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Probiotics: Bacteria
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Probiotics are living microorganisms (bacteria), which are believed to help improve digestion by favorably altering the balance of intestinal micorflora. Common probiotics include Lactobacillus species, Bifidobacterium species and certain yeasts. Probiotics have an extensive history of use as dietary supplements. Cultured dairy products that contain probiotics such as kefir, koumiss, leben and dahi were used for their therapeutic effect long before probiotics were ever recognized or understood. Early bible references mention food products that are known today for their probiotic content.
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Probiotics are bacteria that help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines. The normal human digestive tract contains about 400 types of probiotic bacteria that reduce the growth of harmful bacteria and promote a healthy digestive system. The largest group of probiotic bacteria in the intestine is lactic acid bacteria, of which Lactobacillus acidophilus, found in yogurt, is the best known. Yeast is ... a probiotic substance. Probiotics are also available as dietary supplements.
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Probiotics might be useful for people with ulcerative colitis who have had part or all of the colon removed. Such people frequently develop a complication called pouchitis, inflammation of part of the remaining intestine. A 9-month, double-blind trial of 40 people found that a combination of three probiotic bacteria could significantly reduce the risk of a pouchitis flare-up in people with chronic pouchitis. 39 Participants were given either placebo or a mixture of various probiotics, including four strains of Lactobacilli, three strains of Bifidobacteria, and one strain of Streptococcus salivarius. The results showed that treated people were far less likely to have relapses of pouchitis. Another study found that probiotics used right after surgery can help prevent pouchitis from developing at all.
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Probiotics offer a number of benefits for the human body. In addition to promoting healthy digestion they are ... believed to boost immune function, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, and increase resistance to certain infections and disease causing bacteria. Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, in particular, produce organic compounds - such as lactic acid, acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide - that inhibit the reproduction of many dangerous bacteria. Certain probiotic strains are known to produce bacteriocins, which act as natural antibiotics. Recent research suggests that certain probiotics may also exhibit immunomodulatory and anticarcinogenic effects, as well as a number of other health benefits.
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Probiotics can be taken as a daily supplement as they help build a healthy digestive system by replenishing levels of ‘good’ or ‘friendly’ bacteria in the gut. If your child has had a course of antibiotics, give them a regular dose of probiotics over the following two weeks to replace the beneficial bacteria lost.
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Probiotics are actually live bacteria. These are the same bacteria that live, naturally, in a person’s gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria do a number of things for people. They help the process of digestion along, which can, of course, help with constipation. Probiotics help to keep the flora inside of the gastrointestinal tract, or the “gut flora” balanced. This, in turn, helps the gastrointestinal tract to more efficiently and more effectively perform its task of digestion.
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