Probiotics: What are the Health Benefits?

What Are Probiotics?

The WHO (World Health Organization) defines probiotics as foods or supplements that may "contain live microorganisms which, when ingested in sufficient amounts, confer a health benefit on the host".

How do they do this? Probiotics, which actually are bacteria or yeasts, might encourage already healthy balance in gut flora. The many studies conducted on the subject appear to have identified gut microbiota (which contain some 100 billion bacteria) as playing a crucial role, not only in digestive systems, but in health as a whole.

What is the Difference Between Probiotics and Prebiotics?

Probiotics are bacteria and yeasts which may help nourish and stabilize gut flora, while prebiotics can be considered probiotic performance-boosters - they may increase their activity. A kind of 'fertilizer', prebiotics should be found primarily in inulin and fiber (particularly fructans). The symbiotic combination of probiotics with prebiotics may thus lead to improved efficacy and health benefits.

What are the Various Strains of Probiotics?

There are many strains of probiotics, each with different compositions and potential health benefits. One probiotic may help stimulate intestinal transit while another could improve lactose tolerance, etc.

The best-known strains are Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, and Saccharomyces, found in fermented products, but there are many more. These strains are themselves sub-divided into several categories. There are the multiple possible combinations and potential benefits to health.

What are Potential Probiotic Health Benefits?

The many scientific studies conducted in this field over recent years seem to have confirmed probiotics as a possible aid to health, with one of the most discussed areas of study being potential intestinal challenges.

Other Research

Studies also seem to have highlighted probiotics' broader potential for helping to support human health. It seems they may help boost the immune system.

These findings need further research but given the potential virtues of these bacteria, it seems likely that other possible benefits may emerge.

Where are Probiotics Found?

Probiotics may naturally be found in fermented products such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, olives, brewer's yeast, etc. Consuming a diet rich in probiotics (combined with prebiotics whenever possible) is thus one of the possible ways of benefiting from these substances' potential properties.

Supplementation also has advantages, for two main reasons: the benefits gained from the combined effects of different strains of bacteria/yeasts, as well as the fact that probiotics directly reach the gut. It is thought that up to 90% of probiotics - which are effective when they reach the gut, and more specifically the colon - may be decomposed by acidity in the stomach. Timed-release capsules help avoid this because they dissolve only when they arrive in the gut. An additional advantage of supplementation is that it must be taken everyday on a sustained basis in order to be effective, which may not be the case with alimentation only.