There are more than 30,000 different species of bacteria in the world. Only a small percentage, however, is harmful.
In fact, many of them are beneficial. Take the gut microbiome, for instance, they help stimulate the immune system and break down food.
Probiotics are another example. They’re a mixture of live bacteria and yeasts that can improve your health in various ways.
What are the health benefits of probiotics? Are they good for digestive health?
For the answers, be sure to keep reading! We’ll be going over some of the benefits of taking probiotics below.
1. They Can Help With Diarrhea
Antibiotics can’t distinguish between “good” and “bad” bacteria; they’ll kill both and that can wreak havoc on your digestive system. If anything, that’s why they often cause diarrhea.
Probiotics such as Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus rhamnosus can prevent this by restoring the balance of friendly bacteria in your gut.
That’s not all, they can also help treat infectious diarrhea in adults and children (they can reduce the duration of illness by up to 25 hours).
Not only that, but they also have a protective effect against traveler’s diarrhea, a common illness that affects those who visit humid countries. For more information on how to prevent it, consider visiting a medical clinic (e.g. Integrative Family Medicine of Asheville).
2. They Can Benefit Your Heart
Taking probiotics every day can help keep your heart healthy by lowering blood pressure. It can also reduce cholesterol, more specifically LDL, the “bad” cholesterol that’s associated with atherosclerosis.
They do this by binding to cholesterol in the intestines—this will prevent it from being absorbed by the body. In addition to that, they also produce bile acids, which help to metabolize cholesterol.
That’s not all, probiotics are also effective at reducing levels of inflammatory C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen in the body. The former is associated with heart disease (fibrinogen contributes to plaques in the arteries) while the latter is involved with inflammation.
3. They Can Help You Lose Weight
Probiotics can help you lose weight by preventing the absorption of fat in the intestine. Instead of being stored in the body, they’ll be excreted through feces.
They may also help release appetite-reducing hormones such as GLP-1 and peptide YY. This will make you feel fuller for longer, which will prevent you from eating more.
Keep in mind, however, that not all of them aid in weight loss. In fact, some probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus fermentum can even lead to weight gain.
Understanding the Benefits of Probiotics
And there you have it—three benefits of probiotics. As you can see, they can boost your health in more than one way. Given that, there’s no reason not to incorporate them into your diet!
Did you enjoy this post? If so, you’ll be happy to know that we have more articles like this in our health section. Check it out today!
