotic treatment: When people use antibiotics, they only kill certain bacteria, but some antibiotics also kill some bacteria that the human body needs; these bacteria could originally inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms. Once they are eliminated, the patient may be susceptible to bacterial infections. For example, penicillin often kills bacteria that fight against Candida, which can cause thrush, vaginitis, dermatitis, etc. Moreover, bacteria constantly evolve, making adaptive changes and developing drug resistance. Therefore, when the balance between probiotics and pathogens is lost, this kind of flora imbalance poses the most unacceptable threat to human health. At this time, consuming yogurt containing probiotics should be helpful.
7. Preventing cancer and inhibiting tumor growth: Modern people eat too much greasy food. The body's lipid metabolism is handled by bile salts in the liver, which can emulsify fats and allow them to be digested. However, when "bile salts" encounter bad bacteria in the intestine, they produce carcinogens, which can easily cause colon cancer. With probiotics, bad bacteria can be inhibited, so even if "bile salts" are present, it is less likely to produce carcinogens. Recent experiments by British scientists have confirmed that drinks containing probiotics can reduce the likelihood of genetic damage in intestinal cells, helping to prevent and treat certain cancers.
8. Enhancing human immunity: Due to the mutual restraint and balance among flora, if the number of probiotics is dominant, it can prevent an excessive number of some harmful pathogenic bacteria from causing diseases. Therefore, there are many benefits for improving immunity, building a micro-ecological barrier, and preventing some diseases. In some famous longevity areas in Europe (such as the Caucasus Mountains, countries along the Mediterranean coast), locals often drink homemade yogurt and rarely suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, or obesity. Research suggests this is related to the large amount of probiotics in yogurt.
Probiotics do have certain benefits. For normal people, supplementing with probiotics appropriately is beneficial. Especially when taking antibiotics; for indigestion, milk intolerance, acute and chronic diarrhea, dry stools, and malnutrition caused by poor absorption; for babies born by cesarean section or not breastfed, who cannot get enough probiotics from their mothers, the healthy intestinal membrane is incomplete, which may lead to weak constitution, poor appetite, dry stools, etc.; for special times when immunity is low or needs to be enhanced; when traveling or going out, carrying probiotic products can effectively relieve discomfort if the stomach is upset.
III. How to Supplement Probiotics
Because probiotics also have anti-infective effects, some doctors now use the method of directly supplementing probiotics to replace antibiotics.
Currently, probiotics are mainly used in the production of fermented dairy products, with more products in Japan and Western Europe, and development in China is also becoming increasingly mature. Since the early 1990s, a wide variety of probiotic health supplements have been popular all over the world. Hundreds of probiotic health products have now been developed, including: probiotic-containing yogurt, yogurt drinks, soy yogurt, and oral liquids, tablets, capsules, and powders containing multiple probiotics. Probiotics are gradually being used to develop various functional foods, such as a non-dairy fermented oatmeal developed in Sweden, which can adhere well to the intestinal wall, improve the intestinal immune system, and protect post-abdominal surgery patients from bacterial infections. Its clinical application in hospitals is very effective. Therefore, the development of functional foods has broad prospects.
However, health foods with added probiotics on the market are not cheap. For those who don't want to spend a lot of money, they can also eat foods in their daily diet that help the growth and reproduction of beneficial intestinal bacteria. Among them, oligosaccharides are most often mentioned. They can provide nutrients for the reproduction of beneficial intestinal bacteria and are a type of sugar that is not easily digested and absorbed by the human body. It is barely digested in the small intestine and is mostly absorbed in the large intestine after being fermented by intestinal bacteria into organic acids. Therefore, it is low-calorie, with about 1.5 calories per gram, and can be taken in moderation by diabetics and those who are afraid of gaining weight but want to eat sweets.
Oligosaccharides are found in natural foods such as beans, onions, garlic, burdock, and asparagus. Eating more of these foods provides enough oligosaccharides for probiotics like Bifidobacterium in the intestine to proliferate, which is beneficial to intestinal health. You can also supplement with drinks or milk powder containing oligosaccharides, or choose higher-purity oligosaccharides and add them to milk, juice, or summer ice treats to help the stomach and intestines breed beneficial bacteria. However, oligosaccharides should not be eaten in excess, otherwise, it can cause bloating and diarrhea. Moreover, everyone's tolerance to oligosaccharides is different. You can start with a small amount at first and then slowly increase the amount.
IV. Precautions
1. Because probiotics are cultured, they require the bacteria to be in good shape for growth, and the production process has high requirements. In actual production, the spoilage of probiotic dairy products and its hazards bring huge safety risks to consumers. Therefore, it is recommended to choose well-known brands of probiotics to ensure product quality.
2. Check the ingredients carefully when purchasing. Currently, the most well-known and long-term safely consumed probiotics by humans are Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium.
The "probiotic" products currently sold on the market have a wide variety of names, including active dairy milk, active yogurt, active yogurt drinks, lactic acid bacteria drinks, lactic acid drinks, etc., no less than seven or eight. However, only a very small number of these lactic acid drinks actually contain probiotics; the various other lactic acid drinks or lactic acid bacteria drinks do not contain probiotics, let alone active probiotic bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria drinks and lactic acid drinks are two completely different concepts. Lactic acid drinks are simply drinks made by adding lactic acid; lactic acid bacteria milk is a lactic acid bacteria milk product made by adding lactic acid bacteria to milk and fermenting it.
3. Store below 37 degrees Celsius to ensure the activity of the bacteria. Studies have shown that the content of lactic acid bacteria in acid curd is relatively high within 1-5 days, but it decreases significantly after 7-9 days. Moreover, the longer the storage period, the less the content of lactic acid bacteria and the more the number of contaminating bacteria, leading to poor product quality, and even abnormal appearance with a distinct alcoholic and musty smell.
4. Do not take with antibiotics at the same time. You can take the antibiotic first, and then take the probiotic after an interval of two hours.
5. Although probiotics are beneficial to the human body, any bacterial species must maintain a certain proportional balance. Once this balance is disrupted, even the original probiotics can cause harm, such as causing new infections. The medical community has had similar cases of infections caused by probiotic preparations. In Spain, there have been cases where several patients who already had severe immunodeficiency used probiotic products to treat diarrhea. The result was that new flora were brought into the patients' bodies, causing new infections and bacteremia. Therefore, probiotics should be used with caution by cancer patients and those with low immunity.