Probiotics are the third-most consumed dietary supplement in the United States. So, what are probiotics, and how do they help your body?
Your body is home to lots of bacteria, not all of which are bad. Some bacteria harm your body, while others help your body function properly. Probiotics are supplements containing living, good bacteria, and people typically consume them to maintain a balanced community of these microorganisms inside their bodies. Ingesting these live bacteria leads to several health benefits, including the following:
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They accelerate recovery
Patients taking probiotics often recover earlier from their ailments. These dietary supplements accelerate your recovery from a prior illness, e.g., pneumonia. This is because Lactobacillus acidophilus possesses natural resistance against some common diseases such as rotavirus and diarrhea. Adding probiotics to your diet can quicken the healing period and alleviate a patient’s suffering through its curative properties. That’s why doctors often recommend these supplements to their patients.
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Better nutritional absorption
Eating the healthiest diet won’t help if your digestive system functions poorly. Adding probiotics to your diet improves nutritional absorption by helping good bacteria break down food particles easily. These digestion-friendly probiotics come in many ways to add to your diet, including liquid, powder, capsules, and even gummies. Just ensure you’re buying from reliable vendors selling quality and tasty products. You can try Klaire Labs probiotics since these are pediatrician-recommended, healthy, and can be shipped with cold packs.
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Regulate digestive disorders
Your microbiome mostly lives inside your intestines, so probiotics improve your digestive health. Research shows that probiotics can regulate the symptoms of many GI disorders, such as lactose intolerance, and decrease the intensity of bloating or diarrhea. Moreover, probiotics help reduce the symptoms of IBS, IBD, colitis, and other digestive problems. These dietary supplements promote gut health and make digestive disorders easily manageable.
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Boost your immunity
Research indicates that ingesting probiotics can prevent several chronic ailments by bolstering immunity. These supplements strengthen epithelial cells in the stomach and intestine, and make these cells and organs resistant to different health conditions. A healthy immune system leads to better overall well-being. A study, for instance, can show that some probiotic strains are effective against certain viral/bacterial infections, e.g., RTIs, sepsis, and gastroenteritis.
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Lower your stress
Probiotics improve your mental well-being by lowering stress and regulating depression. Some mental health issues develop because of stress and anxiety caused by poor gut health. So, treating digestive disorders can improve your mental health too. For instance, patients suffering from IBS also become more vulnerable to stress. Therefore, taking probiotics will protect them against digestive problems and mental problems.
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Reduce intestinal gas
When your intestines teem with bad bacteria, food particles ferment badly, which causes intestinal gas and bloating. Research suggests that humans pass 1 to 4 pints of intestinal gas daily. But taking probiotics can reduce flatulence by absorbing this gas and promoting gut health.
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Strengthen your heart
Studies have discovered that supplements, e.g., lactobacilli and bifido bacteria reduce the cholesterol level and improve cardiovascular health. It’s been observed that probiotics consume cholesterol and use it to nourish themselves. So, they easily break down cholesterol, thereby preventing many heart-related diseases. They regulate oxidative stress and prevent chronic inflammation. That’s why many patients prefer probiotics as natural options to make their hearts stronger and healthier.
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Prolong your lifespan
Since probiotics prevent several chronic ailments before their onset, they can potentially extend the consumer’s lifespan. For instance, a Science Daily report shows that flies that were given probiotics in an experiment and a herbal supplement called Triphala managed to live 60% longer. Even though these studies are still inconclusive, there appears to be strong evidence that consuming probiotics will do wonders for humans’ overall well-being and longevity.
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Make vaccines effective
Since probiotics expedite an immune response, they can make vaccines more effective. You can take probiotics with vaccines to make antibodies appear faster (with a doctor’s recommendation). It has been observed that L. acidophilus speeds up a vaccine’s response and is probably the best pro-vaccine candidate out there. Recently-done studies show that even the COVID vaccine works better in conjunction with probiotics.
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Make antibiotics effective
Antibiotics are becoming ineffective day by day as bacteria have evolved; these germs have developed resistance against these antibiotics. It’s because doctors overprescribe antibiotics. So, an independent survey shows that one-third of antibiotics prescribed by healthcare professionals seem to be unnecessary. So, how can we make antibiotics helpful again? The answer lies in probiotics.
Probiotics prevent people from catching certain diseases and accelerate your healing when you’re sick. Second, probiotics advance the growth of good bacteria killed off by antibiotics. That’s how you can make antibiotics effective again. Combine them with probiotics with a doctor’s suggestion.
Conclusion
Surveys have shown that one-third of Americans are regular consumers of probiotics. These substances are available in liquid, powder, capsule, and many others forms. Some live bacteria consumers ingest as probiotics include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Saccharomycesboulardii. Probiotics are good for your heart, they fight GI disorders, help make vaccines/antibiotics more effective, make you more immune to chronic ailments, and bolster your nutritional absorption. So add them to your diet. Before taking any supplements, it’s best to consult your doctor first.
