Going With Your Gut

Here’s a look at the benefi ts of probiotics and why our microbial makeup can affect our health.

- Amy Greenburg

Victoria McKel lar and Dr Elizabeth Biggs first met in Singapore in 2011, during their days as mums to newborns and toddlers. After swapping stories of health woes and discovering their complementary views, they realised there was room for improvement when it came to their health, and the health of their families. Using evidence from scientific research, they collaborated to create the Akesi product line of bio-fermented tonics and probiotic powders, with the aim of helping people make dietary and lifestyle changes stemming from gut health.

“Feeling the improvements to my own health and seeing them in my children was proof enough in just how critical gut health is to overall health, let alone reading the masses of emerging research out there to confirm these beliefs,” says Victoria. “It is an exciting and fascinating area of health to be in.”

Elizabeth adds, “Gut health just wasn’t around when I studied medicine. It’s now an ever-expanding area of medical research that will potentially have impact across a range of medical specialties, from endocrinology to psychiatry.”

Probiotics

According to Elizabeth and Victoria, current research is investigating the possible links between common disorders like asthma, eczema, hay fever and other allergies, as well as diabetes, with one’s microbiota – the microbe population, or ecosystem, made up of trillions of microorganisms, including at least 1,000 different species of bacteria, living in your intestine.