5 Smart Reasons to Take Probiotics
Did you know that approximately 70% of your immune system is located in your stomach? It’s true, and this is why there is so much buzz lately about gut health. Here’s why keeping your gut healthy is so important, and what you can do to make sure yours is.
You probably aren’t aware of it, but there are approximately 100 trillion bacteria in your gut – most of which (hopefully) are working for you, and not against you. The microflora in your gut is responsible for myriad tasks, including eliminating toxins, helping your body absorb nutrients, fighting off foreign pathogenic invaders, and much more.
Maintaining the right balance of beneficial intestinal bacteria is crucial to your health and well-being. Unfortunately, with today’s modern diet of processed foods and exposure to thousands of chemicals, antibiotics and other drug residues, many researchers now believe that our internal microbiome is losing its diversity, leading to increased risk of a variety of chronic diseases.
The good news is, you can actually restore the proper bacterial balance to your digestive system. One way to do this is by ingesting live beneficial bacteria commonly known as probiotics. Probiotics can be found in fermented foods, as we mentioned in yesterday’s post on 5 of the healthiest affordable foods, as well as in supplement form. Here’s how they work:
Probiotics, which get their name from the words pro and biota meaning “for life,” have long been consumed by populations in Northern Europe. But now these probiotic supplements are growing in popularity in other parts of the world as well.
In fact, probiotics work in a number of ways to safeguard your health and reduce the effects of aging. Here are just five of the many ways probiotic supplements can impact health:
1. Reducing the risk of cancer, especially in the colon. Research shows that the use of probiotic supplements, specifically Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium longum, can significantly lower the DNA damage that can prompt malignant cell development. Probiotics are also known to stimulate the immune system’s ability to ward off cancer, while spurring natural antioxidant and detoxification enzymes into action.
2. Improving diabetes and related disorders. Diabetes clinical trials have revealed that both Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria probiotics lessen insulin resistance, resulting in significant reductions in blood sugar….
3. Combating obesity. Research has found a link between obesity and the overuse of antibiotics. Studies have shown the use of probiotic supplements lead to a marked reduction in both body weight and body mass index (BMI). Other studies have found probiotics also diminish nonalcoholic fatty liver disease linked to a high-fat diet and obesity.
4. Treating diarrhea and promoting intestinal health. Despite their broad range of health benefits, probiotic supplements are most commonly associated with improvements in intestinal health. Additionally, probiotics promote the function of the intestinal inner lining, enhancing its ability to act as a barrier to the entry of potentially dangerous organisms and chemicals into the bloodstream. Probiotic supplements have helped improve symptoms of patients with conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and ulcerative colitis.
5. Improving the immune system. The intestinal immune system includes more antibody cells than the rest of the body put together. More than 70 percent of the human immune system gets its start in the gut.
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For more information, check out the full article at NaturalHealth265.com.
