PROBIOTICS 101: all you need to know about probiotics
They are on your hands, your mouth, your gut, your brain, and your head. They are everywhere! As you might have guessed, we are talking about microbes. The human body consists of about 10^13 cells and routinely harbors about 10^14 bacterial cells.
The bacterial population consists of our normal microbial flora. The microbes of the normal bacterial flora can aid the host by competing for the microenvironment of our body in a better way than the pathogenic microbial species or by producing nutrients that are useful to the host. These bacteria live in a symbiotic relationship with the host and are called good bacteria. Other microbes live in the host for long periods without causing any detectable harm or benefit to the host and these microbes are called commensals. And some microbes cause damage and disease to the host they live in, which are pathogens.
What Are Probiotics?
The World Health Organization defines probiotics as "live microorganisms" which, when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Probiotics are what we call "good bacteria." Probiotics preparations consist of mostly bacteria of genera Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Escherichia, Enterococcus, Bacillus, and Streptococcus. Though some fungal strains belonging to Saccharomyces are also used in some preparations.
Probiotics of various kinds have also been shown to be effective in varied clinical conditions ranging from infantile diarrhea, necrotizing enterocolitis, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, relapsing Clostridium difficle colitis, Helicobacter pylori infections, inflammatory bowel disease, female urogenital infection, and surgical infections. Foods that are good sources of lactic acid-producing bacteria (probiotics) include fermented milk, cheeses, fruit juices, wine, sausages, kimchi, etc. Though they can also be obtained from probiotic supplements.
Also, probiotics should not be confused with prebiotics, which are non-digestible food ingredients that benefit the host by selectively stimulating the growth and activity of a particular bacterium or a group of bacteria in the colon, thus improving the health of the consumer.
Importance Of Probiotics For GI Health:
Your gut or digestive system is heavily loaded with a diversity of microbes. Some are good, some don't matter, and some can cause you diseases.
Taking probiotic preparation may help you lower the number of harmful bacteria in your gut that can cause illness and inflammation. The bacteria present in probiotics compete with harmful bacteria for space and do not let them grow.
Some research has shown that probiotics can aid in treating gut issues like...
- Diarrhea- When diarrhea is caused by the use of certain antibiotics, probiotics can be helpful to restore regular bowel moments.
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease- Probiotics help treat Inflammatory Bowel Diseases including, Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis. Some probiotics may help take ulcerative colitis to a state of a little to no disease and prevent Crohn's disease from relapsing or getting worse.
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome- Probiotics can sometimes help ease stomach ache, constipation, bloating, diarrhea, and gas.
Importance Of Probiotics In Skin health:
The skin ecosystem is a complex environment covered with a diverse group of microorganisms. The skin microbiota comprises bacteria and fungi at various locations with typical counts of 102 to 107 cells/cm2. Ingested probiotics like Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus Plantarum, and Lactobacillus casei have been shown to reduce acne. It is done by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which seem to act as mediators in the initiation of acne lesions.
The topical probiotics have a direct effect on the site of application by inducing natural defense mechanisms. The enhancement to the skin's natural defenses caused by probiotics is due to the competition with pathogens for nutrients, mucosal adherence, modulation of the mucosal immune system, and production of antimicrobial metabolites like bacteriocins.
Importance Of Probiotics In Brain-Gut Axis:
There is a complex communication between the GIT, the gut microbiota, and the peripheral and central nervous systems. This is called the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA).
The exact communication mechanisms are still under investigation, but they involve neural, endocrine, and immune pathways. It is noteworthy that these pathways are often found to be altered in the context of psychiatric disorders.
The gut bacteria are the modifiable target in this axis, therefore, used to treat and improve the symptoms of psychiatric disorders. The MGBA can be modified by prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics (mixture of prebiotics and probiotics), and antibiotics. They are suggested to improve mental health through their properties to alter the gut microbiota.
The gut microbiota also determines stress responsivity by influencing the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis), and stress cortisol responses can be altered by several probiotics. These elevated stress levels are related to anxiety and depression.
Though probiotics seem to be aiding patients with depression and anxiety, there is still a need for further research in the field. There is still a huge research gap in the use of probiotics in treating mental health disorders, which will be filled in the years to come.
Benefits Of Taking Probiotics Daily
Probiotics are useful to prevent and treat diarrhoea.Diarrhea can be a side effect of taking certain antibiotics. This can happen because antibiotics can negatively affect the balance between good and bad bacteria in the gut. Studies show that taking probiotics reduces the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea by 42%. Probiotics can also help in diarrhea that is not associated with antibiotics. The bacterial strains that are useful in reducing the risk of diarrhea are Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei. The yeast species Saccharomyces boulardii is also used.
Probiotics can improve mental health.
Many studies link our gut health to mood and mental health. Both animal and human studies have found that probiotics can improve mental health conditions. Studies have shown that taking supplements of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains for 1–2 months can improve anxiety, depression, autism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and memory.
Some probiotics can improve your heart health.
Probiotics can lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and blood pressure, which helps keep your heart healthy. Your liver secretes bile (which is chiefly made up of cholesterol), which helps digestion. Some lactic acid-producing bacteria can help in lowering cholesterol by breaking down bile. By breaking down bile, probiotics prevent its reabsorption in the gut, from where it re-enters the blood as cholesterol.
Certain probiotics may help you in weight loss.
Probiotics may help in weight loss by several mechanisms. Like some probiotics prevent the absorption of dietary fat in the intestine, and it is directly excreted out through faeces. Probiotics may also help by increasing certain hormones levels like GLP-1 (GLP-1 delays gastric emptying and increases gastric volumes.). This may cause you to feel fuller for longer and burn more calories and store less fat.
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Content Credit: Lucky Mehtani
