What You Need To Know About Probiotics

Probiotics are certainly having a moment, and you’ve possibly even heard of prebiotics, and you might have a vague idea that these two have something to do with digestion. But do you really know how they work? We made the science easy for you, so read on…

For your body and your little one's body to work optimally, a healthy digestive system is essential. More than 500 different kinds of bacteria are hard at work in the digestive tract. Exactly how many and what their characteristics differ from place to place. Every person on earth has a unique gut microbiota profile that is shaped early in life. However, this profile, or biome, isn’t fixed but is constantly being impacted upon by all kinds of factors, for example, diet or illness to name just two.

Dr Anton Janse van Rensburg from Johannesburg says that unfortunately many aspects of our modern lives aren’t conducive to a healthy biome.

“Because of antibiotic use, smoking, stress, anti-inflammatories, antacids for the stomach and the absence of fermented food in our diets, we just don’t have healthy biomes anymore.

This is called dysbiosis.” The establishment and maintenance of a healthy balance of bacteria is clearly rather complex, but scientists are increasingly getting to grips with how it all fits together.

LET’S DEAL WITH SOME DEFINITIONS FIRST

Probiotics are living, natural micro-organisms that occur normally in the digestive tract explains Prof. Renée Blaauw from the University of Stellenbosch’s Division of Human Nutrition.

If you take in adequate amounts of these beneficial bacteria on a regular basis, it can help the macrobiotic balance in the intestines and give your health a boost. There are many different types of probiotics, with the most widely studied ones including strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Don’t be put off by the Latin – just remember that human beings have thousands of these beneficial bacteria in our gastrointestinal tracts.