How Probiotics Help with Digestion & Bloating?
What Are Probiotics? | How Probiotics Work | Types | Probiotics & Bloating | Probiotics & Digestion | Health Benefits | Possible Sources | Gut Microbiome | Gut Microbiome Benefits | When You Need Probiotics | Bottom Line
The human body contains trillions of bacteria, yeasts and fungi that are collectively named as the gut microbiome. Some bacteria are potentially disease causing, however some are really important to your body, especially for proper immune functioning, heart health and effective weight management. In infections the numbers of disease causing microbes predominate which ultimately knocks the normal ecosystem out of balance.
In a healthy microbiome the “good bacteria” dominate and thus help eliminate and minimize bad bacteria. This article will serve as a guide to “probiotics” and explain how they help with digestion and bloating.
What are Probiotics?
Bacteria are usually considered harmful or bad to your body, but there is a combination of good and bad bacteria within the digestive system. Probiotics are a mixture of live bacteria and/or yeasts that are good for your body, especially for digestive health. They naturally live in your body and are generally termed as ‘good’ or ‘helpful’ bacteria because they keep your gut healthy. Research suggests this good bacterial count helps you in many aspects, including knocking out bad bacteria when your body has too much, improving digestive health and alleviating your mood to help you feel better.
Wondering How Probiotics Work? Here You Go!
Probiotics (or good bacteria) helps you stay healthy by supporting healthy immune function and by controlling undesirable inflammatory response to keep illnesses at bay. Good bacteria works by restoring the balance disturbed by unnecessary growth of bad bacteria in your body.
Summary: Probiotics naturally live in your body and are generally termed as ‘good’ or ‘helpful’ bacteria because they help keep your gut and digestive system healthy. Good or helpful bacteria helps you stay healthy by supporting healthy immune function and by controlling undesirable inflammation to keep illnesses at bay.
Probiotics and Bloating; How Do Probiotics Help with Bloat?
There are a large number of factors that can cause bloating in your gut; however it is mostly caused by excessive fermentation (Fermentation is a process that involves chemical breakdown of organic substrate by bacteria, yeasts or other microbes that leads to gas production) or excessive gas in the GI tract. Probiotics that contain high content of lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium may help alleviate the symptoms of bloating by increasing the bacterial count in your gut, and in turn, help reduce inflammation and gas. Bloating can be the result of too much gas in your gut. This is a normal byproduct of digestion but when too much gas is produced the symptoms associated with bloating can occur.
Bloating can be caused by either malabsorption and difficulty digesting particular complex sugars (carbs) found in dairy (lactose), beans, wheat, etc. Bloating can also be the cause of bacterial overgrowth of gut throwing off normal concentrations of different types. Also bloating can be a result of hypersensitivity. With the help of probiotics, the microbe balance can be tipped towards less gaseous bacterial strains, and helping potentially with some causes.
Summary: Bloating can be caused by increased malabsorption of carbohydrates and excessive bacterial fermentation. Some studies suggest that probiotics work by tipping the balance in favor of less gas producing bacteria or boosting the different types of bacteria in the gut.
Probiotics and Digestion; How Do Probiotics Help with Digestion?
Probiotics play two major roles in digestion:
- Breakdown of indigestible fiber
- Production of short chain fatty acids influencing various processes in your body Probiotics help you break plant’s indigestible fiber, which in turn helps absorb more nutrients into the body. This process leads to the production of short chain fatty acids and vitamins that are easy to absorb. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) not only provide energy to colon cells, but they travel throughout the body and affect metabolic processes, inflammatory responses, blood sugar and blood pressure regulation.
Summary: Probiotics play two major roles in digestion that include breakdown of indigestible fiber and production of short chain fatty acids that impact various metabolic processes in your body.
Want to Know the Benefits of Probiotics? Here You Go!
Probiotics are known to promote a healthy balance between bad and good bacteria in human gut. There is an ongoing scientific investigation suggesting the importance and benefits of a healthy gut microbiome ranging from improving heart health to helping relieve symptoms of various allergic reactions. Here is a guide to some of the advantages of probiotics:
Improve Your Heart Health
Owing to the blood pressure and LDL lowering properties of probiotics, they can help keep your heart healthy. Certain species of gut bacteria such as lactobacillus help lower the blood cholesterol by breaking down bile in the gut. This way it helps improve heart health.
Alleviate Symptoms of Diarrhea
Diarrhea commonly occurs as a side effect of antibiotic treatment. Antibiotics causes imbalance between good and bad bacteria in the gut. Probiotics help alleviate the symptoms of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. In fact, probiotics are believed to help with other forms of diarrhea as well, that are not associated with antibiotic use.
Help Strengthen Immune System
Probiotics may help boost your immune function by inhibiting the growth of bad or disease causing bacteria. Probiotics may also stimulate the release of immune cells like immunoglobulin-A producing cells, natural killer cells and T-lymphocytes.
Help Reduce the Severity of Allergies
Certain strains of probiotics help reduce the severity of some allergies such as eczema by reducing the inflammatory response.
Improve Mental Health
Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus strains can help improve symptoms related to mental disorders like anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), memory and stress.
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What Are Possible Sources of Probiotics?
Fermented foods are an excellent source of probiotics. Probiotics are either naturally present in these food items or they have probiotics added to them.
Summary: Probiotics potentially affect the human body in different ways that include improving your heart health, relieving the symptoms related to diarrhea, strengthening the immune function, and improving some mental health conditions.
What Is Gut Microbiome? Difference between Gut Microbiome and Probiotics
Bacteria, yeasts, viruses and fungi live in the human bodies digestive tract and are referred to as “microbes”. There are microbes throughout the intestine but most concentrated per surface area within the “cecum”; a specific portion of the large intestine. These microbes make up the “Gut microbiome”. The gut microbiome acts as another organ that is involved in various bodily processes crucial for your health. Around 1000 species of bacteria weighing about 1 to 2 KGs are present.
Why Does Gut Microbiome Matter?
You first contact gut microbiome when you pass through your mother’s birth canal, and that is the moment they begin to have their influence on your body. The diverse microbial species in your gut microbiome play very important functions in your body and keep you healthy. Gut microbe affects your body in different ways and some of them are discussed below:
Improves Immune Function
With the help of effective communication with immune cells, gut microbiome make sure that your body responds in an appropriate way to infection. This way, it helps control the action of your immune system and supports healthy immune function.
Improves Fiber Digestion
Certain bacterial species found in gut microbiome helps with fiber digestion in your body. Fiber digestion results in the production of short chain fatty acids that play an important role to keep your gut healthy.
Improves Lactose Digestion
Some of the earliest grown bacteria in an infant’s intestine are referred as Bifidobacterium. They help digest lactose sugar present in breast milk and aid the growth process in babies.
Helps Treat Malnutrition
Along with absorbing energy from food, gut microbiome helps your body takes in essential nutrients that in turn improves the nutritional status. Gut microbiome helps your body breakdown the complex molecules such as plant cellulose into simpler molecules. This way it gets easier for your body to utilize these molecules to bring about various processes.
Improves Brain Health
Owing to the release of tiny molecules because of the activity of gut microbiome, it helps control the response of nerves in digestive tract. There’s a link between gut microbiome and mental disorders like depression.
Summary: Gut microbiome holds a very important place in your body. The diverse microbial species in your gut microbiome likely play vital roles in your body and keep you healthy. It works by improving immune function, aiding the process of fiber digestion, lactose digestion, malnutrition and brain function.
When Do You Need to Administer Probiotics?
People who lack good gut bacteria are more likely to get infections than healthy individuals.
Bottom line
Probiotics naturally live in your body and are generally termed as ‘good’ bacteria because they help keep your gut and digestive system healthy. Research suggests that probiotics may help you stay healthy by supporting healthy immune function and by controlling undesirable inflammation to keep the illnesses at bay. Probiotics can benefit our bodies in various ways that include improving your heart health, relieving the symptoms related to diarrhea, strengthening the immune function, and improving some mental health conditions. The diverse microbial species in your gut microbiome play very important functions in your body and keep you healthy such as improving immune function, fiber digestion, lactose digestion, and malnutrition.
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Do probiotics help you with constipation?
Probiotics help stimulate your bowels and they may help with constipation caused by irritable bowel syndrome, IBS.
Does gut microbiome make you gain weight?
Certain bacterial strains can make you gain weight and increase the risk of obesity. However, there are some strains that may help you lose weight and belly fat.
Do probiotics have any side effects?
Since microbes used as probiotics naturally live in our body, probiotic-containing foods and supplements are generally considered safe. However, the first few days of supplementation can be challenging as they can cause allergies, diarrhea and an upset stomach in the first few days.