Time for a gut check: are you missing out on the healing benefits of probiotics? Find out why you should join the culture club.
Beneath that hard won flat belly, your gut is teeming with trillions of bacteria. Some of these help you digest food as well as thwart intruders, while some may not be the ‘friendly’ kind. The trick is to keep the two in balance. Give the ‘good’ bacteria a boost by adding some to your diet in the form of probiotics-“live micro-organisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host,” according to the World Health Organisation. “Your strength and energy comes from what you eat and from the way in which it is digested (your metabolism),” says Dr Rajini Rani, a scientist at the National Institute of Immunology, Delhi. If your metabolism is not functioning as it should, i.e., if food is not getting digested properly (for reasons ranging from poor food habits to stress), it could set you up for all sorts of physical problems-obesity, high blood sugar levels, even increased blood pressure. “By maintaining your gut health you can help the rest of your body too,” she says.
Probiotics
Prevent
Researchers go so far as to say that a healthy gut can lead to a long, healthy life. Early research, done in the 1950s, showed that the Bulgarians, who had a probiotics-rich diet lived for as long as 120 years! Over the years, researchers have pinpointed specific bacterial strains that can ease irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and help prevent and treat vaginal yeast infections (given as drugs). And preliminary research indicates that other strains may help reduce inflammation, thereby contributing to cardiovascular health and even to the prevention of the onset of certain cancers. However, “we’re only at the cusp of understanding the potential of probiotics,” says Gregor Reid, Ph.D., a microbiologist at the University of Western Get a scoop of the probioticfortified variety. Ontario. While probiotics are by no means a magic pill, many experts feel they’re especially useful when your body’s normal bacterial balance is interrupted-which can happen when you’re stressed, ill, travelling or taking antibiotics, says Lisa Ganjhu, DO, a gastroenterologist at New York University Langone Medical Center.
Protect
So where do you get these wonder bugs from? If you’re fit and healthy, then from foods fortified with probiotics- yoghurt, ice cream and some drinks. Yoghurt set at home will have lactic acid, but may or may not have probiotic properties in the necessary amount. Living bacteria are what are needed to populate the gut, so typically, fermented foods should be eaten raw. “But some studies suggest that even dead bacteria reduce intestinal inflammation,” says Dr B S Ramakrishna, Head, gastroenterology at SRM Institutes for Medical Science, Chennai, and a visiting professor at Yale University School of Medicine. While it’s great to get your daily dose (there isn’t one suggested by dieticians yet, but you need to be within the recommended dietary allowance of the food in question), it’s more important to keep the microbiota (gut flora) in balance. “Junk food is a major cause of disturbing this balance, and so best limited,” says Dr V K Batish, principal scientist and head, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. If you do go overboard on occasion, load up on probiotic yoghurt. The good news: probiotic foods almost never cause harm.
Heal
“Broad- and narrow-spectrum antibiotics can kill commensal flora (good flora), as the medicine does not distinguish between the good and bad bag,” says Batish. In this case, your doctor may prescribe a probiotic supplement to help your gut regain its balance. Most probiotic supplements include Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, two of the most well-studied strains. So these can be taken for the duration of medication. However, for any ailment, it’s best to check with your doc. “They need to be treated like drugs, preferably taken on the advice of a doctor,” says Ramakrishna. Probiotic strains native to India are being researched and will soon be out on the market (at present those from Japan or Europe are used in foods and supplements).
“Probiotics are more effective not just if they are region-specific (since we have evolved with our gut bacteria), but also if they are site specific,” says Dr Sunita Grover, principal scientist, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. So probiotics found in the gut are different from those in the vaginal area (yes there’s a whole ecosystem down there). What you eat has a bearing on what’s going on down there. “So if you eat too much fat, there are chances of an imbalance in the vaginal area,” says Grover. This imbalance could also result from douching or changing a sex partner, but what it means is that the pH of the area, which should be acidic, changes. Most contaminants cannot withstand an acidic environment. The lactobacilli (which produce an antimicrobial chemical) decrease, pushing the pH up. Hence, probiotics are effective in treating bacterial vaginosis conditions. Your gynae will recommend specific ones for treatment-washes, insertable capsules or ointments.
Face Feed
What’s the next frontier? Your cosmetics bag. Friendly bacteria hold the promise of warding off acne and eczema and may have anti-ageing properties. They adhere to keratin, a protein in skin and could help maintain and heal the outer layers to prevent dryness and combat inflammation, says Francesca Fusco, MD, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Try Burt’s Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream (Face Feed What’s the next frontier? Your cosmetics bag. Friendly bacteria hold the promise of warding off acne and eczema and may have anti-aging properties. They adhere to keratin, a protein in skin and could help maintain and heal the outer layers to prevent dryness and combat inflammation, says Francesca Fusco, MD, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Originally published on Wonder Women.In
