Home > About us > News and events | |||
News and events
What are probiotics? By Beverly Clensey, CNP
November 4, 2015
Probiotics are “good” microorganisms or bacteria,
found naturally in foods or concentrated and dried in a pill form for a health
benefit. Food sources include dairy
products such as yogurt, gouda and goat’s milk cheese, and Kefir. Other food sources include unpasteurized
sauerkraut, dark chocolate, pickles, honey, oatmeal, and red wine. When looking at food sources, the label needs
to say “live” cultures. The bacterium
needs to be alive in sufficient amounts to exert a health benefit. For adults, a dose greater than 10 billion
CFU (colony forming unit) or greater than 5 billion CFU for children is
suggested as a daily dose. With probiotics, the live bacteria needs to persist
until end of shelf life. Therefore, the
expiration dates of probiotic products are important. Expired products will not have the correct
level of live bacteria to effect health.
There are more than 1,000 bacterium that are
considered normal on the skin, in the vaginal area, or in the gastrointestinal
(GI) tract. As long as the bacterium
stays in the specific area, this is considered “normal flora”. If the normal flora is altered, the good
bacterium may be overtaken by the bad bacterium and cause symptoms or illness.
Probiotics help to maintain or restore the normal flora. Normal bacterium in
the GI tract helps with digestion, vitamin synthesis, activation of the immune
response, and fight against foreign substances.
The lower GI tract is where most of the “good” bacteria reside.
Probiotics consist of 3 broad categories, or
genus, of live bacteria: Lactobacillus (L.), Bifidobacterium (B.), and
Saccharomyces (S.). Each of these broad
categories is broken down into more specific species or sub categories. For example, in the lactobacillus group,
there is acidophilus, rhamnosus, reuteri, casei, and bulgaricus. When reading food product labels, look for L.
rhamnosus, L . reuteri, L. casei, or L. bulgaricus. Health benefit desires are dependent on the
specific bacteria.
Most of the health benefits of probiotics are
related to the GI tract. Other health
benefits include relief for vaginosis, common infectious disease, allergies,
and regulation of the immune response.
According to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ),
probiotic products are generally safe in the short term, but there is limited
evidence for long term benefits. Most
of the health benefits have been in the area of prevention rather than
treatment.
Probiotics with S. boulardi, L. acidophilus,
B. lacytis and B. bifidum have been effective for prevention of traveler’s
diarrhea. When taking an antibiotic, the
“bad” and “good” bacteria are killed and this upsets the normal flora in the GI
tract, causing diarrhea. Taking a
probiotic before starting, or along with an antibiotic, will boost the “good”
bacteria and prevent diarrhea. If a
probiotic is taken after the onset of diarrhea, studies suggest that the
probiotic may decrease the length and frequency of diarrhea. For traveler’s diarrhea, the recommendation
is to start a probiotic 5 days prior to travel for prevention. Probiotics have helped people with irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS), especially IBS with diarrhea. Probiotic with B. infantis
decreased the pain and distention of IBS.
Women that are prone to yeast infections may
benefit from a probiotic with L. rhamnosus or B. longum, especially in
prevention of antibiotic induced yeast infection. To be most beneficial, the probiotic should
be taken 2 hours after the prescription antibiotic.
Probiotics show promising health benefits in
immune response and regulation. Over
half of our immune cells are found in the lining of the intestines. Probiotics are thought to inhibit the immune
or inflammatory process to foreign agents.
In upper respiratory infections, probiotic L. reuteri, L. casei, or L.
rhamosous have shown decrease length of symptoms and need for antibiotics. Some studies have shown that 3 weeks of
probiotics result in decreased nasal congestion and episodes of ear infections
from upper respiratory infections. Other
clinical trials have suggested that probiotics may be effective in recurrent
atopic eczema by altering the immune response.
In summary, probiotics are bacteria, found naturally
in foods or concentrated and dried in a pill form that reach the intestines
alive and have a health benefit, especially in prevention of diarrhea and
vaginal yeast infections. Promising
benefits are decreasing symptoms from upper respiratory infections and
allergies. Probiotics aid in normal
digestion, making of B vitamins and
regulation of the bowels by maintaining the normal balance of good and bad
bacteria in the GI tract.
If you have a question about the benefits of
probiotics or where they can be found, Madison Health Primary care can help. Beverly Clensey is a certified nurse practitioner at
Madison Health Primary Care in West Jefferson and is currently accepting new
patients. To make an appointment, call
614-879-8141. |
|||