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Add
Probiotics to Your Diet and Boost or Improve Your Immune System
In the old days, you
took medicine when you got sick and hoped it would make you well. Now
scientific studies are showing that we can actually boost our immune system
to help fight off infections and disease before we ever get sick! While
the age-old wisdom of getting enough sleep, minimizing stress, eating
a healthy diet and exercising regularly still holds true, there’s exciting
new evidence that eating certain foods - including cultured dairy products
- can boost the immune system and provide other amazing health benefits
as well.
Probiotics
- the friendly bacteria
 Foods
that contain probiotics - live cultures of various strains of beneficial
bacteria- are showing great promise in a variety of clinical and laboratory
studies for their ability to boost the immune system, ease gastrointestinal
problems, protect against different types of cancer and battle other ills
to help us achieve optimal health. Like a developing news story the facts
are still coming in, and the news is mostly good about these friendly,
health-enhancing bacterial cultures added to certain foods. A variety
of probiotics are also sold in capsule or powdered form as supplements.
While researchers
are not yet at a point of recommending precise amounts or types of probiotic-containing
foods to achieve specific health benefits, they are convinced that some
is good and more is probably even better!
Probiotic
foods
The most common probiotic
foods in the United States are cultured, or fermented, dairy products.
Various strains of probiotic bacteria are added to yogurt and kefir, a
cultured milk product that is extremely popular in Europe and quickly
gaining attention in the United States. Acidophilus milk also contains
probiotics. You can find these products in supermarkets and health and
natural food stores.
What
probiotics can do
These remarkable microorganisms
appear to be just the ticket for people with:
- Digestive disorders
- Lactose intolerance
- Recurrent intestinal
or vaginal infections
- Diarrhea brought
on from illness/viruses, taking antibiotics or traveling
- Compromised immune
system
Research is in full
swing to identify the health benefits of various strains of probiotics.
The future appears bright for these tiny, powerful microorganisms and
it is consumers who stand to benefit. While the verdict isn’t in yet,
studies have shown that probiotics may, among other things:
- Minimize symptoms
of food allergies and intolerances
- Improve bowel regularity
- Improve absorption
of nutrients and micronutrients - particularly good news for the elderly
who are often at risk for nutrient deficiencies
Putting
probiotics to work for you
- For general good
health, simply include some probiotic foods in your daily diet. Yogurt
comes in many flavors and options of fat content. Acidophilus milk tastes
just like regular milk and it’s available in both 1 and 2 percent fat.
Kefir comes in a variety of tempting flavors.
- Keep in mind that
you need to get enough of a particular strain or combination of strains
to reap the health benefits. For example, if you have diarrhea or a
yeast infection, you could try eating yogurt once a day to see if it
helps. If you don’t get the results you’re looking for, you could eat
more yogurt or add acidophilus milk or kefir to your diet. Foods containing
probiotics are generally rich in other nutrients as well so adding them
can’t hurt and may do you a world of good.
- Not all probiotics
will work for all conditions for all people in the same amounts. Contact
manufacturers to find out if their products contain strains that offer
the health benefits you are looking for and how much is recommended.
Until more specifics are known, perhaps the best advice is to experiment.
- While some products
may list the probiotic strains they contain, there are no laws requiring
that labels identify specific strains or amounts of probiotics in a
product. If the label doesn’t answer your specific health questions
or concerns, contact the manufacturer for:
- Complete information,
including the specific strain(s) of probiotics contained in the
product
- The amount
of active bacteria expected at the beginning and end of shelf-life
- Documentation
of claimed health effects for the specific strains used in the product
- The advantage of
food sources of probiotics is that they supply a combination of other
nutrients besides probiotics and they help ensure the survival of the
probiotics in your intestinal tract. On first glance, supplements appear
to provide higher levels of probiotics, but given their long shelf-life
it is unclear how many are actually still viable (live and active) at
the time of consumption.
Not
all probiotics are the same
Different strains
of probiotics might be compared to different breeds of dogs. Just as dogs
all belong to the same “family” or species, different breeds of dogs have
different personality traits and physical characteristics. Some are lap
dogs, some are hunting dogs, some need plenty of room to run, others are
content with a walk. Likewise, different strains of probiotics, even within
the same species, can have very different characteristics and health benefits.
That’s why - if you’re looking for a specific health benefit - it’s important
to know what strain or strains of probiotics are contained in the product
you’re buying. The following table lists specific health effects linked
to specific probiotics:
| Health
Benefit |
Species/Strain
|
What
it can do for you |
| Healthy
gut |
lactobacilli
and bifidobacteria |
Healthy gut lactobacilli
and bifidobacteria compete against disease-causing bacteria for nutrients
and living space inside the intestine. They produce organic acids
that help the body fight disease, and even produce natural antibiotics
that help discourage the growth of harmful bacteria and other disease-causing
substances. |
| Reducing
antibiotic-related infections and diarrhea |
L.
acidophilus, B longum and S. boulardil |
Antibiotics destroy
not only the bacteria causing the infection but also good bacteria
inside the body, which can result in diarrhea and yeast infections.
Consuming probiotic-fortified foods can help restore the healthy balance
of bacteria in the gut and reduce or prevent certain forms of antibiotic-associated
diarrhea. |
| Reducing
severity of infections |
L.
rhamnosus GG |
Studies have
shown that probiotics can reduce both the number and severity of primary
infections. A double-blind, randomized trial with children in day
care showed kids who drank milk fermented with LGG
daily had missed significantly fewer days due to illness and had fewer
respiratory infections with complications. |
| Boosting
the immune system |
L.
acidophilus LC1, L. casei and B. bifidum |
Probiotics stimulate
the production of immune cells. Probiotic bacteria also suppress inflammatory
response and help to control intestinal inflammatory diseases. |
| Helping
minimize problems with lactose intolerance |
L.
acidophilus, B. bifidus, B. longum and S. thermophilus |
For people who
have trouble digesting lactose, fermented milk products such as yogurt
are often well tolerated. Fermented foods that contain probiotic bacteria
tend to be more effective in easing problems associated with lactose
intolerance than probiotic supplements alone. |
*
Note: L. = Lactobacillus; B. = Bifidobacterium; S. = Streptococcus
Current
and future probiotic products
Various companies
have developed, or are in the process of developing, patented “designer”
strains of bacteria to add to their products for specific health benefits.
We will undoubtedly start seeing products on the supermarket shelves that
are specially formulated to alleviate certain health conditions. These
products will offer consumers an alternative to more invasive, medical
means of treating health problems, and provide a dietary means of optimizing
health and well-being. Ask your health care provider or a dietitian if
they could recommend a particular probiotic, or combination of probiotics,
that may assist with your health concerns and feel free to experiment
with different probiotic-containing products to see what works for your
individual needs and tastes. There’s bound to be a probiotic for everyone!
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