health and technology

IconTop Stories

Why Take Probiotics? Some Helpful Advice

By Ken W


Many people are asking themselves the question, 'Why take probiotics?' as probiotic products have emerged in recent years, often accompanied with advertising campaigns promising almost miraculous effects on overall health.

Although the exaggerated claims of the media campaigns may not be quite attainable, it has been shown that some forms of this kind of supplement do have beneficial effects on certain aspects of a patient's health. Around 80 per cent of the immune system of a typical person is situated in their gut, making maintaining its balance and health an important consideration for anyone who wants to stay in top condition.

Benign bacteria in the gut play an important role in maintaining a healthy immune system, and there are typically around 500 different species of bacteria in a typical person's gut. The total number of bacteria is something in the region of an almost unimaginable 60 trillion, and it is important to make sure that a balance between benign bacteria and less helpful varieties which can cause problems.

Certain medics insist that a ratio of something like eighty-five per cent benign to fifteen per cent damaging is the best way to make sure that good, all-round health is maintained. Keeping this ratio in place becomes especially important after a patient has been treated with a course of antibiotics, and adding certain kinds of food to a diet can help alleviate these conditions on occasion.

Taking antibiotics can lead to conditions such as thrush developing in the mouth or genitals, though there are many other manifestations of this kind of fungal infection. Gastric disorders are another possible consequence of this kind of imbalance, and there have been some studies to show that certain strains of this kind of live food supplement can alleviate certain kinds of this condition in certain situations.

Although live products like probiotic foods have been shown to benefit this kind of condition, their specific effect does depend on the condition, the individual person and the way in which the treatment is administered. Many claims made for this kind of product are yet to be proved though, and it pays to research into the specific strains, the ways in which they can be used to supplement diet or be administered as medicine, and whether any proof yet exists for the claims made for the product.

Processed foods tend to predominate in modern Western diets, and replacing this kind of food with healthier probiotic foods is always a god way of boosting general health. Foods which contain this kind of supplement include live products like yogurt and kefir, and also fermented foods such as sauerkraut, tempeh or miso. Adding these foods to a diet and cutting down on foodstuffs like red meat could make a dramatic difference to a person's health.

The question of why take probiotics is something many people with different health challenges have been asking in recent years. Personal choice should always be the primary consideration, and it should preferably be based on advice from some kind of appropriately qualified practitioner.




About the Author:



 
 
 

Post a Comment